Marko Livaja facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marko Livaja

Livaja in 2022
Personal information
Date of birth	(1993-08-26) 26 August 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth	Split, Croatia
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Forward, attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Hajduk Split
Number	10
Youth career
1997–2005	GOŠK Kaštel Gomilica
2005–2008	Omladinac Vranjic
2008–2010	Hajduk Split
2010–2011	Inter Milan
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2011–2013	Inter Milan	6	(0)
2011	→ Lugano (loan)	11	(2)
2011–2012	→ Cesena (loan)	3	(0)
2013–2014	Atalanta	31	(4)
2014–2016	Rubin Kazan	11	(0)
2015–2016	→ Empoli (loan)	17	(1)
2016–2018	Las Palmas	25	(5)
2017–2018	→ AEK Athens (loan)	27	(8)
2018–2021	AEK Athens	74	(19)
2021–	Hajduk Split	126	(73)
National team
2008	Croatia U15	4	(4)
2009	Croatia U16	7	(6)
2008–2010	Croatia U17	20	(7)
2010	Croatia U18	4	(1)
2011–2012	Croatia U19	7	(2)
2012–2013	Croatia U20	7	(1)
2013–2014	Croatia U21	5	(3)
2018–2023	Croatia	21	(4)
Honours Men's football Representing  Croatia FIFA World Cup Third 2022 Qatar
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 December 2024. † Appearances (Goals).

Marko Livaja (born on August 26, 1993) is a professional footballer from Croatia. He plays as a forward for Hajduk Split.

Livaja also played for the Croatian national team from 2018 to 2023. He scored four goals in 21 matches for his country. He was part of the team that won a bronze medal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Club Career

Early Days

Marko Livaja started playing football at a young age. He began at a Croatian club called GOŠK Kaštel Gomilica when he was just four years old. Later, he played for NK Omladinac Vranjic.

In 2008, he was invited to join the Dinamo Zagreb Academy. However, he soon moved to the Hajduk Split Academy, which is a big rival of Dinamo. By early 2010, he joined the main team at Hajduk.

Playing in Italy

Livaja playing in 2012

In 2010, Livaja was sold to Internazionale, a famous Italian club. Inter Milan then loaned him to FC Lugano, a Swiss team, in 2011. He was loaned again to Cesena in the summer of 2011. He made his first appearance in Italy's top league, Serie A, for Cesena in October 2011.

In January 2012, he returned to Inter Milan. He became part of Inter's youth team, where he won the 2011–12 NextGen series. Livaja played his first game as a starter for Inter's main team in January 2013. He played in six Serie A games that season.

He also played in the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League group matches. He scored his first goal for Inter against Rubin Kazan on September 20, 2012. He became Inter's top scorer in the group stage, with four goals in six matches.

On January 31, 2013, Livaja was loaned to Atalanta. He made his debut for Atalanta in February 2013 and scored his first two goals for them against A.S. Roma. Sometimes, he missed games for Atalanta due to disagreements with team rules.

In 2015, while playing for Rubin Kazan, he was loaned back to Italy to play for Empoli. He scored one goal in 18 matches for Empoli.

Playing in Spain

On July 14, 2016, Livaja joined La Liga team Las Palmas in Spain. He made a great debut on August 22, scoring two goals as Las Palmas beat Valencia 4–2. He also scored two goals in a Copa del Rey match against Atlético Madrid in January 2017.

Loan to AEK Athens

In July 2017, Livaja was loaned to AEK Athens in Greece. He quickly became an important player. He scored a late goal against Austria Wien in the UEFA Europa League group stage. He also scored the only goal in a big derby match against PAOK.

In November 2017, he scored a dramatic equalizer against Panathinaikos. He also scored two goals against Platanias, helping his team reach the top of the league. In his first season with AEK Athens, he helped them win the Super League title.

Time in Greece

AEK Athens was very impressed with Livaja's play. In March 2018, they decided to buy him permanently. He continued to play well for the team.

In August 2018, he scored a goal against Celtic in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match, helping AEK move forward. He scored many important goals in the Super League Greece and the Greek Football Cup.

In the 2019–20 season, he helped AEK reach the Europa League play-off round. He scored many goals and assists throughout the season. In June 2020, Livaja was named the Player of the Season in the Greek Super League.

In February 2021, Livaja left AEK Athens after deciding not to sign a new contract.

Return to Croatia

On the same day he left AEK, Livaja joined Hajduk Split in Croatia. He quickly made a big impact, scoring seven goals and providing eight assists in 17 games. He helped Hajduk qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League.

In June 2021, Livaja signed a new contract with Hajduk until 2024. In December 2021, team captains in the Croatian league voted him the Best Footballer in the league. He was the first Hajduk player to win this award since 2003.

Livaja finished the 2021–22 season as the top goalscorer with 28 goals, which is a record for Hajduk in a single season. In July 2022, he extended his contract for four more years. He won the Prva HNL Player of the Year award in 2022 and 2023, becoming the first player to win it two years in a row since 2012. He was also the top goalscorer again in the 2022–23 Croatian Football League season with 19 goals.

In the 2023 Croatian Football Cup final, Livaja scored a late penalty. This helped Hajduk win the Croatian Cup for the second year in a row.

International Career

On August 20, 2018, Marko Livaja was called up to the Croatian national team for the first time. He joined the squad for a friendly match against Portugal and a Nations League game against Spain.

After some time away, he was called back to the national team in September 2021 for World Cup qualifying matches. He scored his first international goal on September 7 against Slovenia, helping Croatia win 3–0.

In October 2022, Livaja was chosen for Croatia's team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On November 27, 2022, he scored his first World Cup goal in a 4–1 win against Canada. He became the first current Hajduk Split player to score for Croatia at a World Cup.

In the third-place play-off against Morocco, Livaja helped set up the winning goal. Croatia won 2–1 and earned their second bronze medal at the World Cup.

In June 2023, Livaja was part of Croatia's squad for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals. He later decided to withdraw from the team. He was called up again in September for Euro 2024 qualifiers, but on October 8, he decided to retire from the national team permanently.

Career Stats

International

Croatia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Livaja goal.

List of international goals scored by Marko Livaja

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	7 September 2021	Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia	7	Slovenia	1–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	8 October 2021	AEK Arena – Georgios Karapatakis, Larnaca, Cyprus	8	Cyprus	3–0	3–0
3	25 September 2022	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	14	Austria	2–1	3–1	2022–23 UEFA Nations League A
4	27 November 2022	Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar	16	Canada	2–1	4–1	2022 FIFA World Cup

Awards and Trophies

AEK Athens

• Super League Greece: 2017–18

Hajduk Split

• Croatian Cup: 2021–22, 2022–23

Croatia

• FIFA World Cup third place: 2022

Individual

• Super League Greece Player of the Season: 2019–20
• Super League Greece Team of the Season: 2017–18, 2019–20
• AEK Athens Player of the Season: 2019–20
• Croatian First Football League Player of the Year: 2021–22, 2022–23
• Croatian First Football League Top scorer: 2021–22, 2022–23
• Croatian First Football League Team of the Year: 2021–22, 2022–23
• Croatian First Football League top assist provider: 2022–23

Images for kids

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  Livaja with Rubin Kazan

See Also

In Spanish: Marko Livaja para niños