1. Overview
Christopher Trimmel ({{lang|de|Christopher Trimmel|}}, born 24 February 1987) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a right-back or wing-back. He is the captain of Bundesliga club 1. FC Union Berlin and also plays for the Austria national team. Trimmel has achieved significant success throughout his career, including leading Union Berlin to their first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga and their highest-ever top-flight finish, as well as qualifying for major European competitions. He has also played a crucial role in the Austria national team's progression in international tournaments.
2. Early life and career beginnings
Christopher Trimmel was born on 24 February 1987 in Oberpullendorf, Burgenland, Austria. He began his youth career in 1994 at his local club, USC Mannersdorf, where he played until 2006. From 2006 to 2007, he continued his youth development at ASK Horitschon. Trimmel made his professional debut in the 2007-08 season with ASK Horitschon in the regional league, appearing in 15 matches and scoring 7 goals. His performance at ASK Horitschon quickly caught the attention of larger clubs.
3. Club career
Christopher Trimmel's club career has seen him become a pivotal player for two major teams, SK Rapid Wien in Austria and 1. FC Union Berlin in Germany, leading both to significant achievements.
3.1. SK Rapid Wien
In 2008, Trimmel signed with SK Rapid Wien, a prominent Austrian club. He initially played for the amateur team but quickly earned a place in the first-team squad due to his promising performances. On 2 August 2009, in only his sixth league game, Trimmel achieved a notable individual highlight by scoring a hat-trick in just six minutes during a 5-1 victory over SK Austria Kärnten.
During his tenure with Rapid Wien until the 2013-14 season, Trimmel made a total of 199 official appearances, scoring 24 goals. He contributed to the club's consistent strong performances in the Austrian Football Bundesliga, securing runner-up finishes in the 2008-09, 2011-12, and 2013-14 seasons. Rapid Wien also finished third in the league in the 2009-10 and 2012-13 seasons. Additionally, Trimmel played a part in the team reaching the semi-finals of the Austrian Cup in the 2010-11 season.
3.2. 1. FC Union Berlin
In February 2014, Trimmel made a significant move to German club 1. FC Union Berlin for the upcoming season. Despite the club being in the 2. Bundesliga at the time, he quickly established himself as a central player. In the summer of 2017, when Japanese footballer Atsuto Uchida joined Union Berlin from Schalke 04, Trimmel successfully maintained his position as a key right-back, a professional competition that saw Uchida return to his former club in January 2018.
Trimmel's leadership qualities were recognized, and he was appointed team captain. Under his captaincy, Union Berlin achieved a historic milestone in the 2018-19 season by finishing third in the 2. Bundesliga and winning the promotion play-off against VfB Stuttgart, which secured the club's first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga, Germany's top-flight league.
After their promotion, Trimmel continued to lead the team to unprecedented success. In the 2021-22 season, Union Berlin reached the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal, their best performance in the competition in 21 years since their runner-up finish in 2000-01. The 2022-23 season marked a historic peak for the club, as they finished fourth in the Bundesliga, achieving their highest-ever top-flight league position. This impressive league finish also secured their first-ever qualification for the UEFA Champions League for the 2023-24 season. In the same 2022-23 season, Union Berlin also reached the Round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League, marking their highest-ever achievement in a European club competition.
On 24 October 2023, Trimmel made his debut in the UEFA Champions League against SSC Napoli. At the age of 36 years and 240 days, he became the oldest Austrian debutant in the UEFA Champions League, surpassing the previous record held by Michael Konsel, who debuted at 34 years and 189 days in 1996. As of February 2025, Trimmel had made 348 official appearances for Union Berlin, scoring 6 goals.
4. International career
Christopher Trimmel's international career with the Austria national team began in 2009. On 5 August 2009, he received his first call-up to the national squad for an upcoming friendly match against Cameroon, where he made his international debut. He initially played in four international matches.
Following his initial appearances, Trimmel experienced a significant hiatus from the national team, lasting nine years. However, his consistent strong performances with Union Berlin earned him a recall to the national squad in 2019. Two years later, he was selected for the UEFA Euro 2020 squad. In this tournament, Trimmel played a role in Austria's historic achievement of reaching the Round of 16 for the first time in the Euro tournament's history, and their first major tournament knockout stage appearance since the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
On 15 November 2021, Trimmel scored his first international goal in 12 years during a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Moldova at the Wörthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, Austria. His goal contributed to Austria's 4-1 victory, a crucial result that helped the team advance to the European play-offs for the World Cup. He has since represented his country a total of 22 times.
5. Career statistics
Christopher Trimmel's career statistics provide a detailed overview of his appearances and goals for both club and country across various competitions.
5.1. Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rapid Wien | 2008-09 | Austrian Bundesliga | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | |
| 2009-10 | Austrian Bundesliga | 24 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 2 | - | 35 | 8 | ||
| 2010-11 | Austrian Bundesliga | 28 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 2 | - | 42 | 3 | ||
| 2011-12 | Austrian Bundesliga | 27 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 28 | 4 | |||
| 2012-13 | Austrian Bundesliga | 31 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 | - | 44 | 4 | ||
| 2013-14 | Austrian Bundesliga | 34 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | - | 45 | 5 | ||
| Total | 149 | 18 | 13 | 1 | 37 | 5 | - | 199 | 24 | |||
| Union Berlin | 2014-15 | 2. Bundesliga | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2015-16 | 2. Bundesliga | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 1 | |||
| 2016-17 | 2. Bundesliga | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 35 | 0 | |||
| 2017-18 | 2. Bundesliga | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 34 | 1 | |||
| 2018-19 | 2. Bundesliga | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| 2019-20 | Bundesliga | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 35 | 0 | |||
| 2020-21 | Bundesliga | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 33 | 1 | |||
| 2021-22 | Bundesliga | 25 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 | - | 37 | 3 | ||
| 2022-23 | Bundesliga | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | - | 36 | 0 | ||
| 2023-24 | Bundesliga | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 31 | 0 | ||
| 2024-25 | Bundesliga | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 16 | 0 | |||
| Total | 306 | 5 | 22 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 348 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 456 | 23 | 35 | 1 | 56 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 548 | 30 | ||
5.2. International statistics
Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first.
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 November 2021 | Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria | Moldova | 2-0 | 4-1 | 2022 World Cup qualifier |
6. Awards and achievements
Throughout his career, Christopher Trimmel has accumulated several team and individual achievements:
- SK Rapid Wien
- Austrian Football Bundesliga:
- Runner-up: 2008-09, 2011-12, 2013-14
- Third Place: 2009-10, 2012-13
- Austrian Cup:
- Semi-final: 2010-11
- 1. FC Union Berlin
- Bundesliga:
- Fourth Place: 2022-23
- 2. Bundesliga:
- Third Place: 2018-19 (promotion to Bundesliga)
- Fourth Place: 2016-17
- DFB-Pokal:
- Semi-final: 2021-22
- UEFA Champions League Qualification: 2023-24 (first-ever qualification)
- UEFA Europa League Round of 16: 2022-23 (highest-ever European club competition finish)
- International
- UEFA Euro 2020 Round of 16: 2020 (first-ever for Austria at Euros)
- Bundesliga:
- Austrian Football Bundesliga: