Matthäus Taferner

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Matthäus Taferner

| fullname =

| image = Matthäus Taferner1.jpg

| caption = Taferner in 2022

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|01|30|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Klagenfurt, Austria{{Worldfootball.net|matthaeus-taferner}}

| height = 1.70 m

| position = Midfielder

| currentclub = WSG Tirol

| clubnumber = 30

| youthclubs1 = Wacker Innsbruck

| youthyears1 = 2007–2017

| years1 = 2017–2019

| clubs1 = Wacker Innsbruck II

| caps1 = 45

| goals1 = 6

| years2 = 2017–2019

| clubs2 = Wacker Innsbruck

| caps2 = 29

| goals2 = 3

| years3 = 2019–2020

| clubs3 = Dynamo Dresden

| caps3 = 4

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 2020

| clubs4 = → Wacker Innsbruck (loan)

| caps4 = 9

| goals4 = 1

| years5 = 2020–2023

| clubs5 = Wolfsberger AC

| caps5 = 86

| goals5 = 2

| years6 = 2023–

| clubs6 = WSG Tirol

| caps6 = 44

| goals6 = 2

| nationalyears1 = 2016

| nationalteam1 = Austria U15

| nationalcaps1 = 3

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 2017

| nationalteam2 = Austria U16

| nationalcaps2 = 1

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| nationalyears3 = 2017–2018

| nationalteam3 = Austria U17

| nationalcaps3 = 5

| nationalgoals3 = 1

| nationalyears4 = 2018

| nationalteam4 = Austria U18

| nationalcaps4 = 2

| nationalgoals4 = 0

| nationalyears5 = 2018

| nationalteam5 = Austria U19

| nationalcaps5 = 2

| nationalgoals5 = 0

| nationalyears6 = 2019

| nationalteam6 = Austria U20

| nationalcaps6 = 1

| nationalgoals6 = 0

| nationalyears7 = 2021–2022

| nationalteam7 = Austria U21

| nationalcaps7 = 11

| nationalgoals7 = 0

| pcupdate = 27 December 2024

| ntupdate = 3 June 2022

}}

Matthäus Taferner (born 30 January 2001) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as midfielder for WSG Tirol.{{Soccerway|matthaus-taferner/485245}}

Club career

=Wacker Innsbruck=

Taferner began his career at Wacker Innsbruck. In 2015 he joined the Fußballakademie Tirol, while attending the Bundes-Oberstufenrealgymnasium Innsbruck, a gymnasium with a branch for competitive athletes.{{cite web |title=Athletes on Air – Matthäus Taferner, Förderverein Nachwuchsleistungssport Tirol |url=https://www.nachwuchsleistungssport-tirol.at/magazin/athletes-on-air-matthaeus-taferner/ |website=nachwuchsleistungssport-tirol.at |language=de |date=25 June 2020}}

On 27 May 2017, Taferner, who had already attracted the interest of German club SC Freiburg,{{cite news |last1=Michael |first1=Pipal |title=Der Ruf der Insel ereilt die Tiroler Fußball-Talente |url=https://www.tt.com/artikel/12818589/der-ruf-der-insel-ereilt-die-tiroler-fussball-talente |work=Tiroler Tageszeitung Online |date=3 April 2017 |language=de}} made his debut for the reserve team of Wacker Innsbruck in the Austrian Regionalliga when he was substituted in place of Sandro Gavrić in the 60th minute of a 2–1 loss to USC Eugendorf.{{cite web |title=FC Wacker Innsbruck – FCW II: Tolle Saison endet mit kleinem Dämpfer |url=https://fc-wacker-innsbruck.at/news/zweier-teams/3240-fcw-ii-tolle-saison-endet-mit-kleinem-daempfer.html |website=fc-wacker-innsbruck.at |access-date=20 November 2021 |language=de |archive-date=4 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204230546/https://fc-wacker-innsbruck.at/news/zweier-teams/3240-fcw-ii-tolle-saison-endet-mit-kleinem-daempfer.html |url-status=dead }}

In September 2017, Taferner was promoted to the first team by coach Karl Daxbacher. He made his debut in the second-tier First League in the same month when he was substituted for Daniele Gabriele in the 84th minute of the Tyroleans' 4–0 away win over Austria Lustenau on 29 September 2017.{{cite web |title=Austria Lustenau – FC Wacker Innsbruck 0:4 (2. Liga 2017/2018, 13. Spieltag) |url=https://www.weltfussball.de/spielbericht/erste-liga-2017-2018-austria-lustenau-fc-wacker-innsbruck/ |website=weltfussball.de |access-date=20 November 2021 |language=de}} This appearance meant that he became the first player in the second tier of Austrian football who was born in the 21st century.{{cite web |last1=Krainer |first1=Josef |title=Matthäus Taferner von Wacker Innsbruck II erhält langfristigen Profivertrag |url=https://www.ligaportal.at/regionalliga-west/allgemein/12327-matthaeus-taferner-von-wacker-innsbruck-ii-erhaelt-langfristigen-profivertrag |website=Regionalliga West {{!}} ligaportal.at |language=de-de |date=21 December 2017}} With Wacker Innsbruck he won promotion to the Austrian Football Bundesliga at the end of the season.{{cite news |title=Wacker Meister und wieder erstklassig |url=https://tirol.orf.at/v2/news/stories/2912090/ |work=tirol.orf.at |date=11 May 2018 |language=de}}

He made his debut in the Bundesliga in April 2019 in a 3–1 defeat against SV Mattersburg.{{cite web |title=SV Mattersburg – FC Wacker Innsbruck 3:1 (Bundesliga 2018/2019 Qualifikationsgruppe, 26. Spieltag) |url=https://www.weltfussball.de/spielbericht/bundesliga-2018-2019-qualifikationsgruppe-sv-mattersburg-fc-wacker-innsbruck/ |website=weltfussball.de |access-date=20 November 2021 |language=de}} The following month he scored his first goal in the highest Austrian league in a 4–0 win, also against Mattersburg.{{cite web |title=FC Wacker Innsbruck – SV Mattersburg 4:0 (Bundesliga 2018/2019 Qualifikationsgruppe, 32. Spieltag) |url=https://www.weltfussball.de/spielbericht/bundesliga-2018-2019-qualifikationsgruppe-fc-wacker-innsbruck-sv-mattersburg/ |website=weltfussball.de |access-date=20 November 2021 |language=de}} At the end of the season, he suffered relegation with Innsbruck after one season, finishing in last place in the Bundesliga table.{{cite news |last1=Geiler |first1=Christoph |title=Der FC Wacker steht nach dem Abstieg vor dem Nichts |url=https://kurier.at/sport/fussball/der-fc-wacker-steht-nach-dem-abstieg-vor-dem-nichts/400505953 |work=kurier.at |date=27 May 2019 |language=de}}

=Dynamo Dresden=

On 25 June 2019, 2. Bundesliga club Dynamo Dresden confirmed that they had signed Taferner from Wacker Innsbruck on a four-year contract.[https://www.dynamo-dresden.de/saison/news/newsdetails/taferner-und-kone-steigen-mit-kraftkreis-ein.html Taferner und Koné steigen mit Kraftkreis ein] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129010634/https://www.dynamo-dresden.de/saison/news/newsdetails/taferner-und-kone-steigen-mit-kraftkreis-ein.html |date=29 January 2022 }}, dynamo-dresden.de, 25 June 2019 In Dresden, the midfielder only played four times and was sent on loan to his former club Wacker Innsbruck in January 2020.{{cite web |title=FC Wacker Innsbruck – Nachwuchsteamspieler kehrt zurück! |url=https://www.fc-wacker-innsbruck.at/news/news-kampfmannschaft/4265-nachwuchsteamspieler-kehrt-zurueck.html |website=fc-wacker-innsbruck.at |access-date=20 November 2021 |language=de |archive-date=20 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120130522/https://www.fc-wacker-innsbruck.at/news/news-kampfmannschaft/4265-nachwuchsteamspieler-kehrt-zurueck.html |url-status=dead }}

=Wolfsberger AC=

In the summer of 2020, he returned to Austria, signing for Wolfsberger AC for an undisclosed fee.{{Cite news |date=6 August 2020 |title=Offiziell: WAC holt Matthäus Taferner von Dynamo Dresden |language=de |work=Kleine Zeitung |url=https://www.kleinezeitung.at/sport/spox_news/5849274/ |access-date=11 August 2020}}

=WSG Tirol=

On 10 August 2023, Taferner signed with WSG Tirol.{{cite web|publisher=WSG Tirol|url=https://www.wsg-fussball.at/de/aktuelles/meldungen/8419470615.php|title=Matthäus Taferner unterschreibt bei der WSG Tirol|trans-title=Matthäus Taferner signs with WSG Tirol|date=10 August 2023|access-date=14 December 2023|language=de}}

International career

On 24 April 2016, Taferner made his debut for Austria U15 in a 3–3 draw against their peers from Mexico at the Wörthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt.{{cite web |title=Österreich U15 – Mexiko U15 |url=https://www.oefb.at/oefb/Spiel/1978987/?Oesterreich-U15-vs-Mexiko-U15 |website=oefb.at |access-date=20 November 2021 |language=de}} Further appearances followed on 26 April against Norway and on 29 April against Brazil. On 9 April 2017, he played in his Tyrolean homeland, in Jenbach, in the friendly international match against Turkey (1–3) for the Austrian U16 national team.{{cite web |title=Österreich U16 – Türkei U16 |url=https://www.oefb.at/oefb/Spiel/2001738/?Oesterreich-U16-vs-Tuerkei-U16 |website=oefb.at |access-date=20 November 2021 |language=de}}

In the summer of 2017, he was selected by coach Rupert Marko for the Austria U17 team for the international Toto Cup. On 30 August 2017, he scored his first international goal in Sillian in the 79th minute of the match, putting the finishing touches to a 4–0 victory in the friendly against peers from Finland. In total, Taferner played five games for the U17 team.

In March 2021, Taferner made his international debut for the Austria U21 team against Saudi Arabia.{{cite web |title=Österreich U21 – Saudi Arabien U21 |url=https://www.oefb.at/oefb/Spiel/2884927/?Oesterreich-U21-vs-Saudi-Arabien-U21 |website=oefb.at |access-date=19 November 2021 |language=de}}