Austria striker Guido Burgstaller had his skull fractured when he was attacked in the centre of the country’s capital city, his club Rapid Vienna have said.
Rapid said the 35-year-old is expected to be out of action for several months after suffering the “serious head injury” at the weekend.
They say the former Cardiff City forward was attacked by an “unknown man” and fractured his skull as he fell following a “brutal blow”.
The 35-year-old, capped 26 times by Austria, was examined at the scene before being taken to hospital, where he will remain for the next few days.
In a statement, Rapid said they “trust in the responsible authorities that the as-yet-unknown perpetrator will be brought to justice quickly”.
Burgstaller joined Cardiff from Rapid in 2014, becoming Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s second signing for the Welsh club.
He made just three appearances for the Bluebirds before joining German club Nurnberg.
Burgstaller also played in Germany for Schalke and St Pauli before returning to Rapid in 2022.
He was one of three Austria players dropped by manager Ralf Rangnick in 2023 after they were filmed singing homophobic chants following a 3-0 win against city rivals Austria Vienna.
