“A lot of things are actually not related at all.”

Heinz Lindner reports that the first training session with this close-knit group was as if he had never been away. In fact, the goalkeeper was absent from the national team for more than a year. In March 2023, the top Austrian entered the European Championship qualifiers as the number one player before being shockingly diagnosed with testicular cancer.

The illness has now been overcome and values ​​have changed: “I see many things with different eyes. Some things that used to frustrate me, upset me, or put me in a bad mood are now so devalued that there is no point in being angry about them because they actually do not matter at all.” Be Healthy: “I know this sounds corny, but I know it's not. If you are not healthy, there is only one wish: to be healthy. I appreciate waking up more now and knowing that I am healthy.

One can assume that Lindner is now relatively calm about things like competing for the top spot in the national team. Although ambition and goals are of course not forbidden. Of course, he wants to give 100% of his energy in preparing and convincing those responsible around Ralf Rangnick to take him to the European Championship. The team president justified the candidacy of Union Saint-Gilloise's second-in-command with his experience, including that of the ÖFB team.

Lindner does not want to return to Sion as second-in-command

The 33-year-old did not expect the appointment: “The starting position was not good, so of course I did not speculate on it. When the call came, it was overwhelming.” Lindner played three competitive matches for the new Belgian Cup winners. As of the summer, he will be under contract again in Switzerland with FC Sion. the future? Opens! “I will not return to Sion as number two,” Lindner explained, stating that there are interested parties. He will also make a decision regarding the national team depending on the expected match training. However, the current focus is solely on the emerging markets mission.

Patrick Bentz: The first competitor in the Austrian Federation's goal?

© APA

Patrick Bentz, whose club future is also open, is likely to sign this as well. With Brøndby, the 27-year-old dramatically missed out on the Danish championship title. He was then linked in the media with local rivals FC Copenhagen. A rumor that Bentz strongly denies: “There is only one club for me in Copenhagen and I have played for that club so far. This is the best and biggest club in Denmark. I don't like the other club that much.”

Bentz remains under contract with German double winners Bayer Leverkusen until the summer of 2025. The fact that Salzburg was left on the bench in Scandinavia has helped the national team's goalkeeping pecking order. Bentz is currently considered the first contender for the first round in the absence of Alexander Schlager. He is working feverishly for his comeback. At the moment, it does not seem impossible for the Salzburg goalkeeper to make the European Championship squad. “After his injury, I wrote ‘Jassi’ right away,” says Bentz, who has known Schlager for many years. “Duels are best won through sports. Injuries are always a story of fate.”

Bentz again against France?

Bentz confirms that he does not know whether he will participate in the European Championship as number one: “Nothing has been fixed.” The blond boy has played five international matches so far. The two face off appropriately against their opponents at the start of the Euros. “I have good memories of the national team's matches against France. “Not for the country,” smiles the goalkeeper, referring to his unfortunate commitment to Stade Reims. Previous encounters give us confidence in the European Championship duel with one of the tournament favorites: “We saw that something is possible and that We can also beat France.”