Izet Hajrović

Izet Hajrović (Bosnian pronunciation: [ǐzet xâːjroʋitɕ]; born 4 August 1991) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a winger for 1. HNL club Dinamo Zagreb and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.

Izet Hajrović

Hajrović lining up for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Izet Hajrović[1]
Date of birth	(1991-08-04) 4 August 1991
Place of birth	Brugg, Switzerland
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Playing position(s)	Winger
Club information
Current team	Dinamo Zagreb
Number	8
Youth career
1998–1999	FC Birr
1999–2000	FC Windisch
2000–2009	Grasshopper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2009–2014	Grasshopper	91	(20)
2014	Galatasaray	8	(0)
2014–2018	Werder Bremen	38	(2)
2015–2016	→ Eibar (loan)	7	(0)
2018–	Dinamo Zagreb	43	(4)
National team^‡
2011–2012	Switzerland U20	4	(0)
2011–2012	Switzerland U21	4	(0)
2012	Switzerland	1	(0)
2013–	Bosnia and Herzegovina	27	(6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16 February 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2019

Hajrović started his professional career at Grasshopper, before joining Galatasaray in 2014. Later that year, he moved to Werder Bremen, who loaned him to Eibar in 2015. Three years later, he signed with Dinamo Zagreb.

A former Swiss youth international, Hajrović even made his senior international debut for Switzerland, only to switch his allegiance to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013, earning over 20 caps since. He represented the nation at their first major tournament, the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Early career

Hajrović started playing football at local clubs, FC Birr and FC Windisch, before joining Grasshopper's youth academy in 2000. He made his professional debut against Luzern on 3 October 2009 at the age of 18.[3] On 19 September 2010, he scored his first professional goals, a brace, in a Swiss Cup game.[4]

On 17 September 2011, also in a cup game, he scored his first professional hat-trick.[5]

Galatasaray

Hajrović playing for Galatasaray in 2014

On 7 January 2014, Hajrović was transferred to Turkish club Galatasaray for a fee of €3.5 million.[6] He made his competitive debut for the club against Bursaspor on 2 February.[7] He scored his first goal for Galatasaray in a cup win over Tokatspor.[8] Three weeks later, Hajrović debuted in UEFA Champions League against Chelsea.[9] Hajrović won his first trophy with the club on 7 May, by beating Eskişehirspor in Turkish Cup final.[10]

After filing a complaint to FIFA that he received no payments from Galatasaray, he was given the right to move on free transfer elsewhere.[11]

Werder Bremen

On 10 July 2014, Hajrović signed a four-year contract with German team Werder Bremen.[12] On his competitive debut for the team, he opened the scoring against FV Illertissen in DFB-Pokal game.[13] He made his league debut a week later against Hertha BSC.[14] He scored his first league goal on 26 April 2015 against Paderborn 07.[15]

On 31 August 2015, Hajrović was sent on a season-long loan to Spanish outfit Eibar.[16]

Upon returning from loan spell, Hajrović managed to secure first-team spot at Werder Bremen once again.[17] However, on 3 December 2016, he suffered a severe knee injury, which was diagnosed as anterior cruciate ligament tear and ruled him out for the remainder of season.[18]

Hajrović returned to the pitch on 16 September 2017, over nine months after the injury.[19]

Dinamo Zagreb

On 31 January 2018, Hajrović joined Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb on a contract until June 2019.[20] He made his official debut in a comfortable away victory over Osijek on 10 February.[21] On 4 April, he scored his first goal for Dinamo Zagreb, in a cup tie against Rijeka.[22] Hajrović won his first trophy with the club on 13 May, when they were crowned league champions.[23]

On 2 February 2019, Hajrović scored a brace against Rudeš, which were his first league goals for the team.[24]

In July 2019, he extended his deal until June 2021.[25]

International career

Hajrović playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015

After representing Switzerland at youth levels, Hajrović made his senior international debut on 14 November 2012, in a friendly match against Tunisia.[26] However, in June 2013, he decided that in the future he would play for Bosnia and Herzegovina.[27]

In August 2013, Hajrović's request to change his sport citizenship from Swiss to Bosnian was approved by FIFA.[28] Later that month, he received his first senior call-up, for 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Slovakia, home and away.[29] He debuted in the home game on 6 September, which ended in an unexpected loss.[30] Just four days later, in the away game, Hajrović scored his first goal for Bosnia and Herzegovina, coming on from the bench in the 77th minute of the game. His very first contact with the ball after just a few seconds on the pitch resulted in a goal from long range, which brought Bosnia a crucial victory.[31]

In June 2014, Hajrović was named in Bosnia and Herzegovina's squad for 2014 FIFA World Cup, country's first major competition.[32] He made his competition debut in the opening group match on 15 June, which ended in narrow loss to Argentina at the Maracanã Stadium.[33]

Personal life

Hajrović's younger brother Sead is also a professional footballer. They played together in Grasshopper, before Sead joined Arsenal in July 2009.[34]

His parents are Bosniaks from Bijelo Polje, Montenegro, but they relocated to Sarajevo in 1980, after which they moved to Switzerland in 1987.[35]

Hajrović married his long-time girlfriend Lejla in May 2014.[36]

He is a practicing Muslim; along with international teammates Ibrahim Šehić, Muhamed Bešić, Armin Hodžić, Sead Kolašinac, Edin Višća and Ervin Zukanović he visited a mosque in Zenica during national team concentration.[37]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 16 February 2020[38]

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Grasshopper	2009–10	Swiss Super League	1	0	0	0	–		–		1	0
	2010–11	Swiss Super League	21	5	3	2	1	0	–		25	7
	2011–12	Swiss Super League	21	1	3	4	–		–		24	5
	2012–13	Swiss Super League	33	8	4	2	–		–		37	10
	2013–14	Swiss Super League	15	6	3	0	4	0	–		22	6
	Total		91	20	13	8	5	0	–		109	28
Galatasaray	2013–14	Süper Lig	8	0	2	1	2	0	–		12	1
Werder Bremen	2014–15	Bundesliga	19	1	3	1	–		–		22	2
	2016–17	Bundesliga	10	1	0	0	–		–		10	1
	2017–18	Bundesliga	9	0	0	0	–		–		9	0
	Total		38	2	3	1	–		–		41	3
Eibar (loan)	2015–16	La Liga	7	0	2	1	–		–		9	1
Dinamo Zagreb	2017–18	1. HNL	15	0	2	1	–		–		17	1
	2018–19	1. HNL	17	4	4	0	13	6	–		34	10
	2019–20	1. HNL	11	0	2	0	7	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	21	0
	Total		43	4	8	1	20	6	1	0	72	11
Career total			187	26	28	12	27	6	1	0	243	44

1. Appearance in 2019 Croatian Super Cup

International

As of match played 18 November 2019[39]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Bosnia and Herzegovina
	2013	4	1
	2014	9	1
	2015	4	1
	2016	5	0
	2017	2	2
	2018	0	0
	2019	3	1
Total		27	6

International goals

Scores and results list Bosnia and Herzegovina's goal tally first.[39]

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	10 September 2013	Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia	Slovakia	2–1	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.	3 June 2014	Soldier Field, Chicago, United States	Mexico	1–0	1–0	Friendly
3.	31 March 2015	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	Austria	1–1	1–1	Friendly
4.	10 October 2017	A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia	Estonia	1–0	2–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.				2–1
6.	12 October 2019	Bilino Polje, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina	Finland	1–0	4–1	UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying

Honours

Grasshopper[38]

• Swiss Cup: 2012–13

Galatasaray[38]

• Turkish Cup: 2013–14

Dinamo Zagreb[38]

• 1. HNL: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20
• Croatian Cup: 2017–18
• Croatian Super Cup: 2019

References

1. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of players: Bosnia and Herzegovina" (PDF). FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 5. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
2. "Izet Hajrović". gnkdinamo.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 1 February 2018.
3. "Hajrović: Lijepo mi je među Skakavcima". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 10 March 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
4. "Luzern, Basel, GC und Thun weiter". aargauerzeitung.ch (in German). 19 September 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
5. "Super-Ligisten nehmen erste Cup-Hürde sicher". blick.ch (in German). 17 September 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
6. "Hajrović i službeno igrač Galatasaraya". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 8 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
7. "Hat-trick Sneijdera, trijumf Galate, debi Hajrovića". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 2 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
8. "Hajrović strijelac u pobjedi Galatasaraya". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 5 February 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
9. "Hajrović zamijenjen nakon 30 minuta, remi Galate i Plavaca". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 26 February 2014. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
10. "Sneijder donio Kup Turske Galatasarayu". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 7 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
11. "FIFA dopušta Hajroviću da postane slobodan igrač". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 28 June 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
12. "Izet Hajrović potpisao za Werder Bremen!". klix.ba (in Bosnian). 10 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
13. "Werder se provukao, Hajrović postigao prvijenac". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 17 August 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
14. "Bičakčić zacementirao odbranu TSG-a, povreda Kolašinca". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 23 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
15. "Vrančić i Hajrović strijelci u remiju Paderborna i Werdera". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 26 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
16. "Izet Hajrović na posudbi u španskom Eibaru". klix.ba (in Bosnian). 31 August 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
17. "Hajrović: Nisam znao šta će biti sa mnom, sve se okrenulo". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 29 September 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
18. "Izet Hajrović zbog teške povrede van terena do kraja sezone". klix.ba (in Bosnian). 4 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
19. "Zmaj se vratio: Znate li nakon koliko dana pauze je zaigra Izet Hajrović?". faktor.ba (in Bosnian). 16 September 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
20. "Hajrović zvanično u Dinamu: Došao sam u veliki klub". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 31 January 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
21. "Golijada u Osijeku i pobjeda Dinama". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 10 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
22. "Dinamo u finalu Kupa Hrvatske, pogodio i Hajrović". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 4 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
23. "Rijeka i Hajduk ponovo kiksali, Dinamo i zvanično prvak". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 13 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
24. "Devet golova na Maksimiru, zabijali i Hajrović, Gojak..." sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 2 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
25. "Nakon sjajne sezone: Hajrović ostaje u Dinamu". avaz.ba (in Bosnian). 4 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
26. "Švicarski mediji se pitaju: Zbog čega je Izet Hajrović izabrao BiH?". klix.ba (in Bosnian). 25 June 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
27. "Izet Hajrović odbio Hitzfelda, brat Sead zaslužan za to". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 24 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
28. "Izet Hajrović ima pravo nastupa za BiH". radiosarajevo.ba (in Bosnian). 13 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
29. "Pogledajte s kojim igračima Safet Sušić ide na dvomeč protiv Slovaka". klix.ba (in Bosnian). 26 August 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
30. "Blijedo izdanje Zmajeva: Slovačka slavila u Zenici". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 6 September 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
31. "Od očaja do vrata Brazila: Veliki preokret Zmajeva u Žilini". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 10 September 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
32. "Sušić objavio konačan spisak za Brazil". aljazeera.net (in Bosnian). 2 June 2014. Retrieved 4 June 2014.
33. "Argentina prejaka, ali poslana je lijepa slika u svijet". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 16 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
34. "Sead Hajrović potpisao za Arsenal!". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 18 July 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
35. "Proglašavali su me izdajnikom, a ja sam uvijek znao da ću igrati za BiH". scsport.ba (in Bosnian). 12 September 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
36. "Oženio se Izet Hajrović". klix.ba (in Bosnian). 13 May 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
37. "Reprezentativci u zeničkoj džamiji klanjali džumu". sportsport.ba (in Bosnian). 11 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
38. "I. Hajrović". soccerway.com. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
39. "Izet Hajrović". eu-football.info. Retrieved 18 November 2019.

External links

• Izet Hajrović at National-Football-Teams.com
• Izet Hajrović – FIFA competition record
• Izet Hajrović – UEFA competition record