Matic Paljk

Matic Paljk
Personal information
Full name Matic Paljk[1]
Date of birth (1997-10-02) 2 October 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Koper, Slovenia[2]
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[2]
Position(s) Left-back[2]
Team information
Current team
 Nafta 1903
Number 21
Youth career
2008–2010 Izola
2010–2015 Koper
2015–2016 → Spezia (loan)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2017 Koper 16 (1)
2017–2018 Swansea City 0 (0)
2019–2020 Olimpija Ljubljana 0 (0)
2019–2020 → Gorica (loan) 9 (0)
2020–2021 Gorica 15 (1)
2022–2023 Primorje 22 (1)
2023– Nafta 1903 15 (2)
International career
2014 Slovenia U18 4 (0)
2017 Slovenia U21 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 29 December 2023

Matic Paljk (born 2 October 1997) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Nafta 1903.[3]

Club career

Paljk started his youth career in Slovenia with Izola,[4] before joining Koper in 2010.[5] In 2015, Paljk joined Italian team Spezia on loan.[6] He only featured for the club's U19s before returning to Koper.[6] On 17 July 2016, he made his professional debut in the Slovenian PrvaLiga against Maribor, playing the first half in a 1–0 defeat.[3] He went onto play sixteen times for Koper throughout the 2016–17 season and scored one goal, against Olimpija Ljubljana in March 2017.[3] He departed Koper in the following summer after the club suffered relegation to the Slovenian Intercommunal Leagues.[7]

In October 2017, Paljk joined Premier League side Swansea City on a free transfer.[6] He signed a contract until June 2018 and immediately linked up with the Swansea U23s.[3][6] He was released at the conclusion of the 2017–18 season.[8]

In January 2019, Paljk returned to Slovenia's PrvaLiga after signing with Olimpija Ljubljana.[9] After no competitive appearances for them, a loan move to the Second League with Gorica was completed in July 2019.[3] Thirteen appearances followed, including his debut at home to ex-club Koper, as they won promotion to the top-flight via the play-offs.[3] Paljk was signed permanently by Gorica in September 2020.[10] His first game as a full-time member came in a defeat away to Olimpija Ljubljana on 30 September.[3]

International career

Paljk has represented Slovenia at under-18 and under-21 level.[5] He won four caps for the U18s, prior to making three appearances for the U21s in 2017.[5] Paljk received a call-up to the U19s in November 2015.[11]

Career statistics

As of 1 January 2022[3]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Koper 2016–17 PrvaLiga 16 1 1 0 — — 17 1
Swansea City 2017–18 Premier League 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
Olimpija Ljubljana 2018–19 PrvaLiga 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
2019–20 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gorica (loan) 2019–20 Second League 9 0 2 0 — 2[a] 0 13 0
Gorica 2020–21 PrvaLiga 15 1 0 0 — — 15 1
Total 24 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 28 1
Career total 40 2 3 0 0 0 2 0 45 2
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in Slovenian Second League promotion play-offs

References

  1. ^ "Updated squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Matic Paljk". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Matic Paljk profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  4. ^ Čavalić, Mirsad K. (11 February 2022). "Primorje predstavilo peto zimsko okrepitev". Slovenski nogometni portal (in Slovenian). Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Matic Paljk profile". Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d "Swans add Paljk to Under-23s squad". Swansea City A.F.C. 17 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Licenčna komisija za pritožbe sprejela odločitev o pritožbi FC Koper". Football Association of Slovenia. 1 June 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  8. ^ "New deals offered to young Swans". Swansea City A.F.C. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  9. ^ To. G. (15 January 2019). "Ilić na Dansko, Ivačič v MLS k Portlandu, med zmaje prišel Paljk" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Vrnitev Palčiča v Koper, Paljk za stalno pri Gorici". RTV Slovenija. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Matic Paljk convocato nella Slovenia Under 19". Spezia Calcio. 3 November 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2017.