Marcel Sabitzer

The 30-year-old midfielder has been under contract with Borussia Dortmund since the end of July 2023. The Austrian international has 40 appearances to date for BVB in all competitions (six goals and nine assists) up to June 2024 (cut-off date for all statistics).

The son of former Austrian international Herfried Sabitzer was practically born into football. Marcel Sabitzer was born on 17 March 1994 in Wels in the foothills of the Alps in Upper Austria and was already considered one of the country's greatest attacking talents as a youngster. He is now at home in the centre of midfield. He thinks with and against the ball in an offensive and forward-looking manner. He started out at ESV Admira Villach and then at Grazer AK, for whom he laced up his boots until 2008, when he was just 14 years old. Via Austria Wien, he joined the Wacker Mödling academy in 2009, where he initially played for the U17s and U19s at the same time before making his senior debut in the 2009/10 season in the regional league.  "I finished school at 15, got my own flat at 16 and was a player in the Austrian second division," was how he put it in the members' magazine "Borussia" (April 2024 issue).

 The then 18-year-old was already on the radar of German first division clubs in 2012/13, but Sabitzer built up his career cautiously, playing for Austrian record champions Rapid Vienna from January 2013, for whom the newcomer scored seven goals in 29 league games in the 2013/14 season and got his first taste of European club football in the UEFA Europa League. A German club, Rasenballsport Leipzig, subsequently secured the midfielder's services, but loaned him out to FC Salzburg for the 2014/15 season. In 33 league games, he scored 19 goals and recorded 16 assists, playing a major part in the club's repeat championship title. He was also instrumental in winning the ÖFB Cup with seven goals and six assists in just five games.

Sabitzer played at Leipzig for six years from summer 2015, initially in the Bundesliga 2 and then in the top flight from 2016. He shone with technique, dynamism, speed and - at the age of just 23 - maturity. And with versatility. He was deployed in attack, behind the striker(s) and on the wings. ‘I'm a bit of everything,’ is how he described his style of play in kicker (August 2015). In 2017, he was voted Austria's Footballer of the Year.

When Julian Nagelsmann took over as head coach of the Saxons in 2019, he made Sabitzer his ‘aggressive leader’ in the centre-defensive midfield. His career - from winger to centre-back - is reminiscent of that of Bastian Schweinsteiger. In the summer of 2021, the Austrian, now captain of the Leipzig team, moved to FC Bayern Munich with his coach. At the end of January 2023, he was loaned out to Manchester United until the end of the season (18 competitive matches, eleven of them in the starting eleven; he was ruled out of the final five games due to a meniscus injury). He stood out with two goals in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final first leg against Sevilla (2-2). At national level, he won the English League Cup with the team.

The easiest way to describe Marcel Sabitzer is as a central all-rounder, with "strengths in all phases and at all levels of the game", as Edin Terzic once categorised him. Sabitzer has a keen instinct for when it's time to either drop the pace of the game or speed it up. When to hold up the ball, play it forward vertically or shift it across the park. The 30-year-old's qualities are allowed to flourish best in a central position, from where he can also pose a goal threat, whether it be directly or indirectly. “In general, I'm very open-minded when it comes to my position. In the national team I play on the left wing, in Dortmund in the six, eight or ten role, in Munich even right or left-back - that's all okay for me. Being able to play in lots of different positions and having flexibility is a sign of strength. It suits my personality and my style of play. I need to be involved to the same extent in good offensive and defensive actions,” said Sabitzer in the April 2024 issue of “Borussia,” adding: “I want to run a lot, and run hard, and so it's the right position. I'm also quite good with the ball and I'm not afraid to do some dirty work.”

He earns acclaim for the way he plays with a distinctive flourish yet always adheres precisely to tactical instructions. The fact that he always pushes himself to the limit, has a healthy level of aggression and toughness and can anticipate play well also makes him a solid option in the number-six role, which requires strength in the tackle and physical assertiveness.

After moving to BVB, he hit great form in the second half of the season.  Of his total of 15 scorer points in all competitions (six goals, nine assists), he collected nine after the winter break, including three in one match: Sabitzer notched up a goal and two assists in the 4-2 victory over Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. In his 25 Bundesliga games for BVB, he was involved in 70 efforts on goal (49 shots, 21 assists). And he was Dortmund's hardest-running player (an average of 11.9 kilometres per 90 minutes).

At BVB, Sabitzer plays with the number 20 on his back. Many numbers in the squad were no longer available. He chose this number because he used to wear it in his early days with the Austrian national team. He was 18 years, two months and 19 days old when he made his debut on 5 June 2012. He was a mainstay of the team at Euro 2024.