Alex Manninger, former Arsenal goalkeeper, dies aged 48 after road accident
The former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger has been killed in a road accident, his first club Red Bull Salzburg have announced
Alex Manninger, the former goalkeeper who helped Arsenal win the Double in 1998, has died in a car accident in Austria, aged 48.
His first club, Red Bull Salzburg, broke the sad news on Thursday. The Austrian Bundesliga club said in a post on its official X account: “We mourn our former goalkeeper Alexander Manninger, who tragically lost his life in a traffic accident. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. Rest in peace, Alexander.”
According to reports from Austria, Manninger’s car was in a collision with a train on a level crossing on the Salzburg local railway in Nussdorf am Haunsberg on Thursday morning.
Arsenal paid tribute to Manninger on X, saying: “All our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this incredibly sad time. May he rest in peace.”
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Capped 33 times by Austria, Manninger joined the Gunners in a £500,000 move from Grazer AK in June 1997, where he made 64 appearances under Arsène Wenger and won the Premier League during a five-year stay before leaving for Espanyol, with David Seaman and Richard Wright blocking his path to the first team.
He also had spells with Torino, Bologna, Siena and Juventus in Italy, Augsburg in Germany and briefly Liverpool back in the English top flight. Manninger did not make a competitive appearance for Liverpool after joining on a short-term deal in July 2016 for what proved to be his final season.
A post on the Reds’ X account read: “Liverpool FC is deeply saddened by the passing of former goalkeeper Alex Manninger at the age of 48. The thoughts of everyone at LFC are with Alex’s family and friends at this difficult time.”
The Austrian Football Association also mourned his death, saying he was an “outstanding” servant. Its sporting director Peter Schottel said on the Osterreichischer Fussball-Bund website: “Alexander Manninger was an outstanding ambassador of Austrian football on and off the pitch. With his international career, he has set standards and inspired and shaped many young goalkeepers.
“His professionalism, his calmness and his reliability have made him an important part of his teams and also of the national team. His achievements deserve the highest respect and will remain unforgotten. In this difficult time, our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”