Sebastian Prödl

3.1. Sturm Graz

At the age of 19, Prödl commenced his professional career with SK Sturm Graz in the Austrian Football Bundesliga. He made his debut on December 9, 2006, in a 3-0 loss against SV Mattersburg. His first goal for Sturm Graz came on May 9, 2007, securing a 1-0 victory against SC Rheindorf Altach. In his inaugural season, he made 16 appearances and scored one goal.

Prödl quickly established himself as a key player in the first team at Sturm Graz. Despite his commitments with the national team and an injury setback, he continued to perform strongly, scoring three goals in 27 appearances during his second season against opponents such as SV Mattersburg, Red Bull Salzburg, and Austria Kärnten. His impressive displays soon garnered attention from clubs in Serie A and the Bundesliga. In response to the growing transfer speculation, Sturm Graz placed a valuation of 5.00 M EUR on him.

3.2. Werder Bremen

On July 15, 2008, Prödl made a significant move to Germany, joining SV Werder Bremen for a transfer fee of 2.50 M EUR. He signed a contract that would keep him at the club until 2012. Upon his arrival, Prödl expressed his ambition to win trophies with Werder Bremen.

He made his debut for Werder Bremen on August 9, 2008, in the first round of the DFB-Pokal, a commanding 9-3 victory over Eintracht Nordhorn. A week later, he played his first league match for the club, a 2-2 draw against Arminia Bielefeld. On October 1, 2008, he made his UEFA Champions League debut, playing as a right-back in a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan. In the first half of his debut season, he featured in 13 of 17 league matches, occasionally filling in at right-back due to the absence of Clemens Fritz. However, he sustained an ankle injury in the final match of the first half of the season, sidelining him for two months.

Prödl returned to the first team on March 7, 2009, in a 0-0 draw against Hoffenheim. He scored his first goal for Werder Bremen in the second leg of the UEFA Cup last 16, a 2-2 draw against Saint-Étienne, which saw the club progress 3-2 on aggregate. Upon his return, he reverted to his natural position of centre-back, making a total of 22 appearances in his first season. He formed a strong central defensive partnership with Naldo as Werder Bremen defeated Bayer 04 Leverkusen 1-0 in the 2009 DFB-Pokal Final. He also played the full 120 minutes in the 2009 UEFA Cup Final, where Werder Bremen lost 3-2 to FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

In the opening game of the 2009-10 season, Prödl, playing as a centre-back, was sent off in a 3-2 loss against Eintracht Frankfurt after receiving a second yellow card. Shortly after, he suffered a knee injury that kept him out for three months. He returned to the first team on November 21, 2009, as a substitute in a 6-0 win over Freiburg. His first league goal for Werder Bremen came on February 27, 2010, in a 2-1 victory against Mainz 05. He spent most of this season on the substitution bench, making nine appearances.

For the 2010-11 season, Prödl became a regular starter due to Naldo's injury and formed a central defensive partnership with Per Mertesacker. He scored his first European goal of the season on December 7, 2010, in a 3-0 UEFA Champions League group stage win over Inter Milan. His first league goal of the season was on February 27, 2011, in a 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen. In March 2011, he underwent knee surgery, which ruled him out for the remainder of the 2010-11 season, concluding his campaign with 25 appearances.

Prödl maintained his status as a regular starter at the beginning of the 2011-12 season. He scored his first goal of the season on October 29, 2011, in a 3-1 win over Mainz. On January 21, 2012, during a match against Kaiserslautern, he was substituted off in the 29th minute due to an injury. Following successful surgery, it was announced he would be sidelined for six weeks. Prödl made a scoring return on March 11, 2012, in a 3-0 victory against Hannover 96. However, his return was brief, as he suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out for another two weeks. He returned to the first team on April 28, 2012, in a 3-1 loss against Wolfsburg. Having made 16 appearances in the 2011-12 season, Prödl signed a new three-year contract, extending his stay at the club until summer 2015.

In the 2012-13 season, after playing two matches, Prödl suffered a thigh injury, followed by a head injury. Upon his return, he scored his first goal of the season on December 2, 2012, in a 4-1 win over Hoffenheim. On February 23, 2013, he was sent off in the 44th minute of a match against Bayern Munich for a foul on Mario Gómez; Werder Bremen ultimately lost 6-1. He received a two-match ban for the red card. On April 13, 2013, he was appointed captain for a match against Fortuna Düsseldorf, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw. Prödl concluded the 2012-13 season with 28 appearances.

In the 2013-14 season, Prödl scored in the club's first match without Thomas Schaaf, a 3-1 DFB-Pokal first-round loss to Saarbrücken. In the league opener against Eintracht Braunschweig, he provided an assist for compatriot Zlatko Junuzović to score the only goal of the game. He then suffered a muscle injury, which delayed his recovery by three weeks. After returning, Prödl captained four matches between February 1 and March 1, 2014. He scored two goals in two consecutive matches against Wolfsburg and Hannover 96. In March 2014, he indicated he would let his contract expire in 2015 if it was not renewed that summer. By the end of the season, Prödl had made 27 appearances, helping the club avoid relegation and finish in 14th place.

After missing two games at the start of the 2014-15 season due to a hamstring injury, Prödl scored his first goal of the season on September 12, 2014, in a 3-3 draw against Bayer Leverkusen. He then missed a match due to flu, followed by a hip problem. His hip injury occurred after scoring his second goal of the season in a 2-0 win over Stuttgart on November 8, 2014. In a 5-2 defeat to Frankfurt, Prödl was substituted in the first half and was subsequently ruled out for six to eight weeks. He scored on his return on February 21, 2015, in a 1-1 draw against Schalke 04. During this season, he captained his team on five occasions and made 22 league appearances, scoring three goals.

On May 12, 2015, it was announced that Prödl would leave Werder Bremen at the end of the 2014-15 season, as his contract had expired. The club had previously offered him a new contract at the start of the season. During his seven years at Bremen, he scored 10 goals, predominantly playing in the central defensive role.

3.3. Watford F.C.

On June 1, 2015, Sebastian Prödl signed a five-year contract with Watford F.C. after his contract at Werder Bremen concluded. He became Watford's first signing upon their return to the Premier League and was assigned the number five shirt for the new season.

Prödl made his Watford debut in the opening game of the season, starting in a 2-2 draw against Everton. He initially remained a first-team regular but was later dropped to the bench in late October before a match against Stoke City. He then suffered a calf injury while on international duty with Austria. As the 2015-16 season progressed, Prödl frequently moved in and out of both the starting eleven and the substitute bench. He scored his first goal for Watford in a 3-1 defeat to West Ham United on April 20, 2016. In the final game of the season, he scored his second goal in a 2-2 draw against Sunderland.

Despite being linked with a move to Serie A side Udinese Calcio, Prödl remained at Watford and regained his first-team place under the management of Walter Mazzarri for the 2016-17 season. In a 3-1 victory over Manchester United on September 18, 2016, his performance was highly praised, and he was named Man of the Match. In May 2017, he was recognized for his contributions by being named Watford's Player of the Season.

In the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, Prödl struggled with recurring injuries, which limited his ability to secure a consistent place in the starting lineup. On January 31, 2020, the final day of the winter transfer window, Prödl and Watford mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was originally set to expire in the summer of 2021.

3.4. Udinese Calcio

On February 4, 2020, Prödl signed a 1.5-year contract with Italian Serie A club Udinese Calcio. However, he did not make any official appearances for Udinese throughout the duration of his contract, only featuring in pre-season friendlies during the summer of 2020.

Sebastian Prödl officially announced his retirement from professional football on June 1, 2022.

4.1. Austria U-20 National Team

In 2007, Prödl was called to play for the Austrian national team, specifically serving as captain of Austria's U-20 national team at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. He played a pivotal role in helping his team achieve a commendable fourth-place finish in the tournament. Following the competition, he was the only Austrian player to be voted into the U-20 World Cup's best XI by the Italian magazine Gazzetta dello Sport, underscoring his exceptional performance and leadership throughout the event.

4.2. Austria National Football Team

After being called up to the senior national team for the first time in May 2007, Prödl made his senior debut for Austria on May 30, 2007, against Scotland. On March 26, 2008, Prödl showcased his attacking prowess by scoring two goals in an international friendly against the Netherlands.

During UEFA Euro 2008, in the group stage match between Austria and Poland on June 12, 2008, Prödl was fouled in the penalty area in the 92nd minute. The referee, Howard Webb, awarded Austria a penalty kick, which resulted in their only goal of the tournament. He went on to represent the national team at UEFA Euro 2016 in France. However, the Austrian team's performance in both Euro 2008 and Euro 2016 saw them exit the tournament with a similar record of only one point from three matches.

6.1. Club Statistics

6.2. International Statistics

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