Alen Halilović facts for kids
Halilović in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 June 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Dubrovnik, Croatia | ||
| Height | 1.69 m | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Fortuna Sittard | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Dinamo Zagreb | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2012–2014 | Dinamo Zagreb | 44 | (7) |
| 2014–2015 | Barcelona B | 30 | (4) |
| 2014–2016 | Barcelona | 0 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → Sporting Gijón (loan) | 36 | (3) |
| 2016–2018 | Hamburger SV | 6 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Las Palmas (loan) | 38 | (2) |
| 2018–2020 | AC Milan | 0 | (0) |
| 2019 | → Standard Liège (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Heerenveen (loan) | 17 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | Birmingham City | 17 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | Reading | 11 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | Rijeka | 8 | (1) |
| 2023– | Fortuna Sittard | 46 | (6) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2010 | Croatia U14 | 2 | (1) |
| 2010–2011 | Croatia U15 | 6 | (3) |
| 2012 | Croatia U16 | 4 | (1) |
| 2012–2013 | Croatia U17 | 13 | (3) |
| 2014–2019 | Croatia U21 | 17 | (4) |
| 2013–2019 | Croatia | 10 | (0) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Alen Halilović (born on 18 June 1996) is a professional footballer from Croatia. He plays as an attacking midfielder for the Dutch club Fortuna Sittard.
When he was younger, Alen was seen as one of Europe's most promising football talents. He became the youngest player to score a goal in Croatia's top league. He was also the youngest player ever to play for the Croatian national team.
In 2014, Barcelona signed him for five years. He played mostly for their B-team. Later, he went on loan to Sporting Gijón. After that, he joined Hamburger SV in Germany. He also had loan spells at Las Palmas, Standard Liège, and Heerenveen. He then played for Birmingham City, Reading, and Rijeka before moving to Fortuna Sittard in 2023.
Club Career Highlights
Alen Halilović has played for many different football clubs. He started his career in Croatia and then moved to big clubs in Spain, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and England.
Starting at Dinamo Zagreb
Alen made his first team debut for Dinamo Zagreb on 27 September 2012. He was only 16 years and 101 days old. This made him the youngest player ever to play for Dinamo Zagreb.
Soon after, he scored his first goal against Slaven Belupo. He was 16 years and 112 days old, making him the youngest goalscorer in the league's history at that time. He also played in the UEFA Champions League for Dinamo, becoming the club's youngest player in that competition.
Time with Barcelona
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On 27 March 2014, FC Barcelona agreed to sign Alen Halilović. He joined them in July 2014 and signed a five-year contract. He was first assigned to Barcelona's reserve team.
He made his first appearance for Barcelona's main team on 15 January 2015. This was in a Copa del Rey match against Elche CF.
Loan to Sporting Gijón
In August 2015, Alen was loaned to Sporting de Gijón for one season. He made his La Liga debut on 29 August. He scored his first goal in the league on 3 October against RCD Espanyol. He also scored two goals in a cup match against Real Betis.
Playing for Hamburger SV
On 19 July 2016, Alen joined Bundesliga club Hamburger SV in Germany. He signed a four-year deal. He scored his first goal for the club on his debut in a cup match on 22 August 2016. This goal helped Hamburg win and move to the next round.
Loan to Las Palmas
In January 2017, Halilović was loaned to Las Palmas for 18 months. He played many games for them in La Liga.
Moving to AC Milan
On 3 July 2018, Alen Halilović joined the Italian club AC Milan on a free transfer. He signed a contract until June 2021.
Loan to Standard Liège
In January 2019, Alen went on loan to Standard Liège in Belgium.
Loan to SC Heerenveen
Later in September 2019, his loan to Standard Liège ended. He then went on loan to the Dutch team SC Heerenveen for a year. His contract with AC Milan ended in October 2020.
Clubs in England and Croatia
After leaving Milan, Alen joined EFL Championship club Birmingham City in England on 23 November 2020. He scored his first goal for Birmingham on 27 February 2021. He then signed with another Championship club, Reading, on 27 August 2021.
On 6 July 2022, Alen signed for the Croatian club Rijeka. He played for them for a short time.
Joining Fortuna Sittard
On 18 July 2023, Alen Halilović returned to the Netherlands. He signed a contract with Fortuna Sittard for one year, with an option to stay longer. He scored his first goal for the club on 16 September 2023.
International Career
Alen Halilović chose to play for Croatia at the international level. He played for various Croatian youth teams.
On 10 June 2013, Alen made his debut for the senior Croatian national team. He played in a friendly match against Portugal. He was only 16 years old, making him the youngest player ever to debut for Croatia.
In 2016, he was not chosen for the Euro 2016 tournament. He later played for the national team again in June 2019. He also captained the Croatia U21 team at the Under-21 Euro 2019.
Personal Life
Alen's father, Sejad Halilović, was also a professional footballer. He played for the Bosnian national team and Dinamo Zagreb. Alen's two younger brothers, Dino and Damir, also play football. When Alen joined Barcelona, his whole family moved to Spain. Alen supports the Bosnian club FK Sarajevo.
Honours
Dinamo Zagreb
- Prva HNL: 2012–13, 2013–14
- Croatian Supercup: 2013
Barcelona
- Copa del Rey: 2014–15
See also
In Spanish: Alen Halilović para niños
