Horvath included: The 25 oldest ÖFB debutants of all time

Zeljko Vukovic wrote a very special story.

The Croatian-born player, who only received Austrian citizenship in 1995, debuted for the ÖFB team on October 27, 2001, at the age of 39 years and 260 days – making him by far the oldest debutant in the Austrian national team to this day.

His appearance came about relatively unexpectedly: Ahead of the decisive World Cup qualifier in Israel, Austria was missing no less than 14 regular squad players due to injuries, suspensions, and withdrawals.

National coach Otto Baric therefore had to improvise and nominated Vukovic, who was then playing for FC Kärnten, for the match. The almost 40-year-old was immediately trusted and played as a libero.

Strong performance on debut

And Vukovic delivered: The makeshift ÖFB team fought to a 1-1 draw in Tel Aviv, with Andreas Herzog scoring the crucial equalizer in the 92nd minute. Vukovic was singled out as one of the best Austrians alongside Herzog and goalkeeper Franz Wohlfahrt.

Baric was particularly impressed afterwards: "With him, I had just forgotten that he was Austrian."

Vukovic then went on to play in the two World Cup playoff matches against Turkey, which were lost 0-6 on aggregate, making a total of three international appearances.

Tomislav Kocijan also made his ÖFB debut only at an advanced footballing age.

The Varazdin-born striker with Croatian roots was called up by his compatriot Otto Baric and made his first appearance for Austria on September 1, 2000, at the age of 32 years and 285 days.

In the shadow of Toni Polster

The match against Iran was entirely dedicated to Toni Polster, who played his 95th and final international game at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion. But while Polster celebrated his farewell in the spotlight, Kocijan quietly provided a highlight:

In the 44th minute, the then Sturm Graz striker scored to make it 2-1, thereby netting his first goal on his debut. Austria ultimately won convincingly with a 5-1 scoreline.

Baric was impressed after Kocijan's debut: "Kocijan can do even more, but with him, we have gained a good player." His debut was described as "solid" by the national coach.

Kocijan remained part of the extended ÖFB squad afterwards and made three more appearances. He played his last international match in October 2001 in a 1-1 draw in Israel.

Overall, he recorded four international appearances and one goal. After the end of the Baric era, Kocijan was no longer called up and ended his professional career after the 2001/02 season.

Kevin Stöger had to wait an exceptionally long time for his debut in the ÖFB team.

The Upper Austrian native was first called up by Franco Foda in March 2019 but did not feature in the European Championship qualifiers against Poland and Israel.

It wasn't until over five years later that it happened: At 31 years and ten days old, Stöger debuted on September 6, 2024, in the Nations League in a 1-1 draw in Slovenia.

Particularly noteworthy: Stöger himself took the long wait in stride. Before his debut, he stated that he was "absolutely not critical or resentful." He said he "ultimately didn't care" why it took so long.

Unusual oldie in the Rangnick era

Ralf Rangnick brought on the midfielder in the 82nd minute for Romano Schmid. However, he couldn't make any decisive impact in the few minutes he played. "Of course, I'm proud and happy about my debut. But on the other hand, I'm a guy who always wants to win," Stöger said after the match.

This makes Stöger the oldest debutant of the Ralf Rangnick era to date. After his debut, he featured in four more matches, but never from the start.

In total, he recorded only 54 minutes of play across five international matches. His last brief appearance to date came in March 2025 in a 0-2 loss against Serbia in the Nations League playoff.

Sascha Horvath also had to wait a long time for his first appearance in the ÖFB team.

On September 24, 2026, the time finally came: The 30-year and 33-day-old LASK captain is substituted in the 73rd minute for Nicolas Seiwald in the Nations League home match against Israel, making his senior international debut precisely in Linz.

Over 60 youth international matches

That Horvath would have to turn 30 for this was hardly foreseeable about 15 years ago. In his youth, the Viennese player was considered one of Austria's greatest talents and went through all youth selections.

In total, he made 64 appearances for Austria's youth national teams. He played his last U21 international match in June 2019 – more than seven years later, the step up to the senior team finally follows.

That this debut even happened is quite surprising. As recently as the squad announcement on September 14, Rangnick had stated that he preferred other players in central midfield.

"With us, it's such that we still have enough players whom I simply rate as stronger in this position," the national coach said then.

Called up as a replacement for Laimer

A few days later, the situation changed: Following Konrad Laimer's injury-related absence, Horvath was nominated for the senior team for the first time on September 20. Four days later, his debut followed.

This makes the LASK captain, after Kevin Stöger, only the second over-30 debutant of the Rangnick era.

Furthermore, for the best player of the past Bundesliga season, it might not remain just one appearance: The next Nations League match against Kosovo is already scheduled for September 27 in Horvath's birthplace, Vienna.