Sandi Lovrić
 Lovrić with Slovenia in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 March 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Lienz, Austria | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Udinese | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2008 | SV Rapid Lienz | ||
| 2008–2009 | FC Nußdorf/Debant | ||
| 2009–2012 | SV Rapid Lienz | ||
| 2012–2014 | Sturm Graz | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2019 | Sturm Graz | 64 | (1) |
| 2014–2017 | Sturm Graz II | 31 | (4) |
| 2019–2022 | Lugano | 93 | (9) |
| 2022– | Udinese | 76 | (7) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013–2014 | Austria U16 | 10 | (6) |
| 2014–2015 | Austria U17 | 10 | (5) |
| 2015 | Austria U18 | 3 | (1) |
| 2016–2017 | Austria U19 | 13 | (3) |
| 2017–2019 | Austria U21 | 19 | (4) |
| 2020– | Slovenia | 38 | (4) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 3 November 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 November 2024 | |||
Sandi Lovrić (born 28 March 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Udinese and the Slovenia national team.[1] After playing for Austria at all youth levels, he decided to represent Slovenia at senior level.
Club career
Lovrić joined Sturm Graz in 2012 from SV Rapid Lienz. He made his league debut on 17 August 2014 in a 1–1 home draw against Austria Wien by coming on as a substitute for Marko Stanković.[2] On 9 May 2018, he won the Austrian Cup with Sturm after defeating Red Bull Salzburg 1–0 in the final.[3]
On 3 July 2019, Lovrić signed a three-year deal with Swiss side Lugano after he decided to not extend his contract with Sturm Graz.[4]
On 28 March 2022, he signed a five-year contract with Serie A side Udinese.[5]
International career
Eligible to represent Austria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia internationally, Lovrić represented Austria in all youth selections from under-16 to under-21, making over 50 appearances between 2013 and 2019.[6] He stated that he was never approached by anyone from the Croatian Football Federation.[7]
In September 2020, he decided to represent Slovenia at senior level after being approached by their coach Matjaž Kek.[7][8][9] He debuted for Slovenia on 7 October 2020 in a friendly game against San Marino, playing for 59 minutes before being substituted by Benjamin Verbič.[10]
On 14 October 2020, Lovrić scored his first goal in a 4–0 UEFA Nations League victory over Moldova.[11] On 24 March 2021, he scored his second goal, the only goal in the 1–0 World Cup qualifying victory over his fatherland Croatia. The upset victory was notably Slovenia's first victory over Croatia in history.[7][12]
Personal life
Lovrić's parents are of Croatian descent. His father hails from Slavonski Brod and his mother is a Bosnian Croat from Modriča.[7] They moved to Piran, Slovenia as migrant workers, and later to Austria, where Lovrić was born.[13] Alongside German, Lovrić also fluently speaks Croatian[13] and Italian.[7]
As a youngster, Lovrić often spent summer vacations in Slovenia, and cited his connection to the country as the main reason to represent the Slovenia national team.[13]
Lovrić named Luka Modrić as his football idol.[7]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sturm Graz II | 2014–15 | Regionalliga Mitte | 9 | 3 | — | — | 9 | 3 | ||
| 2015–16 | 8 | 1 | — | — | 8 | 1 | ||||
| 2016–17 | 14 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 4 | ||
| Sturm Graz | 2014–15 | Austrian Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | 25 | 1 | ||
| Total | 64 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 79 | 1 | ||
| Lugano | 2019–20 | Swiss Super League | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | 34 | 3 |
| 2020–21 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 35 | 4 | |||
| 2021–22 | 33 | 4 | 6 | 1 | — | 39 | 5 | |||
| Total | 93 | 9 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 108 | 12 | ||
| Udinese | 2022–23 | Serie A | 37 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 39 | 5 | |
| 2023–24 | 29 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 31 | 2 | |||
| 2024–25 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | |||
| Total | 76 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 264 | 21 | 24 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 300 | 25 | ||
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | |||
| 2020 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 38 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lovrić goal.[15][16]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 October 2020 | Zimbru Stadium, Chișinău, Moldova | 3 |  Moldova |
1–0 | 4–0 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League C |
| 2 | 24 March 2021 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 7 |  Croatia |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 4 September 2021 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 13 |  Malta |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 10 September 2023 | San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino | 30 |  San Marino |
3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
Honours
Sturm Graz
Lugano
References
- ^ a b c d "Sandi Lovrić". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ "Sturm Graz vs. Austria Wien – 17 August 2014 – Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 April 2015.
- ^ "Sturm gewinnt zum fünften Mal ÖFB-Cup" (in German). Sky Sport Austria. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ "Ufficiale il colpo del Lugano: Sandi Lovric ha firmato un triennale". Ticinonline (in Italian). 3 July 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ "Med reprezentančno akcijo v Katarju je Sandi Lovrić realiziral prestop v Serie A" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ "Sandi Lovric" (in German). Austrian Football Association. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Burić, Jure (27 March 2021). "Šokirao Vatrene na startu: Iz HNS-a me nisu zvali! A ovo što sam Lovrena kopačkom razderao po licu..." Sportske novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ Gruden, Toni (7 September 2020). "Kek po okrepitvi z Lovričem upa še na vrnitev Kampla" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
- ^ Uredništvo (1 September 2020). "Sandi Lovrič ne bo več čakal Avstrije: Zdaj želi igrati za Slovenijo, odločitev je dokončna" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ A. G. (7 October 2020). "Mitrović, Vučkić in Rep s prvenci za gladko zmago Slovenije" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ Lisjak, Mitja (14 October 2020). "Hat-trick Vučkića za gladko zmago v Moldaviji" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ "VIDEO: Hrvatska prvim porazom od Slovenije u povijesti otvorila kvalifikacije za Svjetsko prvenstvo". Gol.hr (in Croatian). 24 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ a b c Miljković, Andrej (10 October 2020). "Prvi intervju SANDIJA LOVRIĆA: Zrasel v Avstriji, govorim hrvaško – zlahka pa pojasnim, zakaj hočem igrati za Slovenijo! DARKO MILANIČ? On je ..." Ekipa24 (in Slovenian). Retrieved 11 October 2020.
- ^ "Sandi Lovrič » Club matches". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ a b "Sandi Lovrić". eu-football.info. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Lovrič, Sandi". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
External links
- Sandi Lovrić at Eurosport
- Sandi Lovrić at Soccerway.com
- Sandi Lovrić at WorldFootball.net
- Sandi Lovrić at National-Football-Teams.com
- Sandi Lovrić at FBref.com
- Sandi Lovrić at EU-Football.info
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