Florian Sturm

Florian Sturm (* 6 May 1982 in Wörgl) is a former Austrian football player.
Career 
Sturm began his career at the BNZ Tirol youth academy . Then he played in  the youth ranks of SV Wörgl and securing a professional contract with FC Tirol.  There he was unable to establish himself in the first team.

To gain match experience, he was loaned to WSG Wattens for the second half of the 2000/01 season. Following strong performances during this period, Tirol received an offer from then-first-division side SW Bregenz, which he accepted. In Bregenz, he finally made his breakthrough. He was moved from striker to left wing. This resulted in a significant improvement in his performance. As a regular starter, Sturm played twenty games, scoring five goals. 

He went to SK Rapid Wien for the 2002/03 season. There he played three solid seasons, culminating in the league title in the 2004/05 season. His first stint abroad was with SpVgg Greuther Fürth in the German second division. The spell proved extremely unhappy for him. He failed to secure a regular starting position and only made three appearances. Consequently, his contract was mutually terminated in the winter.

He then signed with the struggling FC Wacker Innsbruck in his hometown as a free agent. Having arrived from Germany without any match practice, he struggled to find his form and only played six games, scoring one goal. For the 2006/07 season, he accepted a contract offer from Swiss second-division club FC Vaduz. He became a key player for the team, scoring fourteen goals in two years. In the 2007/08 season, Vaduz won the Challenge League title and were promoted to the Axpo Super League for the first time in the club's history. After promotion, Vaduz began to rejuvenate their squad, and as a result, Sturm, despite his strong performances in the previous two years, was not offered a new contract. Once again without a club, he received an offer for a trial from the new Milton Keynes coach, the Swiss-Italian Roberto Di Matteo. Sturm accepted and impressed. In January 2009, after only four brief appearances, Sturm was declared a free agent. 

In May 2009, Sturm signed a one-year contract with an option for a second year with Austrian Bundesliga club SV Ried for the 2009/10 season. He spent the 2010/11 season with FC Vaduz in the Challenge League. After playing for First Vienna FC and SV Wörgl he ended his career in 2013.
International 
Due to his strong performances for Bregenz, Sturm was also called up to the Austrian U-21 national team. He played the majority of his matches in the qualifying rounds for the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Germany, for which Austria ultimately failed to qualify.

Category:1982 births
Category:Living people
Category:Austrian footballers
Category:SK Rapid Wien players
Category:Association football forwards
Category:Austrian football forwards
Category:Austrian football champions