1. Overview
Gernot Trauner is an accomplished Austrian professional footballer recognized for his role as a centre-back. He began his journey in youth football in Upper Austria, making his professional debut with LASK in 2010. After a significant period with SV Ried where he transitioned to a central defensive role and overcame injuries, Trauner returned to LASK, growing into a key player and captain, leading the team to notable successes in the Austrian Football Bundesliga and European competitions. In 2021, he made a pivotal move to Dutch club Feyenoord, where he quickly became an integral part of the squad, contributing to a league title and reaching the UEFA Europa Conference League final. His international career includes representing Austria at various youth levels and making his senior national team debut in 2018, later scoring at UEFA Euro 2024.
2. Early Life and Youth Career
Gernot Trauner started his football journey in 1997 with SV Kematen am Innbach in the Hausruckviertel region of Upper Austria. His youth coach, Karl Karazi, recognized his potential early on, describing him as "agile and technically gifted" and specifically commending his strong ambition to succeed. Trauner developed through the club's youth ranks until 2006, when he transferred to the regional football academy in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria. During his time at the Linz academy, he played for various age-group teams, from the under-15 to the under-19 level. A significant achievement during this period was winning the national under-17 championship with his team in the 2008-09 season.
3. Club Career
Trauner's club career spans several key periods with Austrian clubs LASK and SV Ried, before his move to the Dutch Eredivisie with Feyenoord, where he achieved significant success and captaincy.
3.1. LASK (First Stint)
After showcasing impressive performances with the under-19 team of the Linz academy, Gernot Trauner was signed by the prominent regional club LASK in February 2010. He initially played for LASK's second team, which competed in the Upper Austrian Landesliga. He made his debut for this reserve squad on March 21, 2010, in a commanding 6-1 victory against SV Gmunden, where he also scored a goal. His teammates during this debut included Lukas Kragl, Thomas Höltschl, and Ali Hamdemir. In his first season with the reserve team, Trauner made an additional ten appearances and netted three more goals. The reserve team's strong performance saw them secure a second-place finish at the end of the season, earning promotion to the Austrian Regionalliga Central.
Before the commencement of the 2010-11 season, Trauner was promoted to the LASK first team. He made his Austrian Football Bundesliga debut on July 31, 2010, under head coach Helmut Kraft, coming on as a substitute for René Aufhauser in a 1-0 regional derby loss against SV Ried. He went on to make ten more league appearances during that season. Unfortunately, his team faced relegation to the First League. Following this, Trauner was sidelined for the entirety of the 2011-12 season due to a complex hip injury.
3.2. SV Ried
On June 12, 2012, after his contract with LASK expired, Gernot Trauner joined SV Ried, signing a three-year deal. He made his competitive debut for SV Ried on September 1, 2012, entering the match as an 84th-minute substitute for Nacho Rodríguez in a 1-0 home defeat to SK Sturm Graz.
In October 2013, Trauner suffered another setback with a zygomatic bone fracture, which again kept him out of action for an extended period. Despite the injuries, he successfully established himself as a regular starter for the club. Under the guidance of head coach Oliver Glasner, Trauner underwent a significant positional change, moving from a central midfielder to a centre-back. On March 7, 2015, he scored his first goal in the Austrian Bundesliga with a powerful long-range shot, which proved to be the winning goal in Ried's 2-1 victory over SV Grödig. In May 2015, he signed a contract extension with Ried, committing his future to the club until 2017.
In April 2016, Trauner faced another serious injury when he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee, causing him to miss a substantial portion of the 2016-17 season. He eventually returned to the pitch on November 29, 2016, after a six-month absence, making a substitute appearance for Clemens Walch in a 1-0 loss to SC Rheindorf Altach. The season concluded with SV Ried's relegation to the second tier, marking their first relegation since 2003.
3.3. LASK (Second Stint)

Gernot Trauner returned to LASK on May 29, 2017, signing a three-year contract, coinciding with the club's promotion back to the Austrian Bundesliga. His first competitive appearance for LASK since his return was on July 15, 2017, in a 1-0 victory against FC Kitzbühel in the Austrian Cup. A week later, he played his first league game back with the club, contributing to a 3-0 victory against Admira Wacker. On February 17, 2018, Trauner scored his first goal in his second stint with LASK, opening the scoring in a 2-0 win against SC Rheindorf Altach. The team finished fourth in the league table at the end of the 2017-18 season, securing qualification for UEFA Europa League football.
For the 2018-19 season, Trauner was named team captain. He made his European debut on July 26, 2018, in a 4-0 victory against Norwegian club Lillestrøm in the Europa League second qualifying round. LASK was subsequently eliminated in the third qualifying round on away goals by Turkish side Beşiktaş. Trauner concluded the season having scored three goals, as LASK achieved a notable second-place finish in the Bundesliga.
In the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League against Club Brugge, Trauner was sent off after receiving two yellow cards, and LASK was eliminated from the competition, consequently entering the group stage of the Europa League. On December 12, 2019, he scored his first European goal, opening the scoring against Sporting CP in a 3-0 victory. LASK's European campaign ended in the Round of 16, where they were eliminated by Manchester United. In both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, LASK finished in fourth place in the Bundesliga. In the latter season, they were eliminated in the group stage of the Europa League and lost the final of the Austrian Cup to Red Bull Salzburg. During his second period with the club, Trauner made 158 competitive appearances and scored 17 goals.
3.4. Feyenoord


Gernot Trauner joined Eredivisie club Feyenoord on July 26, 2021, for a reported transfer fee of 1.00 M EUR. He made his competitive debut for the club on August 5, 2021, in a 3-0 away victory against FC Luzern in the UEFA Europa Conference League. His home debut at De Kuip followed a week later in the return fixture. On August 15, Trauner made his Eredivisie debut in a convincing 4-0 win against Willem II. He secured a consistent place in the starting lineup throughout the season, as Feyenoord made a strong impression in their first season under head coach Arne Slot, finishing third in the league table.
However, their most significant success came in the UEFA Europa Conference League, where the club reached the final - marking Feyenoord's first European final since the 2002 UEFA Cup. They were ultimately defeated 1-0 in the final by José Mourinho's Roma. Trauner's strong performances were recognized as he was voted into the Team of the Season for the inaugural tournament.
Following the departure of Jens Toornstra, Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot selected Trauner as team captain for the league opener on August 7, 2022, a match which Feyenoord won 5-2 against Vitesse. His leadership as captain was lauded by pundit Emile Schelvis, who commented that Trauner had "fought as a true captain." Subsequently, long-serving Feyenoord player Orkun Kökçü was appointed the new permanent club captain, with Trauner assuming the role of vice-captain. On December 22, 2022, Trauner sustained a knee injury during practice, which necessitated surgery and sidelined him for the following months. Despite his injury, Feyenoord went on to win the 2022-23 Eredivisie, earning Trauner the first major trophy of his career.
Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Trauner was once again named the club's new captain following Orkun Kökçü's departure. Under his captaincy, Feyenoord continued their success, winning the 2023-24 KNVB Cup and the 2024 Johan Cruyff Shield.
4. International Career
Gernot Trauner has represented Austria at various youth levels, including the under-18, under-19, and under-21 national teams. He was a member of the Austrian squad at the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. In this tournament, he played in all three of Austria's matches and notably scored a goal against England.
He made his debut for the senior Austrian national team on October 16, 2018, in a friendly match against Denmark. On November 11, 2020, Trauner scored his first international goal in a 3-0 away friendly victory against Luxembourg.
On June 7, 2024, he was officially named in Austria's 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament. During the tournament, on June 21, he scored his country's first goal with a header in a crucial 3-1 victory over Poland.
5. Personal Life
Gernot Trauner is married and is a father to three children.
6. Honours
Feyenoord
- Eredivisie: 2022-23
- KNVB Cup: 2023-24
- UEFA Europa Conference League runner-up: 2021-22
- Johan Cruyff Shield: 2024
Individual
- Austrian Bundesliga Team of the Year: 2018-19, 2019-20
- UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season: 2021-22
- Eredivisie Team of the Month: August 2022
7. Career Statistics
7.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| LASK | 2010-11 | Austrian Bundesliga | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 15 | 0 | |
| 2011-12 | 2. Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 15 | 0 | |||
| Ried | 2012-13 | Austrian Bundesliga | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 17 | 0 | |
| 2013-14 | Austrian Bundesliga | 21 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 23 | 0 | ||
| 2014-15 | Austrian Bundesliga | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2015-16 | Austrian Bundesliga | 29 | 4 | 2 | 0 | - | 31 | 4 | ||
| 2016-17 | Austrian Bundesliga | 10 | 0 | - | - | 10 | 0 | |||
| Total | 104 | 5 | 8 | 0 | - | 112 | 5 | |||
| LASK | 2017-18 | Austrian Bundesliga | 31 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - | 34 | 1 | |
| 2018-19 | Austrian Bundesliga | 28 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 5 | |
| 2019-20 | Austrian Bundesliga | 28 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 45 | 6 | |
| 2020-21 | Austrian Bundesliga | 29 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 41 | 5 | |
| 2021-22 | Austrian Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 116 | 12 | 19 | 2 | 23 | 3 | 158 | 17 | ||
| Feyenoord | 2021-22 | Eredivisie | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| 2022-23 | Eredivisie | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| 2023-24 | Eredivisie | 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| 2024-25 | Eredivisie | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 18 | 1 | |
| Total | 78 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 34 | 1 | 116 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 311 | 18 | 33 | 2 | 57 | 4 | 401 | 24 | ||
7.2. International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 14 | 2 | |
:Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Trauner goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | November 11, 2020 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 1-0 | 3-0 | Friendly |
| 2. | June 21, 2024 | Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany | Poland | 1-0 | 3-1 | UEFA Euro 2024 |