Danijel Ljuboja facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Danijel Ljuboja

Ljuboja with Legia Warsaw in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Danijel Ljuboja
Date of birth	(1978-09-04) 4 September 1978 (age 46)
Place of birth	Vinkovci, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Forward
Youth career
	Dinamo Vinkovci
	Osijek
	Red Star Belgrade
	Sochaux
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2000	Sochaux	62	(21)
2000–2004	Strasbourg	121	(34)
2004–2005	Paris Saint-Germain	42	(7)
2005–2009	VfB Stuttgart	29	(8)
2006–2007	→ Hamburger SV (loan)	16	(5)
2008	→ VfL Wolfsburg (loan)	8	(1)
2009–2010	Grenoble	37	(10)
2010–2011	Nice	30	(5)
2011–2013	Legia Warsaw	56	(23)
2013–2014	Lens	30	(8)
Total		431	(122)
International career
2003–2006	Serbia	19	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Danijel Ljuboja (Serbian Cyrillic: Данијел Љубоја; born September 4, 1978) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a forward. A forward's main job is to score goals.

He was a skilled player, especially known for his great passing and ability to score from set pieces like free kicks. He also played for the Serbia and Montenegro national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Club Career

Starting in France

Ljuboja with a fan at Legia Warsaw.

Danijel Ljuboja was born in Vinkovci, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time. As a kid, he played for youth teams like NK Dinamo Vinkovci, NK Osijek, and Red Star Belgrade. He then moved to France to start his professional career.

Sochaux (1998–2000)

Ljuboja's first professional club was Sochaux. He made his first appearance in 1998. Soon after, he scored his first two goals in a big 4–0 win. In his second season, he became a key player and scored many goals, including a hat-trick (three goals in one game). He was the team's top scorer that season.

Strasbourg (2000–2004)

Next, Ljuboja joined Strasbourg. In his first season, the team won the Coupe de France, a major French cup tournament. The next season, he scored 15 goals, helping the team get promoted back to France's top league, Ligue 1. He played 121 games for Strasbourg and scored 34 goals before moving to a bigger club.

Paris Saint-Germain

In 2004, Ljuboja moved to the famous club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). He had a good start, scoring six goals in his first few months. His team won the Coupe de France again, giving Ljuboja his second cup winner's medal.

However, his second season at PSG was more difficult. He had some disagreements with the manager, which meant he didn't get to play as often. He scored 7 goals in 42 league games for PSG before deciding to move to a new country.

Playing in Germany

In 2005, Ljuboja moved to Germany to play for VfB Stuttgart. He said he wanted a new challenge to help him prepare for the World Cup. He had a good start, scoring goals in both the German league (Bundesliga) and the UEFA Cup.

Over the next few years, Ljuboja also played for other German clubs. He was sent on loan to Hamburger SV and later to VfL Wolfsburg. A loan in football is when a player temporarily plays for a different club. He had some good moments but moved around a lot during his time in Germany.

Return to France and Success in Poland

Grenoble and Nice (2009–2011)

After four years in Germany, Ljuboja returned to France. He first played for Grenoble, where he was their top scorer with ten goals. He then moved to Nice for one season.

Legia Warsaw (2011–2013)

In 2011, Ljuboja joined Legia Warsaw, a top club in Poland. This turned out to be a great move for him. He scored many goals and quickly became a fan favorite. In his first season, he was the club's top scorer and helped them win the Polish Cup.

The next season was even better. He scored a hat-trick in the first game of the season. Legia Warsaw went on to win both the league title and the Polish Cup, a special achievement known as "winning the double."

Near the end of his time there, he was disciplined by the club for breaking team rules and left after the season ended.

RC Lens (2013–2014)

Ljuboja returned to France one last time to play for RC Lens. After one season with the club, he retired from playing professional football in 2014. He later became a talent scout for his former club, Legia Warsaw.

International Career

Ljuboja played for the national team of Serbia and Montenegro from 2003 to 2006. He earned 19 caps, which means he played in 19 international matches.

He scored one goal for his country in a qualifying match for UEFA Euro 2004 against Wales. His biggest moment was being chosen to be part of the squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Career statistics

International

Honours

RC Strasbourg

• Coupe de France: 2001

Paris Saint-Germain

• Coupe de France: 2004

Legia Warsaw

• Ekstraklasa: 2012–13
• Polish Cup: 2011–12, 2012–13

Individual

• Ekstraklasa Player of the Month: August 2011
• Piłka Nożna Foreigner of the Year: 2012

See also

In Spanish: Danijel Ljuboja para niños