Christoph Baumgartner: the man leading RB Leipzig's DFB Cup charge
Christoph Baumgartner is enjoying his most influential season yet at RB Leipzig. With goals flowing in the Bundesliga and decisive displays in the DFB Cup, the Austrian midfielder heads into the quarter-final tie with Bayern Munich as one of Ole Werner's key attacking weapons.
When Xavi Simons and Benjamin Šeško left Leipzig last summer, questions soon arose over who would lead their attack heading into the new season. While the likes of Rômulo and Yan Diomande have shown their quality in spells, the side’s difference maker, more often than not this season, has been an Austrian midfielder whose influence tends to fly under the radar.
Baumgartner arrived in Leipzig from Hoffenheim in July 2023, although he’d have to bide his time before becoming a regular first-team starter at his new club. Initially operating as a winger or a second striker, he’d soon find a home as an attacking midfielder, ending his debut season at the Red Bull Arena with five Bundesliga goals from 32 games.
The following campaign would see his status in the squad grow, as Baumgartner started 18 times in the Bundesliga and six times in the UEFA Champions League in 2024/25. Slowly but surely, his impact was being felt in Saxony.
This season has been a different story entirely, as he has emerged as Werner's midfield lynchpin. "He's an incredibly important player for us and organizes a lot, both on and off the pitch," the Leipzig head coach recently said of Baumgartner. "He can make the difference for us."
For club and country, the midfielder has been invaluable of late. Chiefly operating in the number 10 position for Austria, Baumgartner seldom misses a game for his nation.
Watch: Cologne 1-2 RB Leipzig - highlights
Since the beginning of 2024 (the year he was named Austrian Player of the Year), he has registered a remarkable 17 goal involvements in 22 matches, starring for the side as Austria qualified in style for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Back at Leipzig, the story has been much the same. A model of consistency, he has recorded eight goals and seven assists in just 20 Bundesliga games to date. Most recently of all, the 26-year-old scored a stunning brace to see off Cologne at the RheinenergieSTADION - a vital win which pulled Leipzig back into the automatic Champions League qualification places.
While a Bundesliga title might be out of reach this season, he has a much more realistic chance of winning the first major trophy of his career in the form of the DFB Cup. Standing in his - and Leipzig’s way - are Bayern.
Ordinarily, such a trip would be viewed with great trepidation by the visitors to the Allianz Arena, but with Vincent Kompany's side winning just one of their last three games in the Bundesliga, this might just be the perfect time to play them.
Baumgartner has already scored four goals in three DFB Cup games this season, including a match-winning double against East German rivals Magdeburg in the last round. A repeat against Bayern would propel Die Roten Bullen into the semi-finals of the competition and put Baumgartner within two games of a career-high triumph.
The stars may well be aligning for the Austrian in 2026, who is heading into the Bayern clash, and indeed his maiden World Cup this summer, in the form of his life.
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