Veteran Michael Gregoritsch immediately took his fellow Styrian under his wing. "He showed me everything and explained things," says Weinhandl.
What to sing?
During his first few hours with the national team, the rising Sturm star naturally kept a low profile, taking on more of an observer's role.
That is set to change soon. As a newcomer to the team, he will have to sing an initiation song in front of the assembled squad in the coming days. "I still have to figure out what I'm going to sing," he laughs.
Whether he will also take center stage on the pitch remains to be seen. "It's pretty cool to be involved at such a young age. It would be great to get some minutes, but if not, I won't be upset either," the youngster says, keeping his feet on the ground.
Staying grounded
The central midfielder generally gives off the impression of a very down-to-earth lad. Yet the past twelve months have provided plenty of reasons to get carried away.
U17 World Cup runner-up, a regular starter at SK Sturm, a market value of 15 million euros, making him the most valuable player in the entire ADMIRAL Bundesliga according to the platform "transfermarkt".
Oft bin ich nicht in der Schule.
"Sometimes, at home, I do think to myself that I'm very grateful for how fast it's all gone," he says.
His parents and friends "make sure I don't get carried away," Weinhandl assures.
He also tries not to dwell too much on his market value. "I just take it as a boost of confidence," says Weinhandl, who cites Jude Bellingham as his role model.
A bit of school
On top of all that, his Matura graduation exams are looming. "I'm not in school very often," he grins.
However, learning comes "fairly easy" to him. Only math is sometimes "a bit of a struggle." "I just have to learn the material at home. My classmates help me out with that, sending me the notes."
And in return, they probably get a story or two about what it is like to play alongside the country's best footballers. Just the usual things a 17-year-old does when his name is Luca Weinhandl.
