Leon Benko
Encyclopedia
Leon Benko is a Croatian
football striker
, currently playing for Slaven Belupo
in the Prva HNL.
.
In the summer of 2005, he also performed well for Varteks in the UEFA Intertoto Cup
, scoring all four goals in their 4–1 victory over Dinamo Tirana as well as a brace that included the winning goal for Varteks in a 4–3 victory over Inter Turku.
Bundesliga side 1. FC Nuremberg on a three-year contract with an optional one-year extension. He made his Bundesliga debut on 12 August 2006, playing as a substitute in the last five minutes of the club's first league match of the 2006–07 season, a 3–0 away victory at VfB Stuttgart
. He finished his first Bundesliga season with only seven appearances, having missed the entire second part of the season due to injury problems.
He scored his first goal for Nuremberg on 29 November 2007 in their UEFA Cup
group match against eventual winners of the competition, Zenit Saint Petersburg
, securing his team a 2–2 away draw. He made a total of four appearances for Nuremberg in the 2007–08 season of the UEFA Cup.
side Standard Liège
for an undisclosed fee, signing a one-year contract with an optional extension. He made his debut for the club on 16 August 2008 in their 3–1 away win at FCV Dender in the first round of the 2008–09 Jupiler League, coming on as a late substitute.
signed the Croatian forward from Standard Liege
until June 2010.
. In his first game for Slaven, he scored a goal in a 2–1 loss against RNK Split
.
and he subsequently went on to make his debut for the country's A-team
by appearing in both of their two matches at the 2006 Carlsberg Cup
in Hong Kong
.
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
football striker
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...
, currently playing for Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo, often referred to simply as Slaven and known internationally as NK Slaven Koprivnica, is a Croatian football club based in the city of Koprivnica in the north of the country...
in the Prva HNL.
Varteks
Benko signed his first professional contract with his youth club, NK Varteks, for the 2003–04 season and continued to play for the club in the following three seasons. In his third season at Varteks, he became one of their key players and was also the club's top goalscorer that season, scoring 14 goals in the Croatian First LeagueCroatian First League
The Prva HNL , also known as 1. HNL or for sponsorship reasons the MAXtv Prva Liga, is the top Croatian football league competition, established in 1992. The winners qualify for the UEFA Champions League...
.
In the summer of 2005, he also performed well for Varteks in the UEFA Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
, scoring all four goals in their 4–1 victory over Dinamo Tirana as well as a brace that included the winning goal for Varteks in a 4–3 victory over Inter Turku.
Nuremberg
On 23 May 2006, it was announced that Benko has signed for GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Bundesliga side 1. FC Nuremberg on a three-year contract with an optional one-year extension. He made his Bundesliga debut on 12 August 2006, playing as a substitute in the last five minutes of the club's first league match of the 2006–07 season, a 3–0 away victory at VfB Stuttgart
VfB Stuttgart
Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart, is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club is best known for its football team, which has participated in all but two Bundesliga seasons...
. He finished his first Bundesliga season with only seven appearances, having missed the entire second part of the season due to injury problems.
He scored his first goal for Nuremberg on 29 November 2007 in their UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
group match against eventual winners of the competition, Zenit Saint Petersburg
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
Football Club Zenit is a Russian football club from the city of Saint-Petersburg. Founded in 1925 , the club plays in the Russian Premier League...
, securing his team a 2–2 away draw. He made a total of four appearances for Nuremberg in the 2007–08 season of the UEFA Cup.
Standard Liège
On 4 August 2008, Benko moved to BelgianBelgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
side Standard Liège
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
for an undisclosed fee, signing a one-year contract with an optional extension. He made his debut for the club on 16 August 2008 in their 3–1 away win at FCV Dender in the first round of the 2008–09 Jupiler League, coming on as a late substitute.
KV Kortrijk
On 30 June 2009 K.V. KortrijkK.V. Kortrijk
Koninklijke Voetbalclub Kortrijk is a Belgian professional football club based in Kortrijk, West Flanders. They have been playing in the Belgian Pro League since the 2008-09 season, and they achieved they best ranking ever during the 2009-10 season, finishing 4th after the play-offs...
signed the Croatian forward from Standard Liege
Standard Liège
Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (Dutch: Standard Luik [], German: Standard Lüttich , is a Belgian football club from the city of Liège....
until June 2010.
Slaven Belupo
On 29 January 2011, Benko signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with Slaven BelupoNK Slaven Belupo
NK Slaven Belupo, often referred to simply as Slaven and known internationally as NK Slaven Koprivnica, is a Croatian football club based in the city of Koprivnica in the north of the country...
. In his first game for Slaven, he scored a goal in a 2–1 loss against RNK Split
RNK Split
RNK Split is a Croatian football club based in the city of Split.-History:Radnički nogometni klub means "Workers' football club".The club was known as workers' club. The club had a strong fanbase in the Split's shipyard...
.
International career
Benko has been capped for the Croatian national under-21 teamCroatia national under-21 football team
The Croatia national under-21 football team, also known as Croatia under-21 or Croatia U21 is a youth association football national team which represents Croatia at this age level and is a feeder team for the Croatia national football team....
and he subsequently went on to make his debut for the country's A-team
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
by appearing in both of their two matches at the 2006 Carlsberg Cup
2006 Carlsberg Cup
The 2006 Carlsberg Cup was a football tournament held in Hong Kong over the first and fourth day of the Chinese New Year holiday .-=Head coach: Zlatko Kranjčar:=Head coach: Morten Olsen...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
External links
- Profile at Transfermarkt.de
- National team profile