Milan Badelj facts for kids
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Badelj playing for Croatia in 2015
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Milan Badelj | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 25 February 1989 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Zagreb, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1995–2002 | Ponikve | |||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | NK Zagreb | |||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Dinamo Zagreb | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2012 | Dinamo Zagreb | 113 | (25) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | → Lokomotiva (loan) | 28 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Hamburger SV | 62 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2018 | Fiorentina | 108 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2020 | Lazio | 23 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 22 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2025 | Genoa | 146 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Croatia U16 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Croatia U17 | 28 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Croatia U18 | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Croatia U19 | 13 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | Croatia U20 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Croatia U21 | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2021 | Croatia | 55 | (2) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 June 2021 |
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Milan Badelj is a professional footballer from Croatia. He was born on February 25, 1989. Milan plays as a defensive midfielder, which means he helps protect his team's defense and also starts attacks. He was a key player for the Croatian national team. He helped them reach the finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the 2014 World Cup and several UEFA Euro tournaments.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in Croatia
Milan Badelj joined Dinamo Zagreb when he was 17 years old in 2007. Before that, he played in the youth teams of another Zagreb club, NK Zagreb. To gain experience, he was loaned to Lokomotiva for the 2007–08 season. He played 28 matches and scored seven goals for Lokomotiva.
Playing for Dinamo Zagreb
People saw Milan Badelj as a potential future star for Dinamo Zagreb. He was even compared to Luka Modrić, another great Croatian player. In 2008, Badelj joined Dinamo Zagreb's main team. He quickly became an important player. He made his first big game appearance in a Champions League qualifying match. He also scored in his first domestic league game, helping his team win 2–0.
Milan continued to play very well in the following seasons. He became a regular starter for Dinamo. In 2011, he even wore the captain's armband in some matches. In the 2011–12 season, he helped Dinamo reach the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time in 12 years. He played in all six of their group stage games. In his last game for Dinamo, he scored an own goal but then scored the winning goal for his team.
Moving to Germany: Hamburger SV
In August 2012, Milan Badelj moved to Germany to play for Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga. He quickly became a regular player for the team. He often played as a deep-lying playmaker, which means he helped control the game from a deeper position on the field. He scored his first goal for Hamburger SV in November 2012.
Playing in Italy: Fiorentina
On August 31, 2014, Badelj signed with Serie A club Fiorentina in Italy. He played for Fiorentina for four seasons. In 2018, after the sad passing of his teammate Davide Astori, Milan Badelj was chosen to be the team captain. This showed how much his teammates trusted and respected him.
Time at Lazio and Return to Fiorentina
Milan Badelj joined Lazio on August 1, 2018. He scored his first goal for Lazio in February 2019. In August 2019, he went back to Fiorentina on a loan deal. During this loan, he even wore the captain's armband again in a match. After his loan ended, he returned to Lazio.
Joining Genoa
On September 16, 2020, Badelj signed a three-year contract with Genoa. He scored his first goal for Genoa in February 2021. He celebrated this goal by making the number 13 with his fingers. This was a special way to remember his friend and former teammate Davide Astori, who wore the number 13 shirt. Milan Badelj continued to play for Genoa until May 2025.
International Career
Milan Badelj played for various Croatian youth national teams, from Under-16 to Under-21. He earned a total of 63 appearances for these youth teams.
He was first called up to the senior Croatia national team in 2010. His first official game was in September 2011, where he scored a goal against Malta. He was part of the Croatian squad for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament. He also went to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, but he did not play much. He was also selected for UEFA Euro 2016.
In May 2018, Badelj was chosen for the 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He scored his first goal of the tournament in a 2–1 win against Iceland. This helped Croatia win their group with maximum points. In the knockout stage, Croatia played Denmark. The game ended in a 1–1 draw and went to a penalty shootout. Badelj missed Croatia's first penalty, but his team still won the shootout and advanced.
Honours and Awards
Milan Badelj has won several trophies and awards throughout his career:
Dinamo Zagreb
- Prva HNL (Croatian League Champion): 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12
- Croatian Cup: 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12
- Croatian Super Cup: 2010
Lazio
- Coppa Italia (Italian Cup): 2018–19
Croatia
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2018
Individual Awards
- Croatian Football Hope of the Year: 2009
Orders
Order of Duke Branimir : 2018 (This is a special award given by the President of Croatia for contributions to the country.)
See also
In Spanish: Milan Badelj para niños
