Christoph Baumgartner may currently be restricted to watching RB Leipzig training from the sidelines, but that certainly doesn’t mean the 27-year-old is working any less hard than his teammates. Quite the opposite.
Ever since Baumi suffered a muscle injury to his right thigh ahead of the World Cup, he has had one goal in mind: getting back on the pitch for RBL as soon as possible. Every day brings another demanding rehab session, and during the training camp in Saalfelden, we followed him for one of them.
Watching from the sidelines
While the rest of the squad head out onto the training pitch, Baumi makes his way to the nearby gym tent, where he works on his strength and fitness alongside RBL rehab coach Marcel Abanoz. There are also running drills out on the pitch, although work with the ball remains very limited. That only makes those moments all the more enjoyable for the midfielder. “Getting to touch a ball is the best part of the day,” says Baumi.
Watching his teammates fly into challenges and score goals inevitably leaves him wishing he could be involved. “It’s tough when you see them playing small-sided games and really going at it,” our number 14 admits, before adding: “That’s just how it is. You have to make the best of the situation.”
The period immediately after learning that he would miss the World Cup with Austria was particularly difficult. Baumi recalls: “I cried my eyes out. Having my wife there was incredibly important for me. Michael Gregoritsch was there too and we had a long talk.”
Fully focused on his goal
It didn’t take him long to turn his attention to what came next, though. “I didn’t want to waste a single day,” says Baumi. “I knew straight away that I wanted to travel to America with the team and get off crutches while I was there.” There was no time to dwell on the disappointment. He supported his Austria teammates on site while continuing his rehab programme.
The work towards his comeback is now continuing in Leipzig, with Baumgartner fully focused on his main objective. “I want to come back in top shape. So far, everything is going really well. We’re already able to do things that I didn’t expect to be doing at this stage. But there are still some big steps ahead of me.”
Exactly when Baumi will be able to swap watching from the sidelines for being back in the thick of the action remains to be seen. One thing is certain: we’re already looking forward to seeing him back out there.
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