Martin Hinteregger

Martin Josef Hinteregger (born 7 September 1992) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Austrian Bundesliga club Austria Klagenfurt. Renowned for his aerial ability, Hinteregger gained a cult following among fans and was referred to as Hinti.

Hinteregger began his career with SGA Sirnitz before making his breakthrough as part of Red Bull Salzburg. He played in the German Bundesliga between 2016 and 2022. With Eintracht Frankfurt, where he began playing in 2019, Hinteregger won the UEFA Europa League in 2022. In June 2022, shortly after winning the Europa League, he retired from professional football at the age of 29, before making his return three years later in 2025.

In addition, Hinteregger played 25 games for Austrian youth teams and took part in the UEFA Euro 2016 and UEFA Euro 2020 with the senior team, for which he made his debut in 2013.

Hinteregger began playing football shortly before his seventh birthday in 1999 in the youth team of SGA Sirnitz in Albeck, Carinthia in the Feldkirchen District. There he progressed through various youth teams under the tutelage of his father Franz Hinteregger, who worked as a youth coach at the club. Hinteregger won several championships at under-10 to under-14 level with the Sirnitz youth teams and finished third at the Carinthian Futsal Indoor Football Championships in 2006 with the under-14 team.

In July 2006, Hinteregger was scouted by cooperation club Red Bull Salzburg. After 12 youth appearances and two goals in the 2006–07 season, another 19 games and one goal followed in the 2007–08 season, in which he was already accepted as a permanent member of the youth department of Salzburg and was no longer in the squad as a cooperation player.

After having played in a few U17 games, he made his first appearance for the club's U19 team in March 2009, competing in the U19 League. On 2 May 2009, he scored his first goal for the team in the 26th minute of a 3–2 away defeat against the U19 academy team from Vorarlberg. During this season, Hinteregger was utilised in a total of eleven U19 games in which he scored two goals. In the 2009–10 season, the native Carinthian was also an integral part of the left defensive side of the academy team, for which he appeared in 14 games until the end of March 2010 and scored four goals.

After being promoted to the Red Bull Salzburg reserve team competing in the Second League in early 2010, Hinteregger made his professional debut on 23 April 2010 in the 2–0 away win over FC Dornbirn playing the full match.

With his first professional appearance over a full 90 minutes and predominantly good performances in the following games, he increasingly established himself in the second team. The reason for his first appearance had been defensive all-rounder Harald Pichler being suspended due to a yellow card. For the 2010–11 season, Hinteregger was a starter in the second team and was also a part of the UEFA Europa League squad of the first team. Due to an injury to Andreas Ulmer, he was on the substitute's bench for a game against Manchester City. He scored his first goal for the reserves in the city derby against SV Austria Salzburg