Andreas Weimann

Andreas Weimann (; born 5 August 1991) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for club Blackburn Rovers and the Austria national team.

He was signed by Aston Villa as a sixteen-year-old from Rapid Wien and went on to make 129 total appearances and score 24 goals for the Premier League club. He left in 2015 for Derby County, joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan in January 2017, and signed for Bristol City in July 2018.

Weimann made his senior international debut for Austria in 2012, and has earned over 20 caps.

Club career

Rapid Wien

Born in Vienna, Weimann began his career at hometown club FC Stadlau before joining Rapid Wien as a thirteen-year-old. He remained there for three years, before being signed by Premier League club Aston Villa, joining the club alongside fellow Austrian Dominik Hofbauer. He has since mentioned that he still supports Rapid.

Aston Villa

Early career

Weimann represented the club during the 2009 Peace Cup against Juventus, Atlante and Porto. He was an important figure in Aston Villa's Reserves, particularly in the 2009–10 season filling the void left by Nathan Delfouneso where he finished the season as the Reserve South League's top scorer with nine goals. Weimann then signed a contract extension which tied him to the club until June 2012.

On 8 May 2010, Weimann was named in the provisional squad for the final match of the season against Blackburn Rovers after impressing manager Martin O'Neill during the Reserve Play-off Final against Manchester United. However, he was not among the final 18 players selected. Days later, he was part of the Aston Villa team that won the Hong Kong Soccer Sevens tournament. He scored a hat-trick against the Yau Yee League Select of Hong Kong.

Weimann made his competitive debut for Aston Villa on 14 August 2010, replacing Ashley Young as a substitute in the 86th minute against West Ham United in a 3–0 home win on the first day of the Premier League season. Villa caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald named Weimann in his 20-man squad to travel to Austria to face former club Rapid Wien in the UEFA Europa League on 19 August; He came on as a substitute for Marc Albrighton after 79 minutes, only to be injured three minutes later. He was out of action until January 2011, when he returned to full training; in his first reserve game back, he scored twice in a 10–1 win over Arsenal.

Watford loans

On 19 January 2011, Weimann signed for Football League Championship club Watford on a loan deal for the remainder of the 2010–11 season. He made his debut ten days later in the fourth round of the FA Cup at home to League One leaders Brighton and Hove Albion; he replaced Will Buckley for the final ten minutes of the 1–0 loss. He then made his league debut against Crystal Palace at home on 1 February, scoring in the tenth minute of the 1–1 draw at Vicarage Road. He continued to play for Aston Villa's reserve side during his loan spell as he was only signed on a youth loan. He played 19 times in total for Watford, scoring 4 goals.

Weimann returned to Aston Villa and made his first appearance of the 2011–12 season on 23 August 2011 in the second round of the League Cup in a home tie against Hereford United. He came on as a second-half substitute for Darren Bent as Villa progressed to the next stage of the competition, courtesy of a 2–0 win. Three days later on 26 August, he signed a new contract to keep him at Villa Park until 2014. But just hours after renewing his Aston Villa contract, Weimann returned to Watford in a second loan deal until January 2012. He made three Championship appearances against Birmingham City, Reading and Barnsley, while on 23 September, he was recalled early due to injury concerns.

Return to Aston Villa

Following his return to the club, Weimann went straight in to the squad for the away game at Queens Park Rangers. On 10 March 2012, having come on as a substitute for Charles N'Zogbia, Weimann scored his first goal for Villa in the 92nd minute, giving the team a 1–0 victory over Fulham at Villa Park. The goal stemmed from Gary Gardner's shot, which was fumbled by Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

On 10 November 2012, Weimann scored two goals in a 3–2 home loss to Manchester United at Villa Park, and received a standing ovation when he was substituted. On 11 December, he scored twice as Villa beat Norwich City 4–1, which saw them through to the semi-final of the League Cup. Four days later, he scored Villa's second goal away at Liverpool after a combination with Christian Benteke, in a 3–1 win. After scoring in the first leg Weimann, who came on as a substitute, grabbed a goal against Bradford City in the League Cup semi-final second-leg. However the 89th-minute goal was too late for Villa, as they were eliminated after losing 4–3 on aggregate. Weimann ended the season with 12 goals in 38 games in all competitions.

Weimann opened his scoring for the 2013–14 season on 28 August 2013 with a shot against Rotherham United in a 3–0 win in the League Cup. His second, a month later, was the decider in a 3–2 home defeat of Manchester City. On 3 May 2014, Weimann scored two goals against Hull City in a game which ended in a 3–1 victory and secured Premier League survival. Weimann started the first game of the 2014–15 season for Villa against Stoke City, in which he scored the only goal in the 50th minute. Weimann scored in an FA Cup 4th round tie against Bournemouth, the second goal in a 2–1 victory at Villa Park. He started less frequently in this final season, under the management of Tim Sherwood.

Derby County

On 18 June 2015, Weimann joined Derby County on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee estimated by the '' Derby Evening Telegraph'' to be £2 million. He scored his first goal for the Rams in the 7th minute in a 3–0 victory over Rotherham United on 31 October.

After having started only one league match during the 2016–17 season, Weimann joined Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan for the rest of the season on 19 January 2017. He made his debut for the club two days later coming on as a substitute in a 3–1 defeat to Norwich. On 28 January, he made his first start and scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 FA Cup win against Liverpool at Anfield.

Bristol City

On 3 July 2018, Weimann signed for Championship club Bristol City on a three-year contract, with an option for a further year, for an undisclosed fee. On 30 March 2019, he scored his first career hat-trick as the Robins beat Sheffield United 3–2 at Bramall Lane, taking his goal tally up to 9 in the process, his highest amount in any season. His hat-trick was the first a Bristol City player had scored away from home in the top two tiers of English football since Kevin Mabbutt in 1978.

On 24 October 2020, Weimann suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury against Swansea City, being ruled out for up to nine months. He scored 22 league goals in the 2021–22 season to reach a career-best goal tally for a season. On 15 January 2024, Weimann joined fellow Championship club West Bromwich Albion on loan until the end of the season. On 3 February 2024, he scored his first goal for West Brom, a 85-minute late winner in his second appearance and home debut for the club in a 1–0 home win against local rivals Birmingham City. Weimann was released from Bristol City following the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2023–24 season.

Blackburn Rovers

On 1 August 2024, Weimann joined Blackburn Rovers on a one-year deal. He scored his first goal for the club on his debut in a 4–2 win over Derby County.

On 19 May 2025, the club announced it had offered the player a new contract following strong interest from former club Derby County.

International career

Weimann represented Austria at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels. He scored on his under-21 debut against Scotland Under-21 in a 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match on 5 September 2009. He scored in the 57th minute, just two minutes after replacing team-mate Marc Sand as a substitute. His other two goals in the qualifying process came against Azerbaijan and Albania.

In July 2010, Weimann was called up to the Austria U-19 squad for the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Weimann featured in all three of Austria's games and came up against his Aston Villa team-mate Nathan Delfouneso in a 3–2 loss against England.

On 12 October 2012, Weimann made his debut for the Austria senior team against Kazakhstan in a 0–0 away draw. He came on in the 84th minute for Martin Harnik in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

In March 2022, Weimann was recalled to the Austria senior team for their 2022 FIFA World Cup play-off match against Wales, his first call-up in seven years. On 10 June that year, he scored his first international goal against France, which gave Austria the lead in a UEFA Nations League game that ended 1–1.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Weimann goal.''

Honours

Individual
* Bristol City Player of the Year: 2021–22

References

External links

Profile
at the Bristol City F.C. website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weimann, Andreas
1991 births
Living people
Footballers from Vienna
Austrian men's footballers
Austria men's youth international footballers
Austria men's under-21 international footballers
Austria men's international footballers
Men's association football forwards
UEFA Euro 2024 players
Premier League players
English Football League players
SK Rapid Wien players
Aston Villa F.C. players
Watford F.C. players
Derby County F.C. players
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players
Bristol City F.C. players
West Bromwich Albion F.C. players
Blackburn Rovers F.C. players
Austrian expatriate men's footballers
Austrian expatriate sportspeople in England
Expatriate men's footballers in England
21st-century Austrian sportsmen