The 35-year-old football pro in Rapid Wien is feeling better under the circumstances. It will take a few days before Burgstaller can leave the hospital and according to the Austrian news agency APA, he will not be able to play football for at least three months.
Burgstaller was assaulted unprovoked by a 23-year-old on Saturday. After witness statements and review of surveillance cameras, the police managed to identify the perpetrator, who chose to surrender himself after being contacted by the police.
He is now detained, suspected of causing serious bodily harm, writes APA.
The suspected perpetrator says through his lawyer that he "takes full responsibility for what happened" but cannot explain why he attacked Guido Burgstaller.
According to the lawyer, the 23-year-old is deeply remorseful and is willing to undergo supervision and voluntarily complete an anti-aggression training. The 23-year-old and his family have apologized to Burgstaller.
Guido Burgstaller has previously announced that he will quit football when his contract expires this summer.
Burgstaller, Marco Grüll, and Niklas Hedl, all from Rapid Wien, were forced to leave the national team last winter after participating in homophobic chants after the derby against Austria Wien.
Burgstaller has played 26 international matches for Austria and has also played for clubs such as Cardiff, Nürnberg, Schalke, and St Pauli.
