Ümit Korkmaz

Ümit Korkmaz — Biography

Ümit Korkmaz was born on 17 September 1985 in Vienna to a Turkish family that had settled there. Discovered by Rapid Wien's scouts as a youngster, he signed his first professional contract in early 2006 and played a part in the club's reserve side earning promotion a level up. He made his Austrian Bundesliga debut for Rapid on his 21st birthday, impressing on either flank and quickly becoming a favourite with supporters before helping the club to the 2007-08 championship.

That form earned him a move to Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany for the 2008-09 season on a four-year deal reportedly worth around 2.5 million euros. He won his first Austria cap that May in a friendly against Nigeria in Graz and was subsequently picked for the UEFA Euro 2008 squad, though Austria failed to escape the group stage. A loan to VfL Bochum followed in 2011, after which he moved on to FC Ingolstadt 04 and then, from December 2013, to Çaykur Rizespor in Turkey; he later joined First Vienna in 2018.

Although his Turkish citizenship made him eligible for the Turkey national team, he represented Austria throughout his career. He continued playing for Ostbahn XI from 2023 and was appointed the club's manager in November 2024.