Felix Bacher: Rangnick is not Santa Claus

No Messing Around

The national coach had already spoken with him anyway: "He had already communicated to me that I would definitely get playing time."

That sounds good, but Bacher is a realist: "He's not Santa Claus, he can't promise anything. This isn't a friendly match, no messing around, something is at stake. If it hadn't happened, you would have to deal with that too."

However, in the away match in Kosovo, the time came, and the France-based player was allowed to play for the A-team for the first time, playing the full 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw.

test — Der Frankreich-Legionär durfte den Trainingsanzug ausziehen
Foto: ©IMAGO / Branislav Racko

He said he wasn't nervous. "I was simply happy. I'm always happy when it comes to playing football. And when you play with good players, it's even more fun."

Praise from Teammate Danso

Kevin Danso is definitely a good player. The Tottenham professional played alongside Bacher in central defense.

"He had a great debut. A great player. He plays in Ligue 1, I know the league, it's tough," says Danso about Bacher.

WSG, Estoril, Lyon, ÖFB Team

That Bacher would be playing for a renowned club like Olympique Lyon and in the A-team in 2026 was rather unimaginable two and a half years ago, when he was playing for WSG Tirol.

What would he have said if someone had prophesied the year 2026 to him in that way? Bacher waves it off: "I'm not the type of person who looks that far into the future. I just try to give my best day by day."

And so it was for his debut with the ÖFB team.

"Playing for my country for the first time was beautiful and great. It's a huge honor and it was fun," he beams.