Tian Nai Koren

Tian Nai Koren
Personal information
Date of birth (2009-07-31) 31 July 2009
Place of birth Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Club Brugge
Number 85
Youth career
2016–2022 Dravograd
2022–2025 Maribor
2022 → Roho (loan)
2025–2026 Club Brugge
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2025–2026 Club NXT 22 (1)
2026– Club Brugge 1 (0)
International career‡
2023–2024 Slovenia U15 9 (3)
2023–2025 Slovenia U16 7 (3)
2024–2025 Slovenia U17 14 (10)
2026– Slovenia U19 3 (0)
2026– Slovenia 1 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 8 August 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 5 June 2026

Tian Nai Koren (born 31 July 2009) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Belgian Pro League club Club Brugge and the Slovenia national team.[1]

Early life

Koren was born on 31 July 2009 in Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia.[2] The younger brother of Slovenian footballer Nal Lan Koren, he is the son of former Slovenia national team captain Robert Koren.[3][4]

Club career

Koren started his football career in 2016 at the age of 7 with Dravograd.[5] In 2022, he joined the youth academy of Slovenian champions Maribor. Following his stint there, Koren joined the youth academy of Belgian side Club Brugge in 2025 and was promoted to the club's reserve team ahead of the 2025–26 season.[6]

International career

Koren is a Slovenia youth international, and represented the country at the under-15, under-16, under-17, and under-19 level. In October 2024, he played for the under-17 team in the 2025 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification.[7]

In June 2026, Koren was called up to the senior team for the first time.[8] On 4 June, he made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Cyprus, and thus became the youngest ever player to represent Slovenia at the age of 16 years and 308 days, surpassing the previous record holder Benjamin Šeško for over a year.[9]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 7 August 2026[10]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Club NXT 2025–26 Challenger Pro League 221———221
Club Brugge 2026–27 Belgian Pro League 1000001[a]020
Career total 231000010241
  1. ↑ Appearance in Belgian Super Cup

International

As of match played 4 June 2026[11]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Slovenia 202610
Total10

References

  1. ↑ Tian Nai Koren at WorldFootball.net
  2. ↑ Kozmelj, Jaka (7 December 2025). "Sin legende je bil veliki up Maribora, a ima še višje cilje". Sportklub. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "Kariera mariborskega dragulja v rokah direktorja Mure" [The career of the Maribor gem in the hands of Mura director]. Sportklub (in Slovenian). 16 March 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Komaj 14-letni Tian Nai Koren tik pred izjemnim strelskim podvigom: Vroči član Maribora le še gol oddaljen od številke 40" [Barely 14-year-old Tian Nai Koren on the verge of an extraordinary goal-scoring feat: The hot Maribor player is just one goal away from number 40]. Planet Nogomet (in Slovenian). 21 April 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "ZAPISNIK 98/2016 seje Registracijske komisije MNZ Maribor z dne 14.10.2016" (PDF). MNZ Maribor (in Slovenian). 14 October 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Tian Nai Koren uradno prestopil v Club Brugge #video" (in Slovenian). Siol. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Tian Koren » Statistics: International Matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Na Cesarjevem seznamu tudi 16-letni Koren, razkrit novi dres" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 25 May 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Za več kot leto prehitel Šeška: "To je najboljši občutek v življenju" (VIDEO)". Sportklub (in Slovenian). 5 June 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Tian Nai Koren Stats". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Tian Nai Koren at National-Football-Teams.com
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