Christoph Baumgartner (born 1 August 1999) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and forward for club RB Leipzig and the Austria national team. He was selected Austrian Footballer of the Year in 2024.

Club career TSG Hoffenheim In January 2019, Baumgartner was promoted to the first team squad of TSG Hoffenheim. He made his debut for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on 11 May 2019, coming on as a half-time substitute for Nadiem Amiri in the 0–1 home loss against Werder Bremen.

RB Leipzig On 23 June 2023, RB Leipzig announced the signing of Baumgartner on a five-year contract. On 12 December 2025, he made his 100th appearance for the club in a 3–1 away defeat against Union Berlin. He concluded the 2025–26 season as the club's top scorer, finishing with 13 goals and 9 assists in the Bundesliga.

International career Youth Baumgartner appeared for the various Austrian youth national teams, from the under-15 to under-19 selections. In April 2016, he was included in Austria's squad for the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Azerbaijan. He scored both goals in Austria's 2–0 win in their opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the team managing to reach the quarter-finals before losing to Portugal.

He made his under-21 debut on 10 November 2017, coming on as a substitute for Mathias Honsak in the 87th minute of the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Serbia, which finished as a 1–3 home loss.

Senior In August 2020, Baumgartner was called up for the Austrian senior team for the first time. On 4 September, he started his first match in a 2–1 away win over Norway during the UEFA Nations League. Three days later, he scored his first goal in a 3–2 home defeat against Romania.

On 24 May 2021, he was named in Austrian squad for the UEFA Euro 2020. On 21 June, he scored the only goal for Austria in a 1–0 win over Ukraine, to help his national team to reach the knockout stages of the competition for the first time in their history.

On 23 March 2024, Baumgartner scored what is believed to be the fastest goal in the history of international football, scoring after only six seconds in a 2–0 friendly victory over Slovakia in Bratislava. Later that year, on 7 June, he was named in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. On 21 June, he scored his country's second goal in a 3–1 victory over Poland during the group stage.

In May 2026, Baumgartner was called up to the 26-man Austrian squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, on 2 June, it was confirmed that he had to withdraw from the squad due to a muscle injury in his thigh, which he sustained during a training session leading up to the tournament. He was replaced by Dejan Ljubičić.

Personal life Baumgartner's older brother, Dominik, is also a professional footballer and former youth international for Austria.

Career statistics Club

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueDFB-PokalEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsTSG Hoffenheim II2018–19Regionalliga Südwest145———145TSG Hoffenheim2018–19Bundesliga20———202019–20Bundesliga26720——2872020–21Bundesliga3162084—41102021–22Bundesliga29720——3172022–23Bundesliga33730——367Total1212790840013831RB Leipzig2023–24Bundesliga3252060004052024–25Bundesliga3124182—4352025–26Bundesliga331344——3717Total96201051420012027Career total231521952260027263

International

+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsAustria20205220211242022812023942024147202581202620Total5819

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

+ List of international goals scored by Christoph Baumgartner No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 7 September 2020 Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria 1–1 2–3 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B 2 7 October 2020 Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria 2–1 2–1 Friendly 3 28 March 2021 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 2–1 3–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 4 21 June 2021 Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania 1–0 1–0 UEFA Euro 2020 5 1 September 2021 Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova 1–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 6. 4 September 2021 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel 1–3 2–5 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification 7 25 September 2022 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 1–1 1–3 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A 8 24 March 2023 Raiffeisen Arena, Pasching, Austria 4–1 4–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualification 9 20 June 2023 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualification 10 2–0 11 21 November 2023 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 2–0 2–0 Friendly 12 23 March 2024 Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia 1–0 2–0 Friendly 13 26 March 2024 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 5–1 6–1 Friendly 14 4 June 2024 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 2–0 2–1 Friendly 15 8 June 2024 Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland 1–0 1–1 Friendly 16. 21 June 2024 Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany 2–1 3–1 UEFA Euro 2024 17 10 October 2024 Raiffeisen Arena, Linz, Austria 1–0 4–0 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B 18 14 November 2024 Pavlodar Central Stadium, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan 1–0 2–0 2024–25 UEFA Nations League B 19 10 June 2025 San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino 4–0 4–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours Individual Austrian Footballer of the Year: 2024

References

External links

Christoph Baumgartner at RB Leipzig

(national team)