Andraž Šporar

Andraž Šporar
Šporar with Slovenia in 2021
Personal information
Date of birth (1994-02-27) 27 February 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth Ljubljana, Slovenia
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Panathinaikos
Number 9
Youth career
2000–2005 Olimpija[1]
2005–2009 MNK Ljubljana
2009–2011 Interblock
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2012 Interblock 21 (10)
2012–2015 Olimpija Ljubljana 95 (46)
2016–2018 Basel 19 (1)
2017–2018 → Arminia Bielefeld (loan) 9 (2)
2018–2020 Slovan Bratislava 53 (44)
2020–2022 Sporting CP 29 (9)
2021 → Braga (loan) 16 (3)
2021–2022 → Middlesbrough (loan) 35 (8)
2022– Panathinaikos 63 (20)
International career‡
2012 Slovenia U19[a] 6 (0)
2012 Slovenia U20 1 (1)
2013–2016 Slovenia U21 19 (7)
2016– Slovenia 61 (12)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 November 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 November 2024

Andraž Šporar (born 27 February 1994) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Super League Greece club Panathinaikos and the Slovenia national team.

Club career

Olimpija Ljubljana

In June 2012, Šporar transferred from Interblock to Olimpija Ljubljana.[2] In the 2015–16 Slovenian PrvaLiga season, Šporar was named a team captain.[3] During the first half of the club's season, he played 18 PrvaLiga games and scored 17 goals.[4]

Basel

On 8 December 2015, Basel announced that Šporar had signed a four-and-a-half-year contract up until the end of June 2020.[5] He joined Basel's first team for their 2015–16 season under head coach Urs Fischer. After playing in four friendly games, he made his Swiss Super League debut on 14 February 2016 in a 4–0 away win against Grasshopper Club.[6] Just a few days later, on 18 February, Šporar got injured during warm-up before the away match against Saint-Étienne. The torn tendon required surgery and this kept Šporar out for the rest of the season.[7] At the end of the season his team won the 2015–16 Swiss Super League championship.[8]

Šporar scored his first goal for Basel on 15 April 2017 in a 4–0 away victory over Lausanne-Sport.[9] At the end of the 2016–17 Super League season, Šporar won the championship for the second time. For the club this was the eighth title in a row and their 20th championship title in total.[10] They also won the 2016–17 Swiss Cup, defeating Sion 3–0 in the final.[11]

Despite this success, Šporar decided to leave the club. He played a total of 26 competitive games for Basel, and scored one goal.[12]

Arminia Bielefeld (loan)

On 25 June 2017, Šporar joined 2. Bundesliga side Arminia Bielefeld on loan for the 2017–18 season.[13][14]

Slovan Bratislava

Šporar joined the Slovak First League side Slovan Bratislava in January 2018 for a reported fee of €600,000.[15] In his first season, he won the 2017–18 Slovak Cup. In the 2018–19 season, Slovan won the league title, and Šporar became the league's top scorer with 29 goals, equaling the record for the number of goals scored in a season in the Slovak First League.[16]

Sporting

On 23 January 2020, Šporar transferred to Sporting CP on a five-year contract for a transfer fee of €6 million, making him the most expensive player in the history of the Slovak Super Liga.[17] With bonuses, the total transfer fee may eventually rise above €7 million.[18]

Braga (loan)

On 1 February 2021, Šporar joined Braga on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.[19]

Middlesbrough (loan)

In August 2021, he joined English side Middlesbrough on loan.[20] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win against Nottingham Forest on 15 September 2021.[21]

Panathinaikos

On 27 July 2022, Šporar signed a four-year contract with Super League Greece side Panathinaikos[22] for a reported transfer fee of over €3 million.[23]

International career

In November 2016, Šporar received his first call-up to the Slovenia senior squad for the matches against Malta and Poland.[24] He debuted against the former, replacing Milivoje Novaković late in the second half.[25]

On 7 September 2023, Šporar scored two goals against Northern Ireland, becoming the tenth player in the Slovenia national team's history to reach double digits of international goals.[26]

In June 2024, Šporar was included in the 26-man Slovenian squad for UEFA Euro 2024, his first major international tournament.[27]

Personal life

Andraž Šporar is the son of Olimpija's former captain Miha Šporar.[28] In the past, Šporar has stated his ambition to earn a move to Liverpool, which is his favourite club.[29] Liverpool followed the player in 2015, but in the end there was no transfer.[29][30]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 19 May 2024[31]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[b] League cup[c] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Interblock 2011–12 Slovenian Second League 21 10 3 1 — — — 24 11
Olimpija Ljubljana 2012–13 Slovenian PrvaLiga 28 11 2 0 — 4[d] 0 1[e] 0 35 11
2013–14 Slovenian PrvaLiga 17 5 3 3 — 2[d] 1 1[e] 0 23 9
2014–15 Slovenian PrvaLiga 32 13 2 0 — — — 34 13
2015–16 Slovenian PrvaLiga 18 17 2 0 — — — 20 17
Total 95 46 9 3 0 0 6 1 2 0 112 50
Basel 2015–16 Swiss Super League 1 0 0 0 — 0 0 — 1 0
2016–17 Swiss Super League 18 1 3 0 — 4[f] 0 — 25 1
Total 19 1 3 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 26 1
Arminia Bielefeld (loan) 2017–18 2. Bundesliga 9 2 1 0 — — — 10 2
Slovan Bratislava 2017–18 Slovak First League 12 3 4 3 — 0 0 — 16 6
2018–19 Slovak First League 30 29 0 0 — 6[d] 5 — 36 34
2019–20 Slovak First League 11 12 1 1 — 14[g] 7 — 26 20
Total 53 44 5 4 0 0 20 12 0 0 78 60
Sporting CP 2019–20 Primeira Liga 16 6 0 0 0 0 2[d] 1 — 18 7
2020–21 Primeira Liga 13 3 3 0 2 1 2[d] 0 — 20 4
Total 29 9 3 0 2 1 4 1 0 0 38 11
Braga (loan) 2020–21 Primeira Liga 16 3 3 0 0 0 2[d] 0 — 21 3
Middlesbrough (loan) 2021–22 Championship 35 8 2 0 0 0 — — 37 8
Panathinaikos 2022–23 Super League Greece 32 11 3 2 — 2[h] 1 — 37 14
2023–24 Super League Greece 27 8 4 1 — 12[i] 4 — 43 13
Total 59 19 7 3 0 0 14 5 0 0 80 27
Career total 336 142 36 11 2 1 50 19 2 0 426 173
  1. ^ Competitive UEFA matches only
  2. ^ Includes Slovenian Cup, Swiss Cup, DFB-Pokal, Slovak Cup, Taça de Portugal, FA Cup, Greek Cup
  3. ^ Includes Taça da Liga
  4. ^ a b c d e f Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ a b Appearances in Slovenian Supercup
  6. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  7. ^ Two appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, twelve appearances and six goals in UEFA Europa League
  8. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  9. ^ Six appearances and three goals in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League

International

Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Šporar goal.[32]
List of international goals scored by Andraž Šporar
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 21 March 2019 Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel  Israel 1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
2 6 September 2019 Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia  Poland 2–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
3 4 June 2021 Bonifika Stadium, Koper, Slovenia  Gibraltar 1–0 6–0 Friendly
4 3–0
5 8 October 2021 National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta  Malta 2–0 4–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 24 September 2022 Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia  Norway 1–1 2–1 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B
7 17 November 2022 Cluj Arena, Cluj-Napoca, Romania  Romania 2–0 2–1 Friendly
8 19 June 2023 Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia  Denmark 1–0 1–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualification
9 7 September 2023 Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia  Northern Ireland 1–0 4–2 UEFA Euro 2024 qualification
10 4–2
11 21 March 2024 National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta  Malta 1–0 2–2 Friendly
12 8 June 2024 Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia  Bulgaria 1–1 1–1 Friendly

Honours

Basel

Slovan Bratislava

Sporting CP

Braga

Panathinaikos

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Šporar se je pridružil Olimpiji" (in Slovenian). Siol. 18 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  2. ^ Jerman, Žiga (13 July 2012). "Pričakovanja Olimpije segajo na vrh". Žurnal24 (in Slovenian). Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  3. ^ Rok Plestenjak (31 August 2015). "Kapetan Olimpije v Ljubljani živi svoje sanje" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Andraž Šporar – statistika 2015–16". prvaliga.si (in Slovenian). Slovenian PrvaLiga. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  5. ^ FC Basel 1893 (8 December 2015). "FCB verpflichtet den slowenen Andraz Sporar". FCB sign Slovenian Andraz Sporar (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 16 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Marti, Caspar (14 February 2016). "4:0-Erfolg bei GC: Souveräner Sieg im Spitzenspiel". 4–0 win at GC: Confident victory in the top game (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  7. ^ FC Basel 1893 (24 February 2016). "Boëtius und Sporar fallen verletzt aus". Boëtius and Sporar fall out due to injury (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 16 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "FC Basel holt den 19. Meistertitel". FC Basel wins their 19th championship title (in German). Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF). 30 April 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  9. ^ "FC Lausanne-Sport – FC Basel 0:4 (0:2)". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. 15 April 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  10. ^ Marti, Casper (2 June 2017). "Der Saisonabschluss im Zeitraffer". The end of the season in time lapse (in German). FC Basel 1893 AG. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  11. ^ Rodriguez-Bloch, Laila (25 May 2017). "Swiss Football Cup: FC Basel wins 3–0 over Sion in Geneva; Police extra vigilant after game". thegenevist.com. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  12. ^ "Andraz Sporar – FCB statistics". Verein "Basler Fussballarchiv”. 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  13. ^ "Šporar signs for Arminia Bielefeld". arsport-management.com. 26 June 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Sporar leihweise zu Arminia Bielefeld – International". Liechtensteiner Volksblatt (in German). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
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  20. ^ "Andraz Sporar & James Lea Siliki: Middlesbrough sign Slovenia striker and Cameroon midfielder". BBC Sport. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  21. ^ "Nottingham Forest 0–2 Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
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  24. ^ "Katanec reagiral na epidemijo poškodb: naknadno je vpoklical Šporarja in Pihlerja". 24ur.com (in Slovenian). 4 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
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  27. ^ Zalokar, Peter (7 June 2024). "Matjaž Kek izbral 26 adutov za euro 2024, zraven tudi prerojeni Iličić". Delo (in Slovenian). Retrieved 17 June 2024.
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  39. ^ "Šporar posledným víťazom ankety Hráč mesiaca v tomto kalendárnom roku". sport.aktuality.sk (in Slovak). 26 December 2018. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
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