Alex Manninger, the Austrian goalkeeper who played for some of Europe's most prominent clubs across a two-decade professional career, has died at the age of 48 after the car he was driving was struck by a train at a level crossing near Salzburg, the Austrian city where he began his footballing life. Salzburg police said the collision occurred at around 8:20am local time, when a railcar of the Salzburger Lokalbahn — a regional light rail network — hit the vehicle and dragged it along the tracks. First responders freed Manninger from the car and attempted resuscitation, including the use of a defibrillator, but were unable to save him. He was alone in the vehicle; the train driver was uninjured.

Manninger started his career at hometown club Red Bull Salzburg before moving to Arsenal in 1997, where he spent four seasons largely as deputy to England's first-choice keeper David Seaman. His moment in the spotlight came late in the 1997–98 season when Seaman was injured, and Manninger stepped in to help the Gunners win the league title and FA Cup double. He was named Premier League Player of the Month for March 1998 and received a league winner's medal despite not having played the required number of games — a tribute to his contribution. He went on to enjoy a lengthy career in Italy, representing Fiorentina, Torino, Bologna, Siena, Udinese and Juventus, where he made 42 appearances filling in for Gianluigi Buffon. He also had spells at German club Augsburg before signing a short-term deal with Liverpool in 2016, retiring from professional football in 2017 without making an appearance for the Merseyside club. He earned 33 caps for the Austrian national team during his career.

Tributes poured in from across the football world. The Austrian Football Association's sporting director Peter Schottel described Manninger as