Former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger dies aged 48 after car-train collision in Austria

Former Austria international goalkeeper Alex Manninger died Thursday at age 48 after his car was struck by a commuter train near Salzburg, his hometown. The accident occurred around 8:20 AM at an unsupervised railroad crossing, according to reports from Austrian media. Emergency responders from the Red Cross and fire department managed to extract Manninger from his vehicle, but despite resuscitation efforts including the use of a defibrillator, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The 25 passengers aboard the train and its driver were unharmed. Authorities have indicated they will examine the electronic data from Manninger's vehicle to determine the circumstances of the collision, including whether the railroad crossing signals were activated in time. Manninger enjoyed a two-decade professional career spanning 320 matches across 14 clubs, most notably Arsenal, where he appeared 64 times between 1997 and 2002, winning the Premier League and FA Cup during the 1997-98 season. He was named Premier League Player of the Month in March 1998 and notably helped Arsenal defeat Manchester United at Old Trafford that same season. The Austrian also played 42 matches for Juventus between 2008 and 2012, serving as backup to Gianluigi Buffon, and accumulated 33 caps for the Austrian national team, participating in Euro 2008 on home soil. In Spain, Manninger briefly joined Espanyol in summer 2002 from Arsenal but departed just two months later without making an official debut due to contractual complications between the clubs regarding his transfer documentation. He later signed short-term deals with Augsburg and Liverpool, where he never played competitively. Austrian Football Federation sporting director Peter Schottel described Manninger as an exceptional ambassador for Austrian football, noting his professionalism, composure, and reliability made him a key figure for both club and national teams.