Raphael Lukas Sallinger

Raphael Sallinger's route to Hibernian's goal ran through Hartberg, where he became a first-choice keeper. Born in Klagenfurt, he came through the youth ranks at FC Kärnten and FC Welzenegg, then starting at SC Kalsdorf in the Regionalliga Central. A move to 1. FC Kaiserslautern II followed, where he played 20 matches in the Regionalliga Südwest.

His breakthrough came at Wolfsberger AC, where he combined a league title with the reserve side in the Kärntner Liga with his first Bundesliga appearances for the first team. It was at TSV Hartberg, though, that Sallinger became established, making 90 league appearances across seven years. The high point came in the 2024/25 season, when he kept 12 clean sheets in 38 league games and took Hartberg to the Austrian Cup final, only to lose 1–0 to Wolfsberger AC.

That form persuaded Hibernian to trigger his release clause for a fee of £300,000 in June 2025, and he has since made the Scottish Premiership his own, keeping six clean sheets in his first 17 league appearances. Internationally, his experience remains limited to a single Austria under-20 cap, a friendly against Mexico's under-20 side in which he started before being substituted at half-time.