Christoph Baumgartner

Christoph Baumgartner (born 1 August 1999) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and forward for club RB Leipzig and the Austria national team. He was selected Austrian Footballer of the Year in 2024.

Club career TSG Hoffenheim In January 2019, Baumgartner was promoted to the first team squad of TSG Hoffenheim. He made his debut for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on 11 May 2019, coming on as a half-time substitute for Nadiem Amiri in the 0–1 home loss against Werder Bremen.

RB Leipzig On 23 June 2023, RB Leipzig announced the signing of Baumgartner on a five-year contract. On 12 December 2025, he made his 100th appearance for the club in a 3–1 away defeat against Union Berlin. He concluded the 2025–26 season as the club's top scorer, finishing with 13 goals and 9 assists in the Bundesliga.

International career Youth Baumgartner appeared for the various Austrian youth national teams, from the under-15 to under-19 selections. In April 2016, he was included in Austria's squad for the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Azerbaijan. He scored both goals in Austria's 2–0 win in their opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the team managing to reach the quarter-finals before losing to Portugal.

He made his under-21 debut on 10 November 2017, coming on as a substitute for Mathias Honsak in the 87th minute of the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Serbia, which finished as a 1–3 home loss.

Senior In August 2020, Baumgartner was called up for the Austrian senior team for the first time. On 4 September, he started his first match in a 2–1 away win over Norway during the UEFA Nations League. Three days later, he scored his first goal in a 3–2 home defeat against Romania.

On 24 May 2021, he was named in Austrian squad for the UEFA Euro 2020. On 21 June, he scored the only goal for Austria in a 1–0 win over Ukraine, to help his national team to reach the knockout stages of the competition for the first time in their history.

On 23 March 2024, Baumgartner scored what is believed to be the fastest goal in the history of international football, scoring after only six seconds in a 2–0 friendly victory over Slovakia in Bratislava. Later that year, on 7 June, he was named in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. On 21 June, he scored his country's second goal in a 3–1 victory over Poland during the group stage.

In May 2026, Baumgartner was called up to the 26-man Austrian squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, on 2 June, it was confirmed that he had to withdraw from the squad due to a muscle injury in his thigh, which he sustained during a training session leading up to the tournament. He was replaced by Dejan Ljubičić.

Personal life Baumgartner's older brother, Dominik, is also a professional footballer and former youth international for Austria.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Baumgartner goal