Kerim Alajbegović

Kerim Alajbegović
Alajbegović in 2026
Personal information
Full name Kerim-Sam Alajbegović[1]
Date of birth (2007-09-21) 21 September 2007
Place of birth Cologne, Germany
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position Winger
Team information
Current team
 Juventus
Number 17
Youth career
2013–2021 1. FC Köln
2021–2025 Bayer Leverkusen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2025–2026 Red Bull Salzburg 28 (9)
2026 Bayer Leverkusen 0 (0)
2026– Juventus 0 (0)
International career‡
2022 Bosnia and Herzegovina U15 4 (3)
2022–2024 Bosnia and Herzegovina U17 17 (6)
2024 Bosnia and Herzegovina U19 5 (2)
2024–2025 Bosnia and Herzegovina U21 4 (1)
2025– Bosnia and Herzegovina 14 (2)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 May 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 1 July 2026

Kerim Alajbegović (pronounced [kěrim alajbêːgoʋitɕ]; born 21 September 2007) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Serie A club Juventus. Born in Germany, he plays for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.

Alajbegović started his professional career at Red Bull Salzburg, before joining Juventus in 2026.

A former youth international for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alajbegović made his senior international debut in 2025, earning 14 caps since and taking part in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Bayer Leverkusen

Alajbegović started playing football at his hometown club 1. FC Köln, before joining Bayer Leverkusen's youth academy in 2021. In January 2025, he signed his first professional contract with the team.[3]

Red Bull Salzburg

In July 2025, Alajbegović was transferred to Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg for an undisclosed fee.[4] He made his professional debut in a UEFA Champions League qualifier against Brann on 23 July at the age of 17.[5] On 26 July, he scored his first professional goal in an Austrian Cup game against Union Dietach.[6] He made his league debut against Ried on 2 August.[7] On 9 August, he scored his first league goal in a triumph over Grazer AK.[8]

In September 2025, he extended his deal with the squad until June 2029.[9]

Juventus

After Bayer Leverkusen activated their buy-back option in March 2026, Alajbegović signed a five-year contract valid from 1 July 2026.[10] On 2 August 2026, Alajbegović signed for Serie A side Juventus on a five-year deal for a fee of €32 million.[11]

International career

Alajbegović represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at all youth levels. He also served as a captain of the under-17 team under coach Nedim Jusufbegović.[12]

In August 2025, he received his first senior call up, for 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Austria.[13] He debuted against the former on 6 September and managed to score a goal.[14]

In June 2026, Alajbegović was named in Bosnia and Herzegovina's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[15] He made his tournament debut in the opening group game against Canada on 12 June.[16] On 24 June, he scored his first World Cup goal in a 3–1 victory over Qatar, earning Man of the Match and helping his country secure its first-ever qualification for the knockout stage.[17]

Personal life

Alajbegović is a practising Muslim; he visited a mosque in Sarajevo during the national team's training camp.[18]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 May 2026[19]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Red Bull Salzburg 2025–26 Austrian Bundesliga 2895211[b]24413
Juventus 2026–27 Serie A 00000000
Career total 289521124413
  1. ↑ Includes Austrian Cup
  2. ↑ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League; seven appearances, two goals in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 1 July 2026[20]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Bosnia and Herzegovina
202561
202681
Total142
Scores and results list Bosnia and Herzegovina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Alajbegović goal.
List of international goals scored by Kerim Alajbegović[20]
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 6 September 2025 San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino 1  San Marino 5–0 6–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 24 June 2026 Lumen Field, Seattle, United States 13  Qatar 1–0 3–1 2026 FIFA World Cup

References

  1. ↑ "Tko je mladić koji je ispisao povijest Zmajeva? Jednim potezom postao je junak navijača BiH". Showbuzz (in Croatian). 24 June 2026. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Kerim Alajbegovic". redbullsalzburg.at (in German). Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Kerim Alajbegović, bosanski dragulj koji osvaja fudbalski svijet: Nova zvijezda Bayer Leverkusena". scsport.ba (in Bosnian). 11 January 2025. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  4. ↑ "Kerim Alajbegović predstavljen kao novi igrač RB Salzburga". klix.ba (in Bosnian). 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
  5. ↑ "Alajbegović debitovao u kvalifikacijama za Ligu prvaka, ubjedljiva pobjeda Salzburga". n1info.ba (in Bosnian). 23 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
  6. ↑ "Alajbegović postigao prvi pogodak za Salzburg". faktor.ba (in Bosnian). 26 July 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
  7. ↑ "Alajbegović debitovao u Bundesligi Austrije, u tri situacije je pokazao kakav potencijal posjeduje". reprezentacija.ba (in Bosnian). 2 August 2025. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
  8. ↑ "Kerim Alajbegović postigao eurogol za Salzburg: Pogledajte majstoriju mladog Zmaja". radiosarajevo.ba (in Bosnian). 9 August 2025. Retrieved 9 August 2025.
  9. ↑ "Kerim Alajbegović potpisao novi ugovor sa Salzburgom". avaz.ba (in Bosnian). 30 September 2025. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
  10. ↑ "Kerim Alajbegović nakon čarobne noći u Cardiffu potpisao za Bayer Leverkusen". fokus.ba (in Bosnian). 27 March 2026. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Juventus.com. "Ufficiale | Kerim Alajbegović è un nuovo giocatore della Juventus - Juventus". Juventus.com (in Italian). Retrieved 2 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Alajbegović: Debi za reprezentaciju bi bio ispunjenje sna; Košpo: Srce me je povuklo da igram za BiH". oslobodjenje.ba (in Bosnian). 4 September 2025. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
  13. ↑ "Barbarez objavio spisak za San Marino i Austriju: Dva nova imena obradovala navijače". radiosarajevo.ba (in Bosnian). 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  14. ↑ "Zmajevi razbili San Marino u gostima". reprezentacija.ba (in Bosnian). 6 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  15. ↑ "Barbarez poslao konačan spisak FIFA-i: Jedno ime otputovalo u Ameriku, ali nije na listi". sportske.ba (in Bosnian). 3 June 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "Šesti remi BiH u nizu, Kanada osvojila prvi bod na Mundijalima u historiji". oslobodjenje.ba (in Bosnian). 12 June 2026. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Alajbegovic stars as Bosnia and Herzegovina finish third". FIFA. 24 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "Kerim Alajbegović stigao u Sarajevo, klanjao džumu i družio se s fanovima". avaz.ba (in Bosnian). 22 May 2026. Retrieved 23 May 2026.
  19. ↑ "Kerim Alajbegović". soccerway.com. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Kerim Alajbegović". eu-football.info. Retrieved 1 July 2026.
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