Christian Gratzei
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christian Gratzei | ||
| Date of birth | 19 September 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Leoben, Austria | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2001 | DSV Leoben | 2 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Grazer AK | 0 | (0) |
| 2002–2018 | SK Sturm Graz | 273 | (0) |
| 2006–2015 | Sturm Graz II | 23 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2009–2012 | Austria | 10 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2019– 2021 | Wolfsberger AC (goalkeeper coach) | ||
| 2022 | SK Sturm Graz (assistance coach U15 ) | ||
| 2022– 2024 | TSV Hartberg (goalkeeper coach) | ||
| 2024 | TSV Hartberg (assistance coach) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Christian Gratzei (born 19 September 1981 in Leoben) is a former Austrian football goalkeeper. He plaʏed mainly for SK Sturm Graz. He also played for the Austrian national football team.
Career
Gratzei began his active career as a footballer in 1987 at DSV Leoben. He played for all of the Donawitz club's youth teams until 1998 and was a member of the professional squad in the second-tier First Division from 1998 onwards. In 2001 Gratzei moved to Grazer AK II. In 2002 he was moved to SK Sturm Graz II. When his coach Foda became coach of the first team Gratzei also got his chance to train with the first team. On 8 March 2003, Gratzei made his debut in the Bundesliga when he played in goal for Graz against SW Bregenz. After a break of more than half a year due to injury, he slowly felt his way back to the top, but was unable to consolidate his position permanently due to a number of mistakes. In the 2005/06 season, Gratzei did not make a single appearance. Since February 2007, he was once again the regular goalkeeper for SK Sturm. He ended his career after the 2017/18 season.[1]
In 2019, he took over as goalkeeping coach at Wolfsberger AC. After a year with the U15 of SK Sturm as assistance coach he went to TSV Hartberg. There he was goalkeeper coach and one year assistance coach.
International
On 1 February 2008, Gratzei was nominated for the Austrian national team squad for the first time. In the fall of 2009, Gratzei became Austria's second goalkeeper behind Helge Payer. He made his national team debut on 14 October 2009 in the 3-1 defeat against France at the Stade de France. He came in for Payer in the second half. His last match was in a 0-0 versus Romania on 5 June 2012.[2]
Honours
- 1 × Austrian Champion: 2011
- 2 × Austrian Cup winner: 2010, 2018 (Sturm Graz)
- 2 × Goalkeeper of the Year in Austria: 2008, 2011