Manuel Fischnaller was able to celebrate in the Torres jersey.

“Private and sportingly special”: Fischnaller’s island year

As a new father, Manuel Fischnaller traveled to Sardinia with his family last year to start a completely new chapter in his football career. The trip was a rollercoaster of emotions.

June 14, 2024

As Torres' second-best goalscorer, Manuel Fischnaller was a driving force in a team that had put an entire city into a state of footballing emergency for months. Sassari and Sardinia therefore became a real oasis of well-being for him and his small family, even though the sporting year ended with a bitter setback. In the following SportNewsIn this interview, the 32-year-old from Signat elaborates on these experiences and at the same time looks at his current contract situation with the third division club from the island.

Sassari was in a state of emergency in football for weeks and you were one of the protagonists. How did you experience that time?

"Even before the season started, there was a sense of optimism. But the last few weeks and months have surpassed everything. The number of spectators has more than doubled over the course of the season, and the atmosphere in the stadium and in the streets of the city was brilliant. You don't experience something like that every day. It's a shame that there was no happy ending to the whole thing."

Torres finished a sensational season in second place.

You mentioned it: At the end of May there was supposed to be an absolute highlight in the sold-out stadium in Sassari, but instead we were knocked out in the playoffs by Benevento. How often do you think back to that day?

"I managed to forget everything pretty quickly after we were eliminated. We were actually the better team, but we were unlucky to fail. But in the end we can be proud of a season that exceeded all, but really all, expectations. Even if a small wound has now been reopened."


What do you mean by that?

"At the weekend, Carrarese, a team that was actually behind us in the table, managed to get promoted to Serie B in the playoff final. I saw the game against Vicenza and was pretty annoyed at the time. When I think back, it also hurts that I couldn't play in the return match against Benevento because I had sustained a muscle injury the day before. I would probably have been there again in the semi-final. But unfortunately that didn't happen."


Apart from the ending, it was an outstanding season for you personally.

“That’s true. I quickly found continuity with Torres, scored a lot of goals (11 in number, editor's note). I have the feeling that I am valued here as a player, but also as a person. I am not the striker who waits for the ball up front, but rather likes to drop back, bite into the ball and wear myself out in one-on-one battles. The fans in Sassari like that."

“I don’t have the feeling that someone is trying to sell me.” Manuel Fischnler

Have you aroused interest from other clubs?

"It's the second year in a row that I've scored double figures. Of course, one or two clubs are taking notice. I've been in the business long enough to be able to assess what that means, what opportunities may arise and what ambitions I have myself. But it's also a fact: I have a contract with Torres until 2025. I don't have the feeling that they want to sell me. But of course we have to have talks now and see what sporting goals both sides have."


What would keep you in Sardinia?

"I really wanted to have a new experience, to get to know other cultures and customs, that was one reason for my move to the island. In fact, Sardinia is not comparable to the rest of Italy. The Sardinians are a very unique people, not at all easy to get along with, but they are football fanatics. The landscape and the sea are simply beautiful, it is a good place to live. The last year was special both personally and in terms of sport."

In this social media post, Fischnaller summarizes his impressions of Sardinia:

Check out this post on Instagram

A post shared by Manuel Fischnaller (@elmanz)

Do you miss something in your adopted home?

"Basically not. My family is here with me, we get a lot of visitors from South Tyrol and we travel home regularly ourselves. There is just one problem: the long away trips. Sometimes we are away for up to three days for championship games, usually traveling by plane to Milan or Rome and from there by bus."


Will you now enjoy the summer in Sardinia?

"No, I'm spending the next few weeks in South Tyrol. We've been spending the last few weeks at the beach every now and then, and we went on holiday to the south of Sardinia. But now I'm happy to see the mountains again and meet friends and relatives. Besides, it's nice here in the summer too (laughs)."