Ferdinand Feldhofer
{{short description|Austrian former footballer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Ferdinand Feldhofer
| image = SC Wiener Neustadt vs. SV Lafnitz 2017-06-30 (02).jpg
| image_size = 160x240px
| fullname =
| height = {{Height|m=1.84|precision=0}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1979|10|23}}
| birth_place = Vorau, Austria
| position = Defender
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = TuS Vorau
| youthyears2 =
| youthclubs2 = TSV Pöllau
| currentclub =
| years1 = 1998–2002
| clubs1 = Sturm Graz
| caps1 = 32
| goals1 = 1
| years2 = 2002–2005
| clubs2 = Rapid Wien
| caps2 = 80
| goals2 = 5
| years3 = 2005–2008
| clubs3 = Wacker Innsbruck
| caps3 = 77
| goals3 = 4
| years4 = 2008–2013
| clubs4 = Sturm Graz
| caps4 = 88
| goals4 = 2
| nationalyears1 = 2002–2007
| nationalteam1 = Austria
| nationalcaps1 = 13
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| manageryears1 = 2015–2019
| managerclubs1 = SV Lafnitz
| manageryears2 = 2019–2021
| managerclubs2 = Wolfsberger AC
| manageryears3 = 2021–2022
| managerclubs3 = SK Rapid Wien
| manageryears4 = 2024
| managerclubs4 = Dinamo Tbilisi
| manageryears5 = 2024–2025
| managerclubs5 = Cercle Brugge
| manageryears6 = 2025–
| managerclubs6 = Grazer AK
}}
Ferdinand Feldhofer (born 23 October 1979) is an Austrian football coach and a former player. He is the current manager of Grazer AK in the Austrian Bundesliga.{{Cite web |title=Neues Trainerteam: Feldhofer und Urlesberger übernehmen beim GAK 1902 |url=https://grazerak.at/aktuelles/saison-24-25-neues-trainerteam-mit-feldhofer-und-urlesberger |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Der GAK 1902 geht mit einem neuen Trainerduo in die entscheidende Phase der A ... |language=de}}
Career
= Club =
Feldhofer started his career as a youth player with TuS Vorau and TSV Pöllau in Styria before joining Sturm Graz with whom he won the double in 1999. He moved on a free to Rapid Wien in 2002, after refusing to extend his deal with Sturm and making the way to court because he was subsequently put back in Sturm's amateur side, Feldhofer ended up winning the case. He clinched another league title with Rapid in 2005 and then left to become skipper of Wacker Innsbruck. In summer 2008 he decided to return to Sturm, where he signed a 3-year contract.
= National team =
He made his debut for Austria in a March 2002 friendly match against Slovakia and went on to earn 13 caps scoring one goal in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago in Vienna. His last international was a March 2007 friendly match against Ghana. He was not considered for Austria's Euro 2008 squad.
Managerial career
After acquiring his UEFA A Licence in June 2012, Feldhofer was a group manager at the "LAZ Weiz" in Weiz from 2013-2014. After that, from 2014 to 2015, he was working as an individual trainer for the ÖFB at the LAZ Styria. On the 10th of October, Feldhofer was revealed as manager of Austrian Regionalliga club SV Lafnitz and two days later started his work there. He was able to win the Austrian Regionalliga Central with the club, getting promoted to the Austrian 2. Liga by doing so. In October 2019, Feldhofer acquired his UEFA Pro Licence, the highest of Coach licences which is required in order to coach professional teams.
In December 2019, Feldhofer became coach of Austrian Bundesliga club Wolfsberger AC. Under him, the club was able to record what probably were the biggest achievements in the history of the club to date. At the end of the 2019/20 season, the Wolfsberger club stood at third place, which was the best season result in the history of the club, with this they were also able to immediately qualify for the Europa League for the second time. In 2020/21, the club was able to pass the group stage of said competition for the first time in club history but their run was put to a halt after two ties against Tottenham Hotspur. In the league however, the club was struggling to find continuous wins as they were, among other problems, missing a goalscorer of high caliber with Shon Weissman having departed to Real Valladolid. These smaller problems were however put in the background after it became public that Feldhofer had seemingly repeatedly been having fights with club skipper Michael Liendl putting him on the bench a few times before finally leaving him, together with two other leading players Michael Novak and Christopher Wernitznig, out of the match-day squad before their cup-clash against LASK, the game ended in a 0-1 loss after added time and Feldhofer decided to step down from his role as club-coach the following day, leaving the club at fifth in the table.
Since 28 November 2021, Feldhofer managed Austrian club SK Rapid Wien. Feldhofer was fired by Rapid on 16 October 2022.{{cite web|publisher=SK Rapid Vienna|url=https://www.skrapid.at/de/startseite/news/news/aktuelles/2022/10/aenderungen-im-trainerteam-der-profis|title=Änderungen im Trainerteam der Profis|date=16 October 2022|access-date=24 November 2022|language=de}}
On 16 June 2024, he was appointed as the manager of Georgian club Dinamo Tbilisi signing a year and a half contract.{{Cite web |title=Ferdinand Feldhofer is the head coach of Dinamo Tbilisi |url=https://fcdinamo.ge/en/news?n=104986&i= |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=fcdinamo.ge}} On 10 December 2024, Dinamo Tbilisi announced the departure of Feldhofer as Head Coach by mutual agreement.{{cite web |title=ფერდინანდ ფელდჰოფერი დინამოს დაემშვიდობა |url=https://fcdinamo.ge/ge/news?n=105103&i= |website=fcdinamo.ge |publisher=FC Dinamo Tbilisi |access-date=11 December 2024 |language=Georgian |date=11 December 2024}}
On the same day, Feldhofer was announced as the new head coach of Cercle Brugge on a six months contract, with an option for 2025-26 season.{{Cite web |title=Cercle Brugge stelt Ferdinand Feldhofer aan als hoofdcoach {{!}} Cercle Brugge KSV |url=https://cerclebrugge.be/news/articles/welkomferdinand |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=cerclebrugge.be |language=nl}} On 17 March 2025, Feldhofer was sacked by Cercle Brugge after failing to guide the club away from the relegation play-offs.{{cite web |title=Cercle Brugge ends collaboration with Ferdinand Feldhofer |url=https://cerclebrugge.be/en/news/articles/feldhofer1303 |website=cerclebrugge.be |publisher=Cercle Brugge K.S.V. |access-date=8 May 2025 |date=17 March 2025}}
On 24 March 2025, Feldhofer was announced as the new head coach of Grazer AK.{{cite web |title=Neues Trainerteam: Feldhofer und Urlesberger übernehmen beim GAK 1902 |url=https://www.grazerak.at/aktuelles/saison-24-25-neues-trainerteam-mit-feldhofer-und-urlesberger |website=grazerak.at |publisher=Grazer AK |access-date=8 May 2025 |language=German |date=24 March 2025}}
Managerial statistics
{{updated|match played 15 October 2022}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Managerial record by team and tenure |
| rowspan="2" |Team
!rowspan="2" |Nation !rowspan="2" |From !rowspan="2" |To !colspan="5" |Record !rowspan=2|{{abbr|Ref|Reference}} |
|---|
| {{Tooltip|G|Games managed}}
!{{Tooltip|W|Games won}} !{{Tooltip|D|Games drawn}} !{{Tooltip|L|Games lost}} !{{Tooltip|Win %|Winning percentage}} |
| align=left|SV Lafnitz
|{{Flagicon|Austria}} |align=left|10 October 2015 |align=left|23 December 2019 {{WDL|132|66|34|32}} |{{cite web|url=https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/austria/sv-lafnitz/19140/|title=SV Lafnitz: Matches|work=Soccerway|publisher=DAZN Group|access-date=1 December 2021}} |
| align=left|Wolfsberger AC
|{{Flagicon|Austria}} |align=left|23 December 2019 |align=left|4 March 2021 {{WDL|46|20|10|16}} |{{cite web|url=https://uk.soccerway.com/teams/austria/wolfsberger-athletik-club/21579/|title=Wolfsberger AC: Matches|work=Soccerway|publisher=DAZN Group|access-date=1 December 2021}} |
| align=left|Rapid Wien
|{{Flagicon|Austria}} |align=left|29 November 2021 |align=left|16 October 2022 {{WDL|42|17|11|14}} |
| align=left|Dinamo Tbilisi
|{{Flagicon|Georgia}} |align=left|16 June 2024 |align=left|10 December 2024 {{WDL|25|8|6|11}} |
| align=left|Cercle Brugge
|{{Flagicon|Belgium}} |align=left|10 December 2024 |align=left|17 March 2025 {{WDL|14|3|8|3}} |
| align="left" |Grazer AK
|{{Flagicon|Austria}} | align="left" |24 March 2025 | align="left" |present {{WDL|10|2|6|2}} | |
| colspan="4"|Total
{{WDLtot|234|107|57|70}} !— |
Honours
= As player =
- Austrian Football Bundesliga: 1997-98, 1998–99, 2010-11 (Sturm Graz) and 2004–05 (Rapid Vienna)
- Austrian Cup: 1998–99, 2009–10 (Sturm Graz)
= As coach =
- Austrian Regionalliga Central: 2017-18 (SV Lafnitz)
References
{{Reflist}}
- http://www.laola1.at/de/fussball/bundesliga/news/feldhofer-beendet-seine-karriere/page/58650-32-48---7.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629065036/http://www.laola1.at/de/fussball/bundesliga/news/feldhofer-beendet-seine-karriere/page/58650-32-48---7.html |date=29 June 2013 }}
- https://web.archive.org/web/20161012100515/http://www.collegeweiz-stfv.at/trainer/ferdinand-feldhofer/
- http://sportnet.at/home/fussball/international/4840537/Fussball-Live_ExSturmKicker-Ferdinand-Feldhofer-hat-neuen-Job
- https://www.laola1.at/de/red/fussball/2--liga/news/2--liga--lafnitz-trainer-feldhofer-erhaelt-uefa-pro-lizenz/
- https://www.rzpelletswac.at/2019/12/23/feldhofer-neuer-cheftrainer/
- https://www.laola1.at/de/red/fussball/oefb-cup/news/wac-boss-riegler-zur-causa-feldhofer-liendl---eine-ungute-sache-/
- https://www.rzpelletswac.at/2021/03/04/feldhofer-tritt-zurueck/
- https://www.laola1.at/de/red/fussball/bundesliga/news/feldhofer-neuer-rapid-coach/
External links
- {{NFT player|pid=481}}
- [http://rapidarchiv.at/spieler/feldhofer_ferdinand.html Player stats] at Rapid Archiv {{in lang|de}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Ferdinand Feldhofer managerial positions
|list1=
{{SK Rapid Wien managers}}
{{FC Dinamo Tbilisi managers}}
{{Cercle Brugge K.S.V. managers}}
{{Grazer AK managers}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feldhofer, Ferdinand}}
Category:People from Hartberg District
Category:Men's association football defenders
Category:Austrian men's footballers
Category:Austria men's international footballers
Category:SK Sturm Graz players
Category:SK Rapid Wien players
Category:FC Wacker Innsbruck (2002) players
Category:Austrian Football Bundesliga players
Category:Footballers from Styria
Category:Austrian football managers
Category:Wolfsberger AC managers
Category:SK Rapid Wien managers
Category:FC Dinamo Tbilisi managers
Category:Cercle Brugge K.S.V. managers
Category:Austrian Football Bundesliga managers
Category:Erovnuli Liga managers
Category:Austrian expatriate football managers
Category:Expatriate football managers in Georgia (country)
Category:Austrian expatriate sportspeople in Georgia (country)