11 Surprising Facts About Oliver Glasner and His Career From Youth Days
- Think Football Ideas
- May 2
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Full Name: Oliver Glasner
Date of Birth: 28 August 1974
Place of Birth: Schärding, Austria
Height: 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position Played: Defender
Current Club: Crystal Palace (Manager)
Oliver Glasner might look like the most unflustered man in a tech startup pitch meeting, but behind those glasses is the story of a football mind sharpened by setbacks, strategy, and one literal brush with death.
From amateur fields in Austria to FA Cup finals in England, this guy’s journey is anything but predictable. Let’s dive into 11 facts that sketch out the quietly wild ride of Oliver Glasner—from grassroots hopeful to footballing philosopher.
Below Are 11 Surprising Facts About Oliver Glasner and His Career
1. He started his playing career at SV Riedau
Before outwitting elite managers on the touchline, Glasner was just a kid kicking balls around at SV Riedau, a tiny club nestled in Upper Austria.
Humble beginnings, as they say, and for Glasner, it wasn’t about headlines. It was about heart. Think cold Saturday mornings, mismatched kits, and someone’s uncle shouting from the sidelines. That’s where the story begins.
2. He had a very special journey with SV Ried
If footballers had love stories with clubs, this one would be Glasner x SV Ried. He joined them in 1993 when they were still grinding it out in Austria's second division. Fast forward two years, and they were promoted to the top flight. In 1998, they won the Austrian Cup (no small feat).
He stuck around through thick and thin, like when they were relegated in 2003. He tried LASK for a season but came back home in 2004 and helped Ried re-earn promotion in 2005. Oh, and just for kicks, he won the Austrian Cup again in 2011. After hanging up his boots?
He stepped into the manager's chair in 2014, albeit after turning them down initially to gain experience elsewhere at Red Bull Salzburg as management assistant under Peter Vogl. Full circle. You can’t write that kind of symmetry.
3. His playing career ended with a brain haemorrhage, and a life saved by his wife
Now here’s where the story gets heavy. Glasner suffered a brain haemorrhage after a head collision during a top-tier match. It was serious; emergency surgery kind of serious. Who gave the go-ahead for the operation while he was unconscious?
His wife, Bettina. She made a call that saved his life. Bonus trivia: the procedure happened in the same hospital where Christian Eriksen was treated after his cardiac arrest. Same walls, different miracle.
4. He bagged a business degree while playing professionally
Multitasking, anyone? While dodging tackles and chasing Austrian Cup glory, Glasner was quietly completing his Diplomkaufmann (basically an MBA equivalent) at the University of Hagen.
He graduated in 2006. So while most of us were figuring out how to cook pasta, he was running a midfield and earning an advanced degree. Makes you feel lazy, doesn’t it?
5. He turned down Ried to join Red Bull Salzburg—because he was thinking big
After retirement, SV Ried offered him an assistant role. But Glasner said, “Danke, but no danke,” and joined Red Bull Salzburg as a management assistant instead.
There, he worked under Peter Vogl and got a front-row seat to how big football organisations tick. Spoiler alert: Salzburg became the Austrian champions during his stint. Glasner was no passenger, he was absorbing everything.
6. He helped Salzburg dominate the Austrian Bundesliga
While he wasn’t the man in charge, Glasner had his fingerprints all over Salzburg’s success in the early 2010s. This was football management grad school for him. Salzburg didn’t just win, they crushed the league. Tactical innovation, data-driven everything, and a whole lot of Red Bull. Glasner soaked it all up.
7. He turned LASK into a European threat
When Glasner took over LASK in 2015 as sporting director and head coach, the club was playing second-tier football. Two years later? Boom, promotion. In 2018, they finished fourth and qualified for the Europa League.
In 2019? Second place in the league and a ticket to Champions League qualifying. That’s not a glow-up, that’s a rocket launch. Alongside exec Jürgen Werner, he built a team with a unique identity: high-pressing, aggressive, relentless. LASK became a team nobody wanted to play.
8. Wolfsburg: Highs, lows, and a dressing room soap opera
Let’s just say his Wolfsburg chapter had everything: drama, silver linings, and a few bruised egos. On paper, it was a success: Europa League qualification in year one, Champions League in year two. But inside the club? Stormy skies.
Glasner clashed with captain Josuha Guilavogui (who literally said: “I’m happy he’s gone”) and also fell out with sporting director Jörg Schmadtke. The vibe? Think corporate restructuring with a side of passive aggression. Still, he walked away better and with a reputation as a top-level coach.
9. At Eintracht Frankfurt, he hit football nirvana
Frankfurt was Glasner's redemption arc. He inherited a squad that wasn’t exactly dripping with star power, and turned them into Europa League champions. Along the way, they dumped West Ham and Barcelona out of Europe.
Yes, that Barcelona. His players adored him. He made time for every single squad member before the final, even the kit men. And when they lifted the trophy? You better believe they did it together. This wasn’t a fluke. It was culture, clarity, and coaching masterclass.
10. Crystal Palace took a gamble, and they’ve won big
When Palace handed the reins to Oliver Glasner, let’s be honest, there were doubters. He'd never managed in England. His style? Philosophical, European, full of tactical tweaks and the infamous 3-4-3. It felt like a high-wire act in a league that eats idealists for breakfast.
But Palace rolled the dice, and now they’re holding all the chips. On May 17, 2025, the Eagles conquered the FA Cup final at Wembley, stunning Manchester City 1–0 thanks to a composed finish from Eberechi Eze, served up on a plate by marauding right-back Daniel Muñoz. It was their first major trophy in modern history, and a night that will echo through South London folklore forever.
Before that, Glasner had already made waves. A 3–0 semi-final demolition of Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. Turning Jean-Philippe Mateta into a striker reborn. Even dragging a nine-man Palace side to a legendary 2–1 win over Brighton on April 5, a feat no other Premier League team has ever pulled off at home. A gamble? Sure. But this isn’t just a win. It’s a statement. And it might be just the beginning.
11. He believes football is chaos, and that’s beautiful
Here’s the Glasner gospel: football is a game built on mistakes. He doesn’t want robots. He wants risk-takers. Players who aren’t scared to try something and fail. That freedom? It’s rare.
And it’s why players (especially young ones) love working with him. He once said on The High Performance Podcast: “Everyone has an ego. Use it for the team. Against me? Fine. Against the team? That’s not acceptable.” That’s not just a quote, it’s Glasner in a nutshell.
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