Claudia Wasser is back
May 18, 2024, was not a good day for Claudia. An ACL tear in her right knee, without any contact. The opponent: Sturm Graz. A day you’d love to cancel. What followed was surgery and a long rehab.
August 29, 2025, was a good day for Claudia. After 15 months, she returned to the pitch at Hohe Warte. The circle closed – the opponent once again was Sturm Graz. Vienna’s captain needs no introduction. She has already played in the Champions League and was named Player of the Season in 2023/24. In this interview, Claudia reveals what drives her, what shapes her, and how she thinks.
Your career has already been interrupted three times by injury. Did you ever think about quitting?
Yes. At 17, I tore the ACL in my left knee. In 2017, I fractured both the tibia and fibula in my left leg. And last year, another serious knee injury set me back again. I was just about to be called up to the national team. At that point, I really thought about stopping. But I received great support – from my wife, my family, and my teammates. That drove away the thoughts of quitting. Now I’m fully back on track.
Did the long time-out affect you mentally?
Yes, definitely. Surgery, long rehab, and the fight to get back into match mode take a toll mentally as well as physically. It’s real body and mind work. On the other hand, I’m now more composed and can deal with tough situations better. Physically, I feel fully fit again.
You are the captain of the women’s team. Do you like that role?
Yes, I enjoy leading as the “team mom” for the younger players, giving them security so they can perform at their best. Unfortunately, as captain – unlike in men’s football – referees often ignore me. If you raise objections, you even risk a yellow card. But it’s important to me to protect my players.
What means more to you than sporting success?
My marriage and my family. They are my center of life, what I need. When I first had an offer from abroad, being close to my family and continuing my education were more important. Back then, the offers weren’t good enough to make moving abroad worthwhile. Today it’s the same. Well, if an attractive offer came from Spain or Italy, I might accept it.
What temptation can you not resist?
I love salty snacks, like popcorn. If I’m watching TV and snacking, I have very little self-control.
How did your journey into football as a girl begin?
That’s easy to explain. Everyone in my family played football, except my mother. You could call it a family football imprint. (Laughs)
I was already chasing the ball at five years old, and I played with the boys until I was 14. My favorite position has always been in midfield, and that hasn’t changed to this day. Scoring goals has always appealed to me more than preventing them.
Where can we find Claudia Wasser away from football?
Professionally and interest-wise, I’m focused on the medical field. I’m studying health management at a distance university and I’m trained as a medical masseuse. In the medium term, I want to begin medical studies. At the moment, I head the organizational division at a medical center in Vienna’s Leopoldstadt district.
What was your last little white lie?
(Laughs) Recently, some friends invited me out in the evening, but I preferred to stay home. So I said I already had plans and couldn’t make it. I wouldn’t call it a lie – more of a fib.
What could you easily live without?
Dishonesty. I’m a direct person, and if something bothers me, I say it. I value that in others too, of course also in my coaches. And I can definitely do without small talk – I find it a waste of time.
What’s next for you in football?
(Long pause) For now, I want to re-establish myself in Vienna’s women’s team. I haven’t lost my technical strengths or my ability to read the game, but I still have to test my courage in duels again.
Then anything is possible: winning the league and playing in the Champions League with Vienna, reaching the cup final, a call-up to the national team, or maybe even a move abroad. At 30, I still feel I’m at the peak of my ability and performance.
