Josip Brekalo facts for kids
Brekalo training with VfB Stuttgart in 2017
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 June 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Zagreb, Croatia | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Fiorentina | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2015 | Dinamo Zagreb | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | Dinamo Zagreb II | 9 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Dinamo Zagreb | 8 | (0) |
| 2016 | VfL Wolfsburg II | 2 | (0) |
| 2016–2023 | VfL Wolfsburg | 108 | (16) |
| 2017–2018 | → VfB Stuttgart (loan) | 25 | (2) |
| 2021–2022 | → Torino (loan) | 32 | (7) |
| 2023– | Fiorentina | 17 | (1) |
| 2024 | → Hajduk Split (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| 2024–2025 | → Kasımpaşa (loan) | 23 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | Croatia U14 | 2 | (0) |
| 2013 | Croatia U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Croatia U16 | 8 | (2) |
| 2013–2015 | Croatia U17 | 25 | (9) |
| 2015 | Croatia U18 | 6 | (3) |
| 2015–2017 | Croatia U19 | 17 | (6) |
| 2016–2019 | Croatia U21 | 17 | (9) |
| 2018– | Croatia | 35 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:19, 13 May 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:43, 15 October 2023 (UTC) |
|||
Josip Brekalo is a football player from Croatia. He was born on June 23, 1998. Josip plays as a left winger, which means he plays on the left side of the field, helping both with attacking and defending. He currently plays for the club Fiorentina in Italy and also for the Croatian national team.
Contents
Josip Brekalo's Club Journey
Josip started his football career at a young age. He joined the youth academy of Dinamo Zagreb, a famous club in Croatia.
Early Career in Croatia
Josip played his first professional game for Dinamo Zagreb on December 19, 2015. He quickly showed his talent.
Playing in Germany
In May 2016, Josip moved to Germany to play for VfL Wolfsburg, a club in the top German league called the Bundesliga.
Loan to VfB Stuttgart
In January 2017, Josip was loaned to VfB Stuttgart. This meant he played for Stuttgart for a while to gain more experience. He scored his first goal as a professional player for Stuttgart on February 17, 2017. He returned to Wolfsburg in January 2018.
Back at Wolfsburg
Josip continued to play for VfL Wolfsburg. On May 8, 2021, he had a fantastic game where he scored three goals in one match, which is called a hat-trick!
Moving to Italy
In August 2021, Josip went to Italy to play for Torino on a loan. After that, in January 2023, he joined another Italian club, Fiorentina, permanently.
Recent Loans
In January 2024, Josip returned to Croatia for a short time, playing for Hajduk Split on loan. Later, in September 2024, he moved to Turkey to play for Kasımpaşa on another loan.
Josip Brekalo for Croatia
Josip has played for various Croatian youth teams since he was young. He then moved up to play for the main Croatian national team.
First Games for Croatia
He played his first game for the senior national team on November 15, 2018. On September 8, 2020, he scored his first goal for Croatia in a game against France.
Playing in Major Tournaments
Josip was part of the Croatian squad for Euro 2020, a big European football tournament. He was also considered for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but he did not make it into the final team.
How Josip Brekalo Plays
Josip usually plays as a winger, either on the left or right side of the field. Wingers are fast players who run down the sides to help create scoring chances. Sometimes, he has played in different positions for the national team, showing how versatile he is. For example, he has played as a right back (a defensive position) and even as a false 9 (a type of forward player).
Josip Brekalo's Family Life
Josip's father, Ante, was also a football player when he was younger. His father's career ended early because of the Yugoslav Wars.
In June 2021, Josip and his partner, Dominika Kralj, welcomed their daughter, Nika. They got married in Zagreb in July of the same year.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Zagreb II | 2015–16 | Druga HNL | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2015–16 | Prva HNL | 8 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| VfL Wolfsburg II | 2016–17 | Regionalliga Nord | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 4 | |||
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 25 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 3 | |||
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 30 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 3 | — | 40 | 7 | ||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 29 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 7 | ||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | |||
| Total | 110 | 17 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 3 | — | 128 | 22 | |||
| VfB Stuttgart (loan) | 2016–17 | 2. Bundesliga | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 14 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 17 | 2 | |||
| Total | 25 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 28 | 3 | ||||
| Torino (loan) | 2021–22 | Serie A | 32 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 7 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2022–23 | Serie A | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Serie A | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| Total | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||
| Hajduk Split (loan) | 2023–24 | Prva HNL | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 217 | 29 | 19 | 4 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 256 | 36 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 2018 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2021 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first. Score column indicates score after each Brekalo goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 September 2020 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France | 13 |  France |
2–2 | 2–4 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A |
| 2 | 7 October 2020 | Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland | 14 |  Switzerland |
1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 11 November 2020 | Vodafone Park, Istanbul, Turkey | 17 |  Turkey |
3–2 | 3–3 | |
| 4 | 30 March 2021 | Stadion Rujevica, Rijeka, Croatia | 22 |  Malta |
3–0 | 3–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Josip Brekalo's Achievements
Josip has won several awards and titles throughout his career:
Club Trophies
- With Dinamo Zagreb:
* Won the Croatian First League in the 2015–16 season. * Won the Croatian Cup in the 2015–16 season.
- With Stuttgart:
* Won the Bundesliga 2 (second German league) in the 2016–17 season.
- With Fiorentina:
* Was a runner-up in the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) in 2022–23. * Was a runner-up in the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022–23.
Individual Awards
- He was named in the Team of the Tournament for the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. This means he was one of the best players in that tournament for young players.
See also
In Spanish: Josip Brekalo para niños
