| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Josef Hickersberger | ||
| Date of birth | 27 April 1948 | ||
| Place of birth | Amstetten, Austria | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Al-Wahda FC (Abu Dhabi) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1960–1966 | ASK Amstetten | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1966–1972 | Austria Wien | 112 | (28) |
| 1972–1976 | Kickers Offenbach | 118 | (28) |
| 1976–1978 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | 59 | (5) |
| 1978–1980 | SSW Innsbruck | 35 | (6) |
| 1980–1982 | Rapid Wien | 48 | (4) |
| Total | 372 | (71) | |
| National team | |||
| 1968–1978 | Austria | 39 | (5) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1988–1990 | Austria | ||
| 1991–1992 | Fortuna Düsseldorf | ||
| 1993–1994 | Austria Wien | ||
| 1995–1997 | Al Ahli | ||
| 1996 | Bahrain | ||
| 1997–1999 | Arab Contractors | ||
| 1999–2000 | Al-Shaab | ||
| 2000–2001 | Al Wasl FC | ||
| 2001–2002 | Al-Ittihad (QAT) | ||
| 2002–2005 | Rapid Wien | ||
| 2006–2008 | Austria | ||
| 2008–2010 | Al-Wahda FC (Abu Dhabi) | ||
| 2010 | Bahrain | ||
| 2010– | Al-Wahda FC (Abu Dhabi) | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Josef Hickersberger (born 27 April 1948 in Amstetten, Austria) is a former professional football player and former coach of the Austria national football team and Austrian club side Rapid Wien.
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Hickersberger's started his playing career with Austria Wien, where he was brought in by Ernst Ocwirk in 1966. After six successful seasons he was sold for 2.1 million schillings to German League side Kickers Offenbach. He later moved on to Fortuna Düsseldorf, then returned to Austria to join SSW Innsbruck and finished his professional career with Rapid Vienna. He continued playing for amateur sides Badener AC, UFC Pama, SV Forchtenstein and WSV Traisen where he took up his first coaching posts.
He made his debut for Austria in May 1968 against Romania and was a participant at the 1978 FIFA World Cup. He earned 39 caps, scoring five goals. His last international match was at the World Cup in 1978 against West Germany, a game dubbed The miracle of Córdoba which the Austrians won 3–2.
Since retiring as a player, Hickersberger has worked as a football coach. He was the coach of the Austrian national team at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. However, after the sensational and embarrassing 1–0 defeat against the Faroe Islands in the first qualifying game of UEFA Euro 1992, he decided to quit and after that coached Fortuna Düsseldorf (1990–1992) and Austria Wien (1993–94).
Hickersberger then worked for a few years in the Arabian region, where he trained several teams, among them the Bahrain national football team, and Al Wasl FC Dubai, one of the most popular clubs in the UAE.
In 2002, Hickersberger came back to Austria, and brought back success to Rapid. With him as coach, Rapid won the Austrian Championship of 2004–05, nine years after the last triumph, and accordingly qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage where Rapid faced the teams of Bayern Munich, Juventus and Club Brugge.
He coached the Austrian national team during the UEFA Euro 2008 played in Austria and Switzerland, obtaining only one point out of nine. Austria lost 1–0 against Croatia and Germany, and rescued a late draw, a 1–1 against Poland with a goal of Ivica Vastić on minute 93. Austria stayed in the third position in the Group B, staying out of the competition in their own country. Hickersberger and Joachim Löw were sent off in the match between Austria and Germany after claiming some errors made by Manuel Enrique Mejuto González. On 23 June 2008, he quit the Austrian national team post.[1]
On 10 December he signed a contract by Al-Wahda FC (Abu Dhabi) as head coach until 30 June 2009.[2] After finishing fourth, therefore earning a play-off berth in the Asian Champions League, and leading the team to the Etisalat Cup Final in his first year at the club, he signed a one-year extension.[3] He also brought along two of his former national team assistant coaches, including Klaus Lindenberger.
His son Thomas Hickersberger played for the Austria national football team in 2002.
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