Haris Medunjanin facts for kids
Medunjanin with Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Haris Medunjanin | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 8 March 1985 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Castellón (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| Swift Atletiek | |||||||||||||||||||
| AFC'34 | |||||||||||||||||||
| AZ | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | AZ | 25 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | → Sparta Rotterdam (loan) | 32 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Valladolid | 42 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2013 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 46 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | → Gaziantepspor (loan) | 30 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Gaziantepspor | 32 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Deportivo La Coruña | 24 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 33 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Philadelphia Union | 98 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | FC Cincinnati | 70 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | PEC | 24 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Castellón | 31 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 487 | (63) | |||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Netherlands U21 | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2018 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 60 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Castellón (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Haris Medunjanin (born March 8, 1985) is a former professional footballer from Bosnia. He played as a midfielder, which is a player who helps both defend and attack. Currently, he works as an assistant manager for the Spanish club Castellón.
Haris started his football journey at AZ in the Netherlands. He also played for clubs like Sparta Rotterdam, Valladolid, and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Later, he moved to Gaziantepspor in Turkey and Deportivo La Coruña in Spain. He then returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv before playing for Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati in the United States.
Even though he played for the Netherlands' under-21 team, Haris chose to play for his home country, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a senior player. A big moment in his international career was playing in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played for his country until 2018.
Contents
Haris Medunjanin's Club Career
Starting at AZ Alkmaar
Haris Medunjanin began his professional career with AZ Alkmaar in the top Dutch league, called the Eredivisie. His first game was on February 20, 2005. However, he didn't get to play very often during his first few years there.
To get more playing time, he was loaned to Sparta Rotterdam for the 2006–07 season. He played a very important role for Sparta, scoring seven goals and helping the team finish 13th in the league.
Moving to Spain with Valladolid
After another quiet season at AZ, Haris joined the Spanish club Real Valladolid in August 2008. In his first year in Spain, he was often used as a substitute.
During the 2009–10 season, he scored all five of his La Liga goals when he came on as a substitute late in games. That season, the team faced some challenges and was eventually moved down to a lower league.
Playing in Israel for Maccabi Tel Aviv
In July 2010, Haris signed a four-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. in Israel. He made his first official appearance for them on July 15 in a UEFA Europa League qualifying match. He even scored a goal in that game, helping his new team win 2–0.
Time in Turkey with Gaziantepspor
On August 31, 2012, Haris moved to the Turkish team Gaziantepspor on a loan from Maccabi Tel Aviv. The next season, the move became permanent, and he signed a three-year deal with the club.
Return to Spain with Deportivo
After his time in Turkey, Haris joined Deportivo de La Coruña in Spain on August 12, 2014. However, in January 2016, his contract was ended because the new manager didn't need him. Just two days later, he signed a new deal to return to his former club, Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Haris helped Maccabi Tel Aviv reach the group stage of the Europa League in both his first and second seasons back with the team. They finished as runners-up in the Israeli Premier League.
Playing in the USA for Philadelphia Union
On January 31, 2017, the Major League Soccer (MLS) club Philadelphia Union signed Haris to a two-year contract. He played his first game for them in the season opener. He scored his first goal for the team on May 14, 2017, in a big 4–0 win. In November, he was named the team's Player of the Year because he made 12 assists and scored two goals.
Haris became a key midfielder for the Union. In the 2019 season, he played every minute of every league game. He also led all MLS players in the number of passes he made. This helped the team have their best season ever.
In November 2019, Haris left the Philadelphia Union. His rights were then chosen by FC Cincinnati.
Time with FC Cincinnati
On December 5, 2019, Haris, who was 34 years old, joined FC Cincinnati. He scored his first goal for them on September 19, 2020. It was a special goal directly from a corner kick, which helped his team win the game.
Haris left FC Cincinnati in August 2022.
Later Career and Retirement
On August 9, 2022, Haris returned to the Netherlands after 14 years, signing a one-year contract with PEC Zwolle. In July 2023, at 38 years old, he moved to Spain again. He signed a one-year deal with the club CD Castellón. He later became an assistant manager there.
Haris Medunjanin's International Career
Playing for the Netherlands Under-21 Team
Haris Medunjanin was part of the Netherlands under-21 team. This team won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship twice in a row, in 2006 and 2007. Winning in 2007 also helped the team qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina
In 2009, Haris said he really wanted to play for his home country, Bosnia and Herzegovina. His request to change his football citizenship was approved. On October 31, 2009, he was called up to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina in a World Cup playoff game against Portugal. He played his first game for them as a starter.
Haris scored his first goal for Bosnia and Herzegovina on November 17, 2010, in a friendly game against Slovakia. He scored three more goals during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying games, helping Bosnia finish second in their group and reach the playoffs.
On June 2, 2014, Haris was chosen to be part of the squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played his first World Cup game 14 days later, coming on for the last 16 minutes against Argentina.
On October 13, 2015, Haris scored two very important goals against Cyprus. These goals helped Bosnia and Herzegovina reach the Euro 2016 playoffs. In 2016, he was the captain of the team when they won the Kirin Cup, which was a special tournament.
Haris announced he was retiring from international football on March 27, 2018. His last game was a friendly match against Senegal, which was his 60th game for his country.
Personal Life
Haris Medunjanin was born in Sarajevo, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time. When he was seven years old, in 1992, the Bosnian War started. His family moved to the Netherlands to escape the war, and sadly, his father passed away. Because he lived in the Netherlands for a long time, he had dual citizenship, meaning he was a citizen of both Bosnia and the Netherlands.
In July 2019, Haris married Moran Rahimi, who is a model from Israel.
Honours and Awards
Netherlands U21
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2006, 2007
Individual Awards
- Philadelphia Union Player of the Year: 2017
- 2017 Major League Soccer Team of the Week: Week 11, Week 12
- 2019 Major League Soccer Team of the Week: Week 10, Week 26
Images for kids
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Medunjanin with Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015
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Medunjanin playing for Philadelphia Union in 2017
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Medunjanin playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015
See also
In Spanish: Haris Medunjanin para niños
