Former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger has died at the age of 48 and his old team-mate David Seaman has paid tribute to the "massive player" who was a "great friend"
Press Association, Daniel Marsh Senior Sports Reporter and Neil Docking
07:02, 17 Apr 2026
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger, who has died in a traffic accident at the age of 48, the Austrian Football Association has announced.
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Former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger, who has died in a traffic accident at the age of 48(Image: John Marsh/EMPICS Sport/PA Wire)
David Seaman described his "great friend" and former team-mate Alex Manninger as a "massive player" in Arsenal's history following his tragic passing at the age of 48.
Manninger, who featured in 64 matches across five seasons at Arsenal and played a crucial part in the Gunners' Premier League and FA Cup double triumph in 1998, died in a horrific crash near Salzburg on Thursday morning. Reports from Austria indicate Manninger's car was hit by a train at a level crossing on the Salzburg local railway in Nussdorf am Haunsberg.
Manninger, who earned 33 caps for Austria, primarily served as Seaman's deputy at Arsenal. However, he stepped in for the former England goalkeeper during the latter stages of the 1997/98 season and produced a series of outstanding displays to help Arsenal - in Arsene Wenger's maiden full campaign - secure the double.
David Seaman and Alex Manninger (back row, centre) celebrate together after winning the Premier League with Arsenal in 1997/98
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David Seaman and Alex Manninger (back row, centre) celebrate together after winning the Premier League with Arsenal in 1997/98
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"It is devastating news," Seaman, 62, told the Press Association, reports the Mirror. "It is really sad and it is difficult to get your head around it."
He continued: "When I think of Alex Manninger, he was a fantastic goalkeeper for us. He came in and deputised for me during a really critical time to help us win the double.
"He did amazingly well. He was just a young lad when he broke into the first team. For a 20-year-old to come in and play for Arsenal in the way that he did was really special.
"I was out for quite a few games through injury. He played 13 times, kept a clean sheet in the key 1-0 league win against Manchester United at Old Trafford and saved penalties in our [quarter-final] FA Cup win against West Ham.
"The fans loved him. And I must admit it was touch and go as to whether I would get back in the side. He was a massive player for Arsenal."
Alex Manninger was a very capable deputy to David Seaman at Arsenal
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Alex Manninger was a very capable deputy to David Seaman at Arsenal(Image: GETTY )
David Seaman has questioned the leadership characteristics of the Arsenal squad (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)
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David Seaman paid tribute to his friend
Manninger, who started his career with RB Salzburg and joined the Gunners in a £500,000 transfer from Grazer AK in June 1997, departed Arsenal for Espanyol in 2002.
He also enjoyed stints in Italy with Torino, Bologna, Siena and Juventus – where he claimed a Serie A winners' medal – and signed for Liverpool on a temporary contract in 2016 but didn't make a competitive outing for the Reds.
Seaman, who secured three league crowns and four FA Cups at Arsenal, continued: "When you looked at him, he was very athletic, had a great spring and made great saves.
"He was so competitive in the standards that he set himself. He wanted to be the best and if he let a goal in, he wouldn't shut up about it. He never stopped analysing the goals he let in because of how good he wanted to be.
"He was a great friend, too. And like me was a fisherman and we spent may hours together on the lakes. My thoughts are with his wife and young family."
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 22: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Alex Manninger and Danny Ings of Liverpool during a training session at Melwood Training Ground on September 22, 2016 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Alex Manninger joined Liverpool in 2016(Image: John Powell, Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Both Arsenal and Liverpool were amongst those to pay tribute to Manninger, who disclosed he was convinced to sign for the Reds by Jurgen Klopp in a recent interview, and loved his time at Anfield.
He revealed to Gazetta Dello Sport: "It all started with a phone call. Jurgen knew everything about me. I'd beaten his Dortmund side with Augsburg two years earlier. [He said] 'I want that goalkeeper there. That day you saved everything against us. You have to do it for me, too'.
"I never actually played, I was 40, but leaving football and saying goodbye to the fans in front of the Kop was an amazing feeling."