Happy Birthday Stefan!
Our midfielder Stefan Schwab turns 33 today, and PAOK FC would like to wish him many years of health, happiness and successes on both a personal and professional level.
Schwab was born in Saalfelden on 27.09.1990. He was drawn to sport from a young age, and apart from football, he was also a keen alpine biathlete, as well as being into skiing and ski jumping. His love for football, however, won the day and from the age of 13 he decided to devote himself to it.
Starting with his local club, he moved to the youth academy at Salzburg when he was 14, where he remained from 2004 until 2011. He played for the B team in 2009 in the Austrian second tier, while also taking part in training sessions with the senior squad. In 2010 he was loaned to Lustenau and made 24 appearances, scoring six goals and providing seven assists. He returned but shortly after he was loaned out again, this time to Admira Wacker, with whom he celebrated promotion to the top flight.
Admira activated their option to sign the player on a permanent deal, and Schwab made the switch. He remained at the club until 2014 and took on a leading role in the team from day one, playing in many positions across the midfield. Overall he made 114 appearances, scored 20 goals, and served up another 14, and his from began to attract the attention of bigger clubs.
In June of 2014, Rapid Vienna signed him from Admira for just 400.000 euro and he became one of the club’s leading players for the next six years.
At Rapid, Schwab excelled in both domestic and European competitions. He wore the captain’s armband, played in a total of 241 games, scored 51 goals, and provided just as many assists, also earning a call-up to the Austrian national team.
In the summer of 2020, his contract at Rapid expired and he accepted an offer from PAOK to move to Thessaloniki.
He became a regular starter from day one with the Double-headed Eagle, and so far he has made 152 appearances and scored 20 goals, while also serving up another 19 assists. He also won the Greek Cup in the 2020-21 season with the club.