Dejan Ljubičić

Dejan Ljubičić
Ljubičić with Wiener Neustadt in 2017
Personal information
Date of birth (1997-10-08) 8 October 1997[1]
Place of birth Vienna, Austria
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Schalke 04
Number 21
Youth career
2004–2006 Favoritner AC
2006–2015 Rapid Wien
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2017 Rapid Wien II 45 (3)
2017–2021 Rapid Wien 103 (6)
2017 → Wiener Neustadt (loan) 7 (0)
2021–2025 1. FC Köln 110 (12)
2025–2026 Dinamo Zagreb 15 (0)
2026– Schalke 04 15 (4)
International career‡
2021– Austria 9 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 7 September 2023

Dejan Ljubičić (born 8 October 1997) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Schalke 04 and the Austria national team.

Club career

Ljubičić joined the youth academy of Rapid Wien in 2006 after starting at Favoritner AC. He progressed through the club's youth ranks and made his debut for Rapid's reserve team in 2015. In 2017, he signed his first professional contract with Rapid and spent time on loan at Wiener Neustadt, where he made his professional debut. A proposed move to MLS club Chicago Fire collapsed during the 2019–20 winter transfer window after he was diagnosed with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.[2] He later established himself in Rapid's first team, making 103 league appearances, scoring six goals, and captaining the club during the 2020–21 season.[3]

In 2021, Ljubičić moved to Bundesliga club 1. FC Köln.[4] His club suffered relegation in 2024, but helped the club secure immediate promotion back to the top flight in 2024–25 before departing upon the expiry of his contract.[5] He then joined Dinamo Zagreb in June 2025,[6] before transferring to FC Schalke 04 in January 2026, signing a contract until 2028.[7]

International career

Ljubičić was born in Austria to Bosnian Croat parents from Busovača.[8][9] He debuted for the Austria national team in a 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification win over the Faroe Islands on 9 October 2021.[10]

On 10 June 2026, he was added to Austria's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a replacement for the injured Christoph Baumgartner.[11]

Personal life

In August 2021, Ljubičić was sentenced for throwing bottles at a mosque in Kiseljak three years earlier. He had to pay a fine of 1,000 BAM or serve ten days in prison.[12]

His younger brother Robert plays for AEK Athens.[13]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 24 August 2026[14]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Rapid Wien II 2015–16 Austrian Regionalliga East 200——200
2016–17 Austrian Regionalliga East 253——253
Total 453——453
Rapid Wien 2017–18 Austrian Bundesliga 28340—323
2018–19 Austrian Bundesliga 2914012[b]1452
2019–20 Austrian Bundesliga 22210—232
2020–21 Austrian Bundesliga 240205[c]1311
Total 10361101721318
Wiener Neustadt (loan) 2017–18 2. Liga 7000—70
1. FC Köln 2021–22 Bundesliga 30320—323
2022–23 Bundesliga 275115[d]2338
2023–24 Bundesliga 26010—270
2024–25 2. Bundesliga 27431—305
Total 11012725212216
Dinamo Zagreb 2025–26 Croatian Football League 150007[b]2222
Schalke 04 2025–26 2. Bundesliga 154——154
2026–27 Bundesliga 0011—11
Total 15411—165
Career total 2952519329634334
  1. ↑ Includes Austrian Cup, DFB-Pokal
  2. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ↑ Appearances in UEFA Conference League

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year[15]
National teamYearAppsGoals
Austria 202121
202220
202350
Total91
Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ljubičić goal.[16]
List of international goals scored by Dejan Ljubičić
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
115 November 2021Wörthersee Stadion, Klagenfurt, Austria Moldova4–14–12022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

1. FC Köln

Dinamo Zagreb

Schalke 04

References

  1. 1 2 "Dejan Ljubicic | Playerprofile | Bundesliga". bundesliga.com. DFL. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  2. ↑ "Ljubicic: Rapid-Abwehrchef statt US-Legionär" (in German). Der Standard. 13 June 2020.
  3. ↑ "Offiziell: Dejan Ljubicic von Rapid zum 1. FC Köln" (in German). LAOLA1. 26 April 2021.
  4. ↑ "Der 1. FC Köln verpflichtet Dejan Ljubicic" (in German). Bundesliga. 26 April 2021.
  5. ↑ "Dejan Ljubicic: Medizincheck bestanden, Vierjahresvertrag und emotionale Worte an die Fans des 1. FC Köln" (in German). come-on-fc.com. 21 May 2025.
  6. ↑ "Dejan Ljubičić potpisao za Dinamo" (in Croatian). GNK Dinamo Zagreb. 17 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "Schalke 04 nimmt Dejan Ljubičić unter Vertrag" [Schalke 04 sign Dejan Ljubičić]. schalke04.de (in German). 27 January 2026. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Huber, Alexander (21 October 2017). "Ljubicic: "Richtig böse war ich schon lange nicht"".
  9. ↑ Olivari, Davorin (15 June 2022). "Velike ambicije novog Dinamovog pojačanja: 'Bilo bi mi drago da dobijem poziv za hrvatsku reprezentaciju'". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "Faroe Islands-Austria". UEFA. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "Ljubicic löst verspätet WM-Ticket" [Ljubicic löst verspätet WM-Ticket] (in German). Austrian Football Association. 10 June 2026. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Stigla kazna: Fudbaleri koji su napali džamiju u Kiseljaku dobili deset dana zatvora". SportSport.ba.
  13. ↑ Österreich, SPOX (4 November 2021). "Dejan Ljubicic über Bruder Robert: Rapid ist ein anderes Level"". www.spox.com.
  14. ↑ "Dejan Ljubičić - Club matches". worldfootball.net.
  15. ↑ "Dejan Ljubičić". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
  16. ↑ Strecha, Alexander (15 November 2021). "Österreich gewinnt gegen Moldau 4:1, Foda bleibt Teamchef" (in German). kurier.at. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  17. ↑ "Uth mit dem Schlusspunkt: Köln steigt als Zweitliga-Meister in die Bundesliga auf". kicker.
  18. ↑ "Elversberg siegt – Schalke ist Meister!". bundesliga.com (in German). 3 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
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