Schösswendter moves to Berlin

News of a departure from Hütteldorf: On Friday morning SK Rapid and centre back Christoph Schösswendter reached a mutual agreement for the termination of the player's contract with immediate effect. The Salzburg born defender, who celebrates his 29th birthday tomorrow, has moved to the German capital to join 1. FC Union Berlin. Sporting Director Fredy Bickel on the transfer: "I have always said that we have five top quality centre halves on our books, so the loss of Christoph Schösswendter is of course regrettable. On the other hand, having five central defenders in the squad for a campaign without European competition is simply one too many, and it therefore makes sense for both sides to take this step. 'Schössi' - like many of his team mates - has a superb attitude and a good character, so I want to wish him all the best with his new challenge both from me personally and from the club." 

Despite his departure, Schösswendter has already written his name into Rapid folklore after scoring the first goal in the Allianz Stadium last July during a 5:0 win against the eventually relegated SV Ried. After joining on a free from Admira last summer, Schösswendter went on to make 32 appearances during his only full season in the first team, scoring a further four goals in matches against Leobendorf, Wolfsberg and Altach. His last goal came in the final fixture of the season, when he scored the winner in a 2:1 victory over SKN St. Pölten under current coach Goran Djuricin. Schösswendter had also worn the Green & White of Rapid in 2009/10, when he turned out for the reserves. Now his future lies with Union Berlin, with whom he has signed a two-year contract and joins fellow ex-Rapid star Christopher Trimmel in the German capital!

Christoph leaves Rapid with the best will of the club and gave the following thoughts on his departure: "It was only a short time that took in a fantastic summer but then also more difficult times as the season wore on. But I learned an incredible amount and have no regrets about the 12 months. It was not any easy decision to make as Rapid is a superb club and I have lots of friends in the team. I'll definitely drop into Hütteldorf in the future and cross my fingers and hope for the best for the club. I hope the entire Green & White family enjoys a successful season; the team has a lot of potential and I’m optimistic that this season is going to go a lot better than last."

(gw)