Paul Gartler

Football runs in the family for Paul Gartler: his uncle is former Austria international Richard Niederbacher, and his grandfather worked as a coach in Styria. Gartler started out at SC Gleisdorf 1919, moved through Sturm Graz's youth system, and in 2012 joined the Rapid Wien academy, where he worked his way up through the ranks.

He made his senior debut for Rapid in 2016, but the following season was sent out on loan to Kapfenberger SV in the 2. Liga, where he made 33 league appearances. He spent time as squad depth before an injury to Tobias Knoflach opened the door in 2020. Gartler made his first start on 17 June 2020 against Hartberg, a match Rapid won 1-0. Along the way he had to come back from a scaphoid fracture and shoulder problems early in his career.

At youth level he was a regular fixture for Austria, including the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He was part of the Rapid squad that won the 2019–20 Austrian Cup, though not as the club's first-choice keeper that season.

Gartler models his game on Gianluigi Buffon and is known as a ball-playing goalkeeper comfortable acting as a sweeper behind his defence.