„An unforgettable time in Green and White“

Stefan Schwab joined SK Rapid in summer 2014, where he immediately established himself as a regular in the starting XI, and never looked back. During his six seasons in Green and White Stefan played an impressive 241 competitive games, scoring 51 times. With Rapid he was a 3-time Bundesliga Runner-Up, a 2-time ÖFB Cup finalist, and he also played group-stage campaigns in the UEFA Europa League 3 times, reaching the knockout stages in 2 of those seasons. Only a complicated ankle-injury in 2016 kept Schwab out of the picture for a short time, aside from that, the man from Saalfelden managed to avoid serious injuries and sustained his place in the Rapid XI. Through his performances Stefan made the jump to international level, representing the Austrian national team.

With the end of the 2019-2020 season came the end of Stefan's contract at SK Rapid.

Here's what Rapid's Managing Director of Sport Zoran Barisic had to say about the departure of our captain: "In Stefan Schwab we're saying goodbye to a player who not only has Rapid in his heart, but also embodied the virtues of the club in the best possible manner. Together we have achieved a lot, and we wanted to continue down that path. A player of his class, who has developed himself as a footballer and become an experienced captain is now a free agent, and he has attracted interest from elsewhere. Economically, we tried everything possible to keep him at Rapid, and within reason, we went as far as we could go regarding the current Coronavirus conditions. We have had lengthy and open discussions, and tried everything to find a solution. We as a club have also been massively impacted by the Coronavirus crisis, so we fully understand Stefan's decision to take the best option available to him. Of course we accept his decision and we sincerely thank him for his time here, and we will always be happy to welcome him back to Hütteldorf."

Stefan Schwab himself had these words for the Rapid faithful: "I want to thank the whole Rapid family with all my heart for my unbelievable and unforgettable time in Green and White. I have spent six incomparable years here, at first I had to establish myself as a new player, and thanks to the strength of the team I even managed to become the captain. It has been an intensive period with many challenges and above all, great moments: I'm thinking of the exciting clashes at home here in Hütteldorf, our European matches and of course one or two derbies. All of this happened with the great support of our fans, and thanks to their encouragement I've been reminded time and time again of what makes Rapid the club it is, and what it really means. I want to thank our two managing directors, Zoran Barisic and Christoph Peschek, as well as Didi Kühbauer and the coaching and support team, and also my teammates, the staff, and everyone who has accompanied me on my journey in Green and White. It was never a chore, and always an honour to be with Rapid, and I am sure that in one way or another our paths will cross again in the future. THANK YOU!"