Austrian international Guido Burgstaller has suffered a fractured skull after a 'brutal' attack in Vienna city centre.
Rapid Vienna announced on Monday that the former Cardiff City forward had been attacked in front of witnesses over the weekend and is expected to spend the next few days in hospital.
Burgstaller is said to have been struck with a 'brutal blow' by an unidentified male assailant, causing him to fall. He suffered serious head injuries including a fracture and has been ruled out of playing duties for several months.
Guido Burgstaller in hospital after Vienna attack
Rapid add that the incident occurred in front of witnesses and that the club 'trusts that the responsible authorities will soon bring the as-yet unidentified perpetrator to justice'.
Austrian outlet Kurier report that police have indicated that Burgstaller was involved in an argument at around 6am on Saturday, during which he was struck and suffered a fracture to the back of his skull. The perpetrator then fled the scene.
Rapid added in a club statement: "We ask that you respect the privacy of Guido Burgstaller and his family. If there is any news in the next few days, SK Rapid will report it in consultation with its medical department and Guido Burgstaller.
"SK Rapid will of course fully support Guido Burgstaller on his way to a full and hopefully speedy recovery."
The 35 year old centre-forward represented FC Karnten, Winer Neustadt and Rapid before joining Cardiff in 2014.
Burgstaller played three games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side before having his contract terminated by mutual consent the following January, joining German second-tier side Nurnberg a few days later.
His impressive goalscoring form for Nurnberg earned him a move to Schalke two years later, twice finishing as their top scorer and helping the club finish second in the Bundesliga in 2017/18.
Burgstaller left Schalke for St Pauli in 2020, then returned to Rapid two years later. He was one of three players dropped from Ralf Rangnick's national team for homophobic chanting following the Vienna derby in February.
