Milan Badelj
Encyclopedia
Milan Badelj (ˈmilan ˈbaːdȅʎ; born 25 February 1989 in Zagreb
, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Croatia
n football
midfielder
, currently a member of Dinamo Zagreb. His preferred position is a deep-lying playmaker.
he was sent on loan to Dinamo Zagreb's affiliate Lokomotiva to gain first–team experience at the senior level. He played in 28 matches and scored seven goals in Lokomotiva's Treća HNL East
title–winning campaign. At an early age he was already spotted as possible replacement for Luka Modrić
, a key figure in the club's first–team squad that was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur
in 2008.
Following his return to Dinamo he featured in 48 matches throughout the 2008–09
and scored six goals. He continued to impress at his young age, establishing himself as a first–team regular for the 2009–10
season. Badelj continued with impressive performances in the 2010-2011 season as well, wearing the captain's armband in some matches as well. His amazing run of form and young age proved to be very enticing to many of Europe's top clubs, however both the coach and the club's president wanted him to remain at the club for the next year so a potential move away from the Maksimir was put on hold.
Lokomotiva
|2007–08||Lokomotiva
||Treća HNL
||28||7||||||||||||||28||7
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="4"|Dinamo Zagreb||rowspan="4"|Prva HNL||31||4||7||1||||||10||1||48||6
|-
|2009–10||27||11||2||1||||||7||1||36||13
|-
|2010–11||29||6||8||3||||||11||0||48||9
|-
|2011–12
||4||1||||||||||4||1||8||2
119||29||17||5||0||0||32||3||168||37
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia) is a Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
, currently a member of Dinamo Zagreb. His preferred position is a deep-lying playmaker.
Club career
Milan Badelj signed for Dinamo Zagreb as a 17 year old in 2007, just after he was snapped up from the youth system of Dinamo Zagreb's city rival, NK Zagreb. For the season 2007–08NK Dinamo Zagreb season 2007–08
This article shows statistics of individual players for the football club Dinamo Zagreb It also lists all matches that Dinamo Zagreb played in the 2007-08 season.-Overall:-Classification:- Results summary :-Results by round:...
he was sent on loan to Dinamo Zagreb's affiliate Lokomotiva to gain first–team experience at the senior level. He played in 28 matches and scored seven goals in Lokomotiva's Treća HNL East
Treća HNL
The Croatian Third Football League is the third tier of the football league system in Croatia. The league was established in 1991 following the dissolution of the Yugoslav League. It is operated by the Croatian Football Federation.-Subdivisions:...
title–winning campaign. At an early age he was already spotted as possible replacement for Luka Modrić
Luka Modric
Luka Modrić is a Croatian footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur and for the Croatia national football team.Modrić's childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence. After showing promise in hometown club Zadar's youth team, he was signed by Dinamo Zagreb as a teenager in 2002. His...
, a key figure in the club's first–team squad that was transferred to Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in 2008.
Following his return to Dinamo he featured in 48 matches throughout the 2008–09
NK Dinamo Zagreb season 2008–09
This article shows statistics of individual players for the football club Dinamo Zagreb It also lists all matches that Dinamo Zagreb will play in the 2008-09 season.-Events:...
and scored six goals. He continued to impress at his young age, establishing himself as a first–team regular for the 2009–10
NK Dinamo Zagreb season 2009–10
This article shows statistics of individual players for the football club Dinamo Zagreb It also lists all matches that Dinamo Zagreb played in the 2009–10 season.-Pre-season:...
season. Badelj continued with impressive performances in the 2010-2011 season as well, wearing the captain's armband in some matches as well. His amazing run of form and young age proved to be very enticing to many of Europe's top clubs, however both the coach and the club's president wanted him to remain at the club for the next year so a potential move away from the Maksimir was put on hold.
National team
Milan earned 54 caps during his time in the Croatian youth ranks, nine of which came in the UEFA U21 Championship where he was very impressive. He was often called up to the first team but usually sat the whole game on the bench. He made his competitive debut in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier against Malta in which he scored a goal.Honours
Dinamo- Croatian First League (3): 2008–09, 2009–102009–10 Prva HNLThe 2009–10 Prva HNL season was the nineteenth season of the Prva HNL since its establishment in 1992. It began on 24 July 2009 and ended on 13 May 2010...
, 2010–112010–11 Prva HNLThe 2010–11 Prva HNL season was the twentieth season of the Prva HNL since its establishment in 1992. It began on 23 July 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011... - Croatian CupCroatian CupThe Croatian Cup is an annually held football tournament for Croatian football clubs and is the second most important competition in Croatian football after the Prva HNL league championship. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation and usually runs from late August to May...
(2): 2008–09, 2010–112010–11 Croatian CupThe 2010–11 Croatian Cup is the twentieth season of Croatia's football knockout competition.The defending champions are Hajduk Split, having won their 5th title the previous year by defeating Šibenik in the final.... - Croatian Super Cup (1): 2010
Lokomotiva
- Croatian Third LeagueTreća HNLThe Croatian Third Football League is the third tier of the football league system in Croatia. The league was established in 1991 following the dissolution of the Yugoslav League. It is operated by the Croatian Football Federation.-Subdivisions:...
Division West (1): 2007–08
Career statistics
|-|2007–08||Lokomotiva
NK Lokomotiva
NK Lokomotiva is a Croatian football club based in Zagreb, currently competing in the Prva HNL, the country's top division. Founded originally as ŽŠK Victoria in 1914, the club's only period of success came in the late 1940s and early 1950s before spending most of the following five decades as...
||Treća HNL
Treća HNL
The Croatian Third Football League is the third tier of the football league system in Croatia. The league was established in 1991 following the dissolution of the Yugoslav League. It is operated by the Croatian Football Federation.-Subdivisions:...
||28||7||||||||||||||28||7
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="4"|Dinamo Zagreb||rowspan="4"|Prva HNL||31||4||7||1||||||10||1||48||6
|-
|2009–10||27||11||2||1||||||7||1||36||13
|-
|2010–11||29||6||8||3||||||11||0||48||9
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Prva HNL
The 2011–12 Prva HNL is the twenty first season of Prva HNL, the national championship for men's association football teams in Croatia, since its establishment in 1992...
||4||1||||||||||4||1||8||2
119||29||17||5||0||0||32||3||168||37
External links
- Milan Badelj profile at Transfermarkt.de