Martin Harnik

3.1. Youth and Early Professional Career

Harnik started playing football in 1992 at the amateur club SC Vier- und Marschlande. In early 2006, at the age of 18, he joined the second team of Werder Bremen, playing in the third-tier Regionalliga.

His progress was temporarily halted in early 2007 due to a broken metatarsal bone, which caused him to miss almost the entire first half of the year. However, at the start of the 2007-08 season, the 20-year-old forward was promoted to Werder Bremen's Bundesliga side, signing a contract that extended until 2010. His professional debut for the first team came on August 15, 2007, in the first leg of the third Champions League qualification round against NK Dinamo Zagreb. Werder Bremen won the match 2-1.

Just ten days later, on August 25, he made his Bundesliga debut in a match against 1. FC Nürnberg, which Werder Bremen won 1-0. Harnik was fielded in the 61st minute and scored the winning goal in the 69th minute, just eight minutes after entering the game. On August 24, 2009, it was announced that Harnik was able to leave Werder Bremen as a free agent. Six days later, he was loaned to Fortuna Düsseldorf. During his single season with the 2. Bundesliga side, he was Fortuna's top scorer, contributing to the Rhinelanders' push for promotion to the Bundesliga, which they narrowly missed. On April 26, 2010, Harnik announced his departure from Düsseldorf.

3.2. VfB Stuttgart

In July 2010, Harnik made a permanent move to VfB Stuttgart. Initially, he was often deployed as a "joker" (a super-substitute), but manager Bruno Labbadia integrated him into the regular starting squad as the club battled against relegation during the 2010-11 Bundesliga season.

Harnik quickly made an impact at Stuttgart. On July 29, 2010, he scored his first goal for the club in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round against Molde FK, sealing a 3-2 victory. On October 27, 2010, in a DFB-Pokal second-round match against lower-division side Chemnitzer FC, Harnik came on as a substitute in the 76th minute with Stuttgart trailing 1-0. He proceeded to score his first career hat-trick, leading Stuttgart to a 3-1 comeback win.

In the opening fixture of the 2011-12 Bundesliga season, Harnik scored Stuttgart's second goal in a 3-0 home win against FC Schalke 04. He continued his strong form with two braces on September 16 and November 20, 2011, helping Stuttgart defeat SC Freiburg 4-1 and FC Augsburg 2-1 respectively. On February 11, 2012, Harnik scored another hat-trick in a dominant 5-0 victory over Hertha Berlin. By the end of the 2011-12 season, he was Stuttgart's top scorer with 17 goals and eight assists. Recognizing his contributions, VfB Stuttgart extended his contract until June 2016 on January 6, 2012.

In the 2012-13 DFB-Pokal semi-final, Harnik scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over SC Freiburg. On June 1, 2013, he netted two goals in the DFB-Pokal final, but Stuttgart ultimately lost 3-2 to Bayern Munich, who completed an unprecedented treble of league, cup, and European cup titles.

On April 21, 2014, with Stuttgart facing relegation, Harnik surprisingly scored two goals as his team defeated third-placed Schalke 04. On October 25, 2014, he scored two quick goals within two minutes (34th and 36th minutes) in a thrilling 5-4 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt. He also scored a brace on November 28, 2014, in new coach Huub Stevens's first match, helping Stuttgart to a 4-1 win over Freiburg. At the conclusion of the 2015-16 season, Stuttgart was relegated after finishing 17th out of 18 teams, and Harnik departed the club upon the expiration of his contract. Following his departure from Stuttgart, Harnik was offered a contract by Chinese Super League club Shandong Luneng and underwent a medical examination in China. However, he ultimately refused the transfer due to concerns about the environmental pollution in China.

3.3. Hannover 96

In July 2016, Harnik joined Hannover 96, which had also been relegated from the Bundesliga in the previous season. He had a productive spell with the club, scoring 21 goals in 33 appearances during the 2016-17 season. In the following 2017-18 season, he continued to be a key player, finding the net 11 times in 32 appearances.

3.4. Return to Werder Bremen and Subsequent Loan

In May 2018, SV Werder Bremen announced that Harnik would return to his former club for the 2018-19 season. Media reports at the time indicated he signed a contract until 2021, and the transfer fee paid to Hannover 96 was estimated to be around 2.00 M EUR.

On September 2, 2019, Hamburger SV, a club in the 2. Bundesliga, announced they had signed Harnik on a season-long loan deal. After his loan spell ended, Harnik returned to Werder Bremen. In October 2020, he agreed to the termination of his contract with Werder Bremen, effectively becoming a free agent.

3.5. TuS Dassendorf

Following his contract termination with Werder Bremen, Martin Harnik moved to TuS Dassendorf on October 7, 2020, which was German transfer deadline day. This move saw him join a German fifth-tier club. The decision was influenced by his residence near the club and his desire to play on the same team as his future brother-in-law, Mattia Maggio.

4.1. Choice of Austrian National Team

Despite being eligible to play for the Germany national football team, Martin Harnik opted to represent Austria. This decision was made even though he had never lived in Austria. The choice was influenced by his nominations to the youth national teams of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) rather than those of the German Football Association (DFB). Due to his upbringing in Hamburg and his North German dialect, his teammates in the Austrian squad reportedly referred to him as "the German."

4.2. Youth National Teams

Harnik was a key member of Austria's youth national teams. He appeared in 11 matches and scored 2 goals for the U-19 team in 2006. For the U-20 team, he played 7 matches between 2006 and 2007. He was a prominent player in the Austrian U-20 team that achieved a commendable fourth-place finish at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. From 2007 to 2009, he also made 3 appearances for the U-21 team, scoring 1 goal.

4.3. Senior National Team

Harnik made his debut for the senior Austria national team on August 22, 2007, in a match against the Czech Republic at the Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna. Entering the game in the second half, he scored the equalizer in the 78th minute, just six minutes after being on the pitch, securing a 1-1 draw.

He was subsequently called up to Austria's squad for UEFA Euro 2008, which Austria co-hosted. Harnik played in all three of Austria's group games against Croatia, Poland, and Germany. However, the co-hosts were eliminated in the group stage, finishing with just one point.

On October 12, 2010, in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Belgium at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Harnik came off the bench to score a dramatic 93rd-minute equalizer, securing a 4-4 draw and maintaining Austria's second position in the group at that time. On September 2, 2011, he scored against Germany in a match at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, although Austria ultimately lost 6-2. This victory ensured Germany's qualification for Euro 2012.

Harnik continued to contribute in subsequent campaigns. On March 26, 2013, he scored an early goal against Ireland in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier that ended in a 2-2 draw in Dublin. He also scored in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Sweden on October 11, 2013, which Austria lost 2-1 in Solna.

On March 27, 2015, in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Liechtenstein in Vaduz, Harnik scored the opening goal in a dominant 5-0 victory. He then scored a brace on September 8, 2015, in a 4-1 win against Sweden at the Friends Arena in Solna. This decisive victory secured Austria's qualification for UEFA Euro 2016, marking their first qualification for the tournament since 2008.

Harnik was included in Austria's squad for UEFA Euro 2016. He featured in two of Austria's group stage matches, playing against Hungary and Portugal. Austria was eliminated in the group stage, finishing last in Group F with just one point from one draw and two losses, scoring only one goal while conceding four. On March 24, 2017, he scored in a 2-0 win against Moldova in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match.

5.1. Club Statistics

5.2. International Goals

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