Dietmar Kühbauer (born 4 April 1971), commonly known as Didi Kühbauer, is an Austrian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Austrian Bundesliga club LASK. As a player, he is best remembered for his years at Rapid Wien, where he won the Austrian Bundesliga and the Austrian Cup and appeared in the 1995–96 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final. He was named to Rapid's Team of the Century in 1999 and earned 55 caps for the Austria national team, representing his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Born in Heiligenkreuz im Lafnitztal, Burgenland, Kühbauer began his professional career at Admira/Wacker in 1987 at the age of 16 before joining Rapid Wien in 1992. After five years in Vienna, during which he became one of the most prominent players in Austrian football, he moved abroad—first to Real Sociedad in La Liga in 1997 and later to VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga in 2000. He returned to Austria in 2002, finishing his playing career at his childhood club SV Mattersburg in 2008.

Kühbauer began his managerial career at Admira Wacker, leading the club to promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga after winning the 2. Liga title in 2010–11. He subsequently managed Wolfsberger AC, SKN St. Pölten and Rapid Wien before a first spell at LASK in 2022–23, where he guided the club to a third-place finish and a return to European competition. In his second spell at Wolfsberger AC, Kühbauer led the club to their first major honour when they won the Austrian Cup in 2025, and he was named Austrian Coach of the Year. He departed WAC in October 2025 to return to LASK for a second time, leading them to their first Austrian Cup title in 61 years—in the process becoming the first manager in history to win the Austrian Cup in consecutive seasons with different clubs.

Club career Born in Heiligenkreuz, Burgenland, Kühbauer began his professional career at Admira Wacker, making his Austrian Bundesliga debut in 1987 at the age of 16. After five years at Wacker, he moved to city rivals Rapid Wien, where he won both a league title in 1996 and a domestic cup in 1995, forming a formidable midfield partnership with Peter Stöger, Andreas Heraf, Stephan Marasek and Zoran Barišić. He also played in the 1996 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain in Brussels, which Rapid lost. "Don Didi" remains a fan favorite at Rapid, and in 1999, he was named to the club's Team of the Century.

In the 1996-97 season, Kühbauer once again performed well for Rapid, scoring 11 goals, although the Vienna club lost the title to Austria Salzburg and after the death of his wife Michaela, he decided to move to Spain and join Real Sociedad. In 2000, he signed with German Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg. Kühbauer, who had desired a return to Rapid, eventually chose to return to SV Mattersburg due to being offered a low salary at his former club. As captain of the club, Kühbauer led Mattersburg to the finals of the 2005-06 Austrian Cup where they lost to Austria Wien and helped them reach third place in the 2006-07 season.

International career He made his debut for Austria in a May 1992 friendly match against Poland and was a participant at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He earned 55 caps, scoring five goals. On 4 September 2005, he announced his retirement from international matches. His final international was a September 2005 World Cup qualification match against Poland.

Coaching career Admira Wacker On 18 November 2008, he signed a contract by Trenkwalder Admira II as head coach. In 2010, he became coach of the first squad and led the team to the promotion to the Austrian Football Bundesliga.

Wolfsberger AC From September 2013 to November 2015 he was head coach of Wolfsberger AC.

SKN St. Pölten and Rapid Wien On 1 October 2018, Kühbauer was announced to become the new head coach of Rapid Wien, after only a half year at SKN St. Pölten.Willkommen Zuhause, Didi Kühbauer, skrapid.at, 1 October 2018

LASK In May 2022, Kühbauer was appointed head coach of LASK, signing a contract until June 2024. He finished the 2021–22 season with the Schwarz-Weißen in eighth place. The 2022–23 season saw significant improvement, as Kühbauer led the team to a third-place finish, securing their return to European competition. However, he was replaced by Thomas Sageder at the end of the season, due to differences of opinion regarding squad planning for the next season.

Return to Wolfsberger AC In May 2024, Kühbauer was appointed head coach of Wolfsberger AC for a second time, succeeding Manfred Schmid ahead of the 2024–25 season. After an uncertain start to the campaign during which Kühbauer adapted his preferred system to better suit the squad, WAC recovered to mount a sustained challenge in the Bundesliga, remaining in contention for the title until the final matchday before finishing fourth. On 1 May 2025, Kühbauer guided the club to their first major honour in their history when WAC defeated TSV Hartberg 1–0 in the Austrian Cup final. He was subsequently voted Austrian Coach of the Year, an award determined by a ballot of club presidents, sporting directors and head coaches across the Bundesliga. Despite WAC's strong position in the table, Kühbauer departed the club in October 2025 to return to LASK.

Return to LASK Kühbauer joined LASK mid-season during the 2025–26 season, taking charge of a club that had gone through four head coaches in the preceding twelve months. He led the club from tenth place to third in his first 14 league matches in charge, and guided LASK to the Austrian Cup final. On 1 May 2026, LASK defeated Rheindorf Altach 4–2 after extra time in Klagenfurt to win the Austrian Cup for the first time in 61 years, with Kühbauer becoming the first manager to win the trophy in consecutive seasons with different clubs. He later completed the domestic double after guiding LASK to the Austrian Bundesliga title on the final matchday of the season, secured with a 3–0 away victory over Austria Wien. It marked the club's second league championship and first since 1965.

Personal life On 16 February 1997, Kühbauer's pregnant wife, Michaela, was driving to Vienna International Airport to pick him up after Rapid's winter break in Dubai. Tragedy struck when her car veered off the road near Eisenstadt, and she was rushed to the hospital with three ribs puncturing her lung. She fell into a coma and died seven months later, on 13 September 1997. A disillusioned Kühbauer then left Austria to begin a new career abroad at Real Sociedad.

Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAdmira/Wacker1987–88Austrian Bundesliga12000——1201988–89Austrian Bundesliga2304052—3221989–90Austrian Bundesliga2611060—3311990–91Austrian Bundesliga2500091—3411991–92Austrian Bundesliga35651——407Total1217101203—15111Rapid Wien1992–93Austrian Bundesliga3335010—3931993–94Austrian Bundesliga3163332—37111994–95Austrian Bundesliga2774130—3481995–96Austrian Bundesliga2662051—3371996–97Austrian Bundesliga31111081104112Total148331542041018441Real Sociedad1997–98La Liga20220——2221998–99La Liga1600050—2101999–2000La Liga12010——130Total4823050—562VfL Wolfsburg2000–01Bundesliga2872030—3372001–02Bundesliga2112030—261Total4984060—598SV Mattersburg2002–03Erste Liga29230——3222003–04Austrian Bundesliga321030——35102004–05Austrian Bundesliga32720——3472005–06Austrian Bundesliga32150——3712006–07Austrian Bundesliga2724120—3332007–08Austrian Bundesliga2920040—332Total1812417160—20425Career total5477449165771065497

International + Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsAustria1992401993521994301995611996201997301998111199930200051200150200200200300200450200530Total555

Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kühbauer goal

+ List of international goals scored by Dietmar KühbauerNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 14 April 1993 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 2–0 3–1 1994 World Cup qualifier2 25 August 1993 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 1–0 3–0 1994 World Cup qualifier3 26 April 1995 Stadion Lehen, Salzburg, Austria 1–0 7–0 Euro 1996 qualifier4 2 June 1998 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 2–0 6–0 Friendly5 1 September 2000 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 4–1 5–1 Friendly

Managerial

+ Managerial record by team and tenure TeamNationFromToRecordAdmira Wacker II1 December 200826 April 2010Admira Wacker26 April 201011 June 2013 Wolfsberger AC2 September 201325 November 2015SKN St. Pölten1 April 20181 October 2018Rapid Wien1 October 201810 November 2021LASK3 May 20226 June 2023Wolfsberger AC1 July 20249 October 2025LASK9 October 2025PresentTotal—

Honours Player Rapid Wien Austrian Bundesliga: 1995–96 Austrian Cup: 1994–95

Manager Admira Wacker 2. Liga: 2010–11

Wolfsberger AC Austrian Cup: 2024–25

LASK Austrian Bundesliga: 2025–26 Austrian Cup: 2025–26

References

External links Dietmar Kühbauer at Rapid Archiv