Johann "Hans"Krankl (German:[hansˈkʁaŋkl̩]; born 14 February 1953) is an Austrian former professionalfootballer. A prolificstriker, he is regarded by many as one of Austria's greatest players.[1]
Krankl started his professional career atRapid Wien and stayed there for 8 years, apart from a year atWiener AC. He won theEuropean Golden Boot at Rapid Wien in 1978, attracting the interest ofBarcelona. His spell at Barcelona was successful, winning theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup (scoring in the final itself), and picking up the top goalscorer's award inLa Liga that season with 29 goals. He returned to Rapid Wien in 1981, captaining the side and again scoring over 100 goals for them over the next 5 years. He played a major part in the most successful of Rapid teams in the 1980s, claiming theLeague crown twice, in 1982 and 1983, and three consecutive Austrian cup titles. He scored Rapid's only goal in the 3–1 loss in theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup Final in 1985 againstEverton. In 1986, he moved to become player-manager atWiener Sport-Club.
Krankl was named Austrian Player of the Year a record five times,[1] and was voted the most popular Austrian player of the last 25 years.
Krankl made his debut forAustria in a June 1973 friendly match againstBrazil and was a participant at the1978 and1982 FIFA World Cups.[2] He earned 69 caps, scoring 34 goals.[3] His final international game was an April 1985 World Cup qualification match againstHungary. In the 1978–79 season of the SpanishPrimera División, he was the top goalscorer with 29 goals forBarcelona and was awarded thePichichi Trophy.
In a match againstMalta in 1977, Krankl scored six goals as Austria ran out 9–0 winners.[4]
One of his major achievements was helpingAustria qualify for the 1978 FIFA World Cup, the first time Austria had qualified for theWorld Cup in twenty years.[1] He then went on to score the winning goal againstWest Germany in a game dubbedThe miracle of Córdoba, which the Austrians won 3–2 and which was Austria's first win against West Germany in 47 years, earning Krankl legendary status in his homeland.[1] Scored in the 88th minute, the live footage of the goal still regularly features on national television, and the audio commentary ("Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor Tor, I werd' narrisch" – "Goal goal goal goal goal goal, I'm going crazy") is immediately recognised by Austrian football fans.[5]
Krankl has also enjoyed domestic success with his music, with several releases entering the Austrian charts. His biggest musical success was the single "Lonely Boy", released in 1985 and peaking at number 2.[6]