Florian Kainz announces retirement from football | OneFootball

Florian Kainz, the 1. FC Köln and Austria midfielder, will retire at the end of the 2025/26 season in May after 16 years as a professional.

The player said in a post on Instagram that he is stepping away, a decision that follows multiple injury setbacks in recent seasons. He is a former Köln captain.

At 33, the call may surprise some, but this term he has struggled badly for minutes, hampered by injuries and the emergence of Said El Mala on the left wing.

Kainz has made 11 Bundesliga appearances this season, with only one start, in November, when he scored a stunning free kick against Hamburg, Köln’s opponents this Saturday.

After a lengthy recovery he returned for one minute against Stuttgart, then lost possession before Deniz Undav struck to make it 3-1.

He has not played for Austria since 2024. Last season he was instrumental in Köln’s promotion run under Friedhelm Funkel, scoring twice against Nurnberg on the penultimate matchday.

Source: BuLi News