Adem Ljajić facts for kids
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Ljajić with Serbia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 September 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Novi Pazar, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Novi Pazar | ||
| Number | 22 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Jošanica | |||
| 2005–2008 | Partizan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2010 | Partizan | 38 | (9) |
| 2010–2013 | Fiorentina | 78 | (15) |
| 2013–2016 | Roma | 61 | (14) |
| 2015–2016 | → Inter Milan (loan) | 25 | (3) |
| 2016–2019 | Torino | 61 | (16) |
| 2018–2019 | → Beşiktaş (loan) | 27 | (9) |
| 2019–2022 | Beşiktaş | 46 | (7) |
| 2022–2023 | Fatih Karagümrük | 11 | (0) |
| 2023– | Novi Pazar | 60 | (17) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2007–2008 | Serbia U17 | 9 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Serbia U19 | 13 | (6) |
| 2008–2010 | Serbia U21 | 11 | (1) |
| 2010–2020 | Serbia | 47 | (9) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 July 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 11 October 2020 |
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Adem Ljajić (born September 29, 1991) is a Serbian professional footballer. He plays as an attacking midfielder for Novi Pazar.
Ljajić started his football journey with FK Jošanica. He then joined Partizan, where he played in the Serbian SuperLiga and the UEFA Champions League. In 2010, he moved to Fiorentina in Italy. After three years, he joined Roma in 2013. Later, he played for Inter Milan (on loan) and Torino. He also spent time playing in Turkey for Beşiktaş and Fatih Karagümrük. In 2023, he returned to his hometown club, Novi Pazar.
Adem Ljajić also played for the Serbian national team. He made his first appearance in 2010. For a period, he did not play for the team due to a disagreement about singing the national anthem. However, he returned to the squad later. He was part of the Serbian team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He played 47 games for Serbia and scored 9 goals.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting at Partizan
Adem Ljajić was born in Novi Pazar, Serbia. He joined Partizan when he was 14 years old in 2005. He was the first player to wear the number 22 jersey for Partizan after a famous player named Saša Ilić left the club.
Ljajić played his first game for Partizan in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match in July 2008. He scored his first goal for the club in a league match in November 2008.
In 2008, the famous English club Manchester United showed interest in Ljajić. They planned to sign him and his teammate, Zoran Tošić. Tošić joined Manchester United right away, but Ljajić was supposed to stay at Partizan until January 2010. However, Manchester United later decided not to sign Ljajić. This was because of problems with getting a work permit for him.
Playing for Fiorentina
On January 13, 2010, Ljajić signed with the Italian club Fiorentina. He signed a five-year contract. He made his first appearance for Fiorentina on January 31, 2010. His first few months were about getting used to his new team and country.
When his fellow countryman Siniša Mihajlović became the coach, Ljajić started getting more chances to play. He scored his first goal for Fiorentina from a penalty kick in September 2010.
In May 2012, during a match, Ljajić had a disagreement with his coach, Delio Rossi. Fiorentina announced that Rossi was no longer the manager after this incident. Ljajić continued to play well for Fiorentina, scoring two goals in a big 4–1 win against Internazionale in February 2013.
Moving to Roma
Ljajić joined Roma on August 28, 2013. He signed a four-year contract with the club. He chose the number 8 jersey, which was also his number for the Serbian national team. On September 1, 2013, Ljajić played his first game for Roma. He scored the last goal in a 3–0 win. In his first season with Roma, he scored 6 goals in 32 games.
In the 2014–15 season, Ljajić continued to perform well. He scored his first two goals in one game for Roma in December 2014. He also scored his first goal in the UEFA Europa League for the club in February 2015. He finished that season with 9 goals in 41 games, making him one of the top goal scorers for Roma.
Loan to Inter Milan
On August 31, 2015, Ljajić moved to Inter Milan on a loan for one season. He scored his first goal for Inter Milan in December 2015.
Joining Torino
After his loan at Inter Milan ended, Ljajić was sold to Torino on July 18, 2016. He continued to play in the Italian league.
Playing in Turkey for Beşiktaş
On August 31, 2018, Ljajić joined the Turkish club Beşiktaş on a loan deal for the season. In May 2019, Beşiktaş made his transfer permanent, meaning he officially joined the club.
Time at Fatih Karagümrük
On September 28, 2022, Ljajić signed a contract with Fatih Karagümrük, another Turkish club. He started playing for them in January 2023.
Returning Home to Novi Pazar
On September 14, 2023, Ljajić returned to his hometown and signed with Novi Pazar. It was reported that he wanted to play for the club for free. Just three days later, he scored the winning goal in his first game back, helping Novi Pazar win 2–1.
International Career for Serbia
Ljajić played for Serbia's youth teams, including the under-17 and under-19 squads. He made his debut for the under-21 team in September 2008. In October 2010, he was called up to play for the senior national team for the first time.
In May 2012, Ljajić was removed from the national team by coach Siniša Mihajlović. This happened because Ljajić chose not to sing the Serbian national anthem for personal reasons. He had previously agreed to a code of conduct that included singing the anthem. Ljajić stated that he loved Serbia and wanted to play for his country, but he also needed to respect his own beliefs.
In February 2014, a new coach, Ljubinko Drulović, took over the Serbian national team. He said that players would not be required to sing the anthem. This allowed Ljajić to return to the team. He scored his first goal for the senior team in June 2015 in a friendly match.
In June 2018, Ljajić was chosen to be part of the 23-man Serbian squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He played in all three group matches during the tournament. His last international game was in October 2020.
Basketball Career
| Novi Pazar 1969 | |
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Nationality | Serbian |
| Listed height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11.65 in) |
| Career information | |
| Pro career | 2024–present |
| League | First Men's Regional League West B |
| Career history | |
| 2024–present | Novi Pazar 1969 |
On November 7, 2024, Adem Ljajić signed a contract to play basketball for KK Novi Pazar 1969. The club announced that he would play when his football schedule allowed.
Personal Life
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Adem Ljajić is a Bosniak and practices the Muslim faith.
Career Statistics Summary
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Partizan | 2008–09 | Serbian SuperLiga | 24 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 33 | 6 |
| 2009–10 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 24 | 6 | ||
| Total | 38 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 57 | 12 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2009–10 | Serie A | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| 2010–11 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 3 | ||
| 2011–12 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 | 28 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 12 | ||
| 2013–14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 78 | 15 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 88 | 16 | ||
| Roma | 2013–14 | Serie A | 28 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 6 |
| 2014–15 | 32 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 41 | 9 | ||
| 2015–16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 61 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 75 | 15 | ||
| Inter Milan (loan) | 2015–16 | Serie A | 25 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 4 |
| Torino | 2016–17 | Serie A | 33 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 12 |
| 2017–18 | 27 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 61 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 18 | ||
| Beşiktaş | 2018–19 | Süper Lig | 27 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 9 |
| 2019–20 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 29 | 7 | ||
| 2020–21 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 73 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 85 | 18 | ||
| Fatih Karagümrük | 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2023–24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Novi Pazar | 2023–24 | Serbian SuperLiga | 24 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 9 |
| 2024–25 | 35 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 8 | ||
| 2025–26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 407 | 90 | 34 | 5 | 32 | 5 | 472 | 100 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serbia | 2010 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2018 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | 9 | |
- Scores and results list Serbia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ljajić goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 June 2015 | NV Arena, Sankt Pölten, Austria |  Azerbaijan |
2–1 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 4 September 2015 | Karađorđe Stadium, Novi Sad, Serbia |  Armenia |
2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 3 | 8 October 2015 | Elbasan Arena, Elbasan, Albania |  Albania |
2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 4 | 10 November 2017 | Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou, China |  China |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 14 November 2017 | Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium, Ulsan, South Korea |  South Korea |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 9 June 2018 | Liebenauer Stadium, Graz, Austria |  Bolivia |
2–0 | 5–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 17 November 2018 | Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia |  Montenegro |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C |
| 8 | 20 November 2018 | Partizan Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia |  Lithuania |
4–1 | 4–1 | 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C |
| 9 | 10 June 2019 | Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia | 4–1 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
Football Achievements
Partizan
- Serbian SuperLiga: 2008–09
- Serbian Cup: 2008–09
Beşiktaş
- Turkish Super League: 2020–21
- Türkiye Kupası: 2020–21
Individual Awards
- Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season: 2023–24
- Serbian SuperLiga Player of the Week: 2024–25 (Round 1, Round 34)
See also
In Spanish: Adem Ljajić para niños
