Kevin Stöger wants to help VfL Bochum avoid relegation with his performances. Strong performances could have a nice side effect.

Kevin Stöger was a regular in the Austrian national youth teams. The midfielder for Bundesliga club VfL Bochum played 17 times for the Austrian U21 team, scoring four goals, among other things.

He is still waiting to be nominated for the senior national team. Even at the age of 30, it just hasn’t been meant to be. But there is still hope. Stöger, whose contract with Bochum expires at the end of the current season, has at least been on standby for the last few nominations.

This shows that Austria’s coach Ralf Rangnick has the midfielder on his radar, despite the fierce competition now lurking in the Austrian midfield.

It is no coincidence that Austria finished second in their qualifying group for the 2024 European Championship in Germany, behind Belgium, with just one defeat in eight games.

The 2-0 win against Germany a few days ago also shows that Austria can no longer be underestimated. Stöger also watched the game. His opinion: “The game against Germany was awesome, the result was deserved.”

It would be amazing if I could be part of a European Championship

Kevin Stöger

And with the European Championship in mind, the 30-year-old still hopes to jump on the European bandwagon. However, his priorities are clear, as he noted to RS: “It would be amazing to be able to attend the European Championship. But the focus is on Bochum first, that has priority. I want to perform well here and achieve the goal I have set myself. Namely, to stay in the Bundesliga with VfL. We’ll see what comes after that. If I perform well, it could be something the coach considers, but it’s up to him. I’ll give it my all.”

Which has been successful so far, because his record this season is impressive. Eleven appearances, three goals, two assists. Stöger explains: “I have set myself some scoring targets, but staying in the league as a team is more important. Of course, I’m also happy when I score goals or prepare them.” cb / gp