Xaver Schlager (; born 28 September 1997) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Nottingham Forest and the Austria national team.
Club career Red Bull Salzburg After playing for the youth team of St. Valentin, Schlager joined the Red Bull Salzburg Academy in 2011, where he played in all teams. In 2015, Schlager was transferred to FC Liefering, the feeder team of Red Bull Salzburg.
During the 2017–18 season, Salzburg had their best ever European campaign. They finished top of their Europa League group, for a record fourth time, before beating Real Sociedad and Borussia Dortmund thus making their first ever appearance in the UEFA Europa League semi-final. On 3 May 2018, he played in the Europa League semi-finals as Marseille beat Salzburg 3–2 on aggregate to secure a place in the final.
VfL Wolfsburg On the 26 June 2019, Schlager signed for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg. During his time with Wolfsburg, Schlager made 81 appearances in all competitions, including 69 in the Bundesliga. He missed 20 league matches through injury during his final season, but still averaged 27 pressures per game whilst producing a goal and two assists.
RB Leipzig On 17 June 2022, Schlager joined Bundesliga rivals RB Leipzig, after the club activated a release clause in his Wolfsburg contract, signing a contract until 2026. Schlager helped Leipzig to win the German Cup and German Super Cup in 2023, starting the latter, coming on as substitute in the former.
On 3 May 2024, Schlager was playing for Leipzig against TSG Hoffenheim, when he was substituted off with an injury in an eventual 1–1 draw. Later tests confirmed that his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) was torn and he underwent surgery, subsequently missing the European Championship in the summer.
In February 2026, Leipzig announced that Schlager would leave the club when his contract would expire in June.
Nottingham Forest On 23 July 2026, Schlager joined Premier League side Nottingham Forest as a free agent on a two-year contract. He reunited with Oliver Glasner, who previously was his manager at Wolfsburg.
International career On 23 March 2018, Schlager debuted for the Austrian senior squad in a friendly 3–0 victory over Slovenia. The same year on 18 September, he scored his first goal in a 2018–19 UEFA Nations League match against Northern Ireland.
He was not included in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024, having sustained an ACL injury.
On 18 May 2026, Schlager was selected in Ralf Rangnick’s 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking Austria’s first appearance in the tournament since 1998.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals FC Liefering2014–15Austrian First League110————1102015–16Austrian First League223————2232016–17Austrian First League114————1142017–18Austrian First League20————20Total467————467Red Bull Salzburg2015–16Austrian Bundesliga2000—00—202016–17Austrian Bundesliga13120—2Appearances in UEFA Europa League1—1722017–18Austrian Bundesliga26140—140—4412018–19Austrian Bundesliga26562—12Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances one goal in UEFA Europa League1—448Total677122—282—10711VfL Wolfsburg II2019–20Regionalliga Nord10————10VfL Wolfsburg2019–20Bundesliga23100—50—2812020–21Bundesliga32230—30—3822021–22Bundesliga14010—00—150Total69340—80—813RB Leipzig2022–23Bundesliga22140—7Appearances in UEFA Champions League0003312023–24Bundesliga29020—811Appearance in DFL-Supercup04012024–25Bundesliga4010—00—502025–26Bundesliga26340———303Total814110—151101085Nottingham Forest2026–27Premier League500010——60Career total26921272105131034926
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsAustria2018712019302020602021702022922023802024212025602026100Total594
Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Schlager goal. + List of international goals scored by Xaver Schlager No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 18 November 2018 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland 1–0 2–1 2018–19 UEFA Nations League B 2 6 June 2022 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 1–1 1–2 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A 3 20 November 2022 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 1–0 2–0 Friendly 4 26 March 2024 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 1–0 6–1 Friendly
Honours Red Bull Salzburg Austrian Bundesliga: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19 Austrian Cup: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2018–19 RB Leipzig DFB-Pokal: 2022–23 DFL-Supercup: 2023
References
External links
Profile at the RB Leipzig website
(national team)