Marko Pjaca

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Marko Pjaca
File:ISL-HRV (20).jpg
Pjaca playing for Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Marko Pjaca[1]
Date of birth (1995-05-06) 6 May 1995 (age 31)[1]
Place of birth Zagreb, Croatia
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position Winger
Team information
Current team
 Twente
Number 7
Youth career
2004–2009 Dinamo Zagreb
2009–2010 ZET
2010–2012 Lokomotiva Zagreb
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Lokomotiva Zagreb 49 (9)
2014–2016 Dinamo Zagreb 61 (19)
2016–2023 Juventus 14 (0)
2018 → Schalke 04 (loan) 7 (2)
2018–2019 → Fiorentina (loan) 19 (1)
2020 → Anderlecht (loan) 4 (1)
2020–2021 → Genoa (loan) 35 (3)
2021–2022 → Torino (loan) 24 (3)
2022–2023 → Empoli (loan) 17 (0)
2023–2024 Rijeka 27 (7)
2024–2025 Dinamo Zagreb 34 (6)
2025– Twente 11 (1)
International career‡
2011 Croatia U17 8 (1)
2012 Croatia U18 4 (0)
2012 Croatia U19 1 (0)
2013–2015 Croatia U20 5 (0)
2013–2017 Croatia U21 7 (0)
2014– Croatia 28 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing File:Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 2018 Russia
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 December 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 15 November 2024

Marko Pjaca (Croatian pronunciation: [mâːrko pjâtsa];[2][3] born 6 May 1995) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a left winger for the Eredivisie club Twente and the Croatia national team.

Pjaca began his professional club career in Croatia with Lokomotiva Zagreb in 2012, before moving to Dinamo Zagreb in 2014. After winning consecutive domestic doubles with Dinamo, he joined Juventus in 2016, where he also won a domestic double in his first season. However, after injuries hindered his development, Pjaca was sent out on a string of loans to six clubs, to Schalke 04, Fiorentina, Anderlecht, Genoa, Torino and Empoli.

At international level, Pjaca represented Croatia at UEFA Euro 2016 and at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, reaching the final of the latter tournament and making an appearance in it.

Early life

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Pjaca's father Željko was a wrestler and his mother Višnja was a judoka. He has two elder sisters: Martina and Iva.[4] In childhood, he trained in handball, basketball and table tennis.[5]

Club career

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Lokomotiva

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Pjaca began his professional career with Croatian side Lokomotiva Zagreb. He made his debut in the 2011–12 Croatian First Football League on 24 February 2012 in a 3–0 victory over Zadar, in which he managed an assist.[6] It was his only appearance that season. The following season, Pjaca was much more prominent in the first team, particularly after the winter break. He ended the 2012–13 Prva HNL season with 2 goals in 17 appearances.[6] However, it was his performances in the 2013–14 Prva HNL season which largely caught the eye of bigger clubs, with the winger scoring 7 times in 31 appearances.[6]

Dinamo Zagreb

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In summer 2014, Pjaca was signed by reigning Croatian First Football League champions Dinamo Zagreb for a transfer fee believed to be in the region of €1 million.[7] He made his Dinamo debut in the opening match of the 2014–15 season, when he scored against Slaven Belupo.[8] On 11 December 2014, he scored a hat-trick as Dinamo defeated Celtic 4–3 in the last match of the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League group stage.[9] Pjaca finished the season with 14 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions, as Dinamo won the league title for the tenth-straight season.[10] Pjaca also played the full match as Dinamo beat RNK Split in the 2015 Croatian Football Cup Final on penalties. On 20 July 2016, Pjaca himself confirmed that the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round tie against Macedonian club Vardar would be his last for Dinamo. He scored two goals, assisted for the third and received a standing ovation from the fans in his farewell match at the Stadion Maksimir.

Juventus

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On 21 July 2016, it was announced Pjaca signed a five-year contract with Juventus for a €23 million transfer fee to Dinamo.[11] With the transfer, Pjaca became the most expensive ever sale by Dinamo and the Croatian First Football League.[12]

Pjaca made his Juventus and Serie A debut on 27 August, coming on as a substitute for Paulo Dybala in the second half of a 1–0 away win over Lazio.[13] In October 2016, Pjaca suffered a cracked fibula while on international duty with Croatia, and was initially expected to miss around six weeks of the season. After being sidelined through injury for almost three months, in January 2017, he returned to action with two half-hour-long substitute appearances against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia and Fiorentina in Serie A.[14][15] He scored his first goal for Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie against Porto, a 2–0 away win.[16] Pjaca suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on 28 March while on international duty with Croatia, sidelining him for six months.[17]

Loan to Schalke 04

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After returning from a long term ACL injury, on 4 January 2018, it was announced that Pjaca had joined German club Schalke 04 on loan without an option to buy until the end of the 2017–18 season, for €800,000, plus an additional €200,000 in possible bonuses.[18][19][20][21] At the moment German giants were chasing a place that takes them to the UEFA Champions League and coach Tedesco saw Marko as a player who can help them achieve their goals. On the other hand, in Schalke Marko could get his playing time to get back in his best form before the FIFA World Cup at the end of the season. Pjaca made his official club debut on 13 January, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 3–1 away defeat to RB Leipzig.[22] In his second appearance for the club, and his first start, on 21 January, he scored his first goal in a 1–1 home draw against Hannover 96.[23]

Loan to Fiorentina

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On 7 August 2018, Pjaca joined Fiorentina on a season-long loan deal with the option to make the transfer permanent for an undisclosed fee.[24]

Loan to Anderlecht

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On 31 January 2020, during the winter transfer deadline day, Belgian club Anderlecht signed Pjaca on loan until the end of the season.[25]

Loan to Genoa

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On 19 September 2020, Pjaca moved on a season-long loan to Genoa.[26] On his debut, on 20 September, Pjaca scored a goal in a 4–1 win against Crotone.[27]

Loan to Torino

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On 28 July 2021, Pjaca joined Torino on loan with an option to buy.[28]

Loan to Empoli

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On 1 September 2022, Pjaca moved on loan to Empoli, with an option to buy.[29]

Rijeka

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On 1 September 2023, Pjaca signed a three-year contract with Rijeka.[30]

Return to Dinamo Zagreb

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On July 3rd 2024, Pjaca signed for Dinamo Zagreb with a 1.5m euro transfer fee.[citation needed]

International career

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Pjaca made his senior international debut for Croatia on 4 September 2014, replacing Mateo Kovačić for the last 12 minutes of a 2–0 friendly win over Cyprus at the Stadion Aldo Drosina in Pula.[31] On 3 September 2015, he made his competitive debut for the national team in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Azerbaijan, starting and playing the entire fixture, which ended in a 0–0 draw.[32] On 4 June 2016, he scored his first international goal for Croatia in a 10–0 win over San Marino.[33]

Euro 2016

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Pjaca was included in Croatia's Euro 2016 squad.[34] He played a major role in Croatia's impressive 2–1 victory against Spain, the reigning European champions, at Bordeaux's Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux. During that match, he completed an impressive seven of his eight attempted take-ons, took one shot, created one clear scoring opportunity and won one tackle.[35][36] Pjaca took a seat on the substitutes' bench for the clash with Portugal in the next round, only to be brought on late in extra time with just ten minutes of the additional 30 remaining. Being introduced as a substitute, he brought some much-needed attacking impetus to the side, completing three dribbles against a previously impenetrable Portugal defence.[35] Croatia eventually lost to Portugal 1–0 after Portugal's Ricardo Quaresma scored a 117th-minute winner to eliminate Croatia.[37]

2018 World Cup

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On 4 June 2018, Pjaca was named to Croatia's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[38] Croatia reached the final of the tournament, where they were defeated 4–2 by France on 15 July.[39]

Later career

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He played against Spain in a 3–2 win in the UEFA Nations League, but then went five years without a cap. He was finally called up for Euro 2024 qualifying matches in November 2023,[40] but did not play. He finally made his on-field return in a 4–2 friendly win over Egypt on 28 March 2024.

Style of play

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Regarded as a talented and promising young prospect, Pjaca is a winger who is capable of playing on either flank, although his preferred position is on the left, where he likes to cut inside from wide positions and either shoot on goal or create chances with his stronger right foot; he has also been deployed as an attacking midfielder or as a second striker on occasion. A dynamic, agile and technically gifted player, Pjaca is known for his direct and offensive style of play. Due to his physique, speed, dribbling skills and ability to change direction quickly, he often takes on players in one-on-one situations, and is also known for his ability to make intelligent attacking runs behind the opponents' defensive line.[41]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 14 December 2025[42][43]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Lokomotiva Zagreb 2011–12 Prva HNL 1 0 0 0 – – 1 0
2012–13 Prva HNL 17 2 6 2 – – 23 4
2013–14 Prva HNL 30 7 0 0 2[b] 0 – 32 7
Total 48 9 6 2 2 0 – 56 11
Dinamo Zagreb 2014–15 Prva HNL 32 11 7 0 8[c] 3 1[d] 0 48 14
2015–16 Prva HNL 28 8 3 1 12[e] 3 – 43 12
2016–17 Prva HNL 1 0 — 1[e] 2 – 2 2
Total 61 19 10 1 21 8 1 0 93 28
Juventus 2016–17 Serie A 14 0 2 0 4[e] 1 0 0 20 1
2017–18 Serie A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019–20 Serie A 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 14 0 3 0 4 1 0 0 21 1
Schalke 04 (loan) 2017–18 Bundesliga 7 2 2 0 – – 9 2
Fiorentina (loan) 2018–19 Serie A 19 1 0 0 – – 19 1
Anderlecht (loan) 2019–20 Belgian Pro League 4 1 0 0 – – 4 1
Genoa (loan) 2020–21 Serie A 35 3 3 0 – – 38 3
Torino (loan) 2021–22 Serie A 24 3 2 0 – – 26 3
Empoli (loan) 2022–23 Serie A 17 0 0 0 – – 17 0
Rijeka 2023–24 HNL 27 7 4 0 – – 31 7
Dinamo Zagreb 2024–25 HNL 34 6 2 0 8[e] 3 – 44 9
Twente 2025–26 Eredivisie 11 1 0 0 — — 11 1
Career total 301 52 32 3 35 10 1 0 369 67
  1. ^ Includes Croatian Football Cup, Copa Italia, DFB-Pokal
  2. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances and three goals in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearance in Croatian Super Cup
  5. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League

International

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As of match played 15 November 2024[44]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Croatia 2014 1 0
2015 5 0
2016 6 1
2017 1 0
2018 11 0
2024 4 0
Total 28 1
Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Marko Pjaca
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 4 June 2016 Stadion Rujevica, Rijeka, Croatia 8 File:Flag of San Marino.svg San Marino 1–0 10–0 Friendly

Honours

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Dinamo Zagreb[10]

Juventus[10]

Croatia

Individual

Orders

References

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  • Marko Pjaca at Croatian Football StatisticsLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). (archived) (in Croatian)
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