Milan Borjan facts for kids
Borjan with Red Star Belgrade in 2018
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Milan Borjan | ||
| Date of birth | 23 October 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | Knin, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Al-Riyadh | ||
| Number | 82 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Dinara Knin | |||
| Radnički Jugopetrol | |||
| East Hamilton SC | |||
| Mount Hamilton SC | |||
| 2006 | Nacional Montevideo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008 | Quilmes | 0 | (0) |
| 2009–2011 | Rad | 36 | (0) |
| 2011–2014 | Sivasspor | 43 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Vaslui (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| 2014 | Ludogorets Razgrad | 2 | (0) |
| 2015 | Radnički Niš | 15 | (0) |
| 2015–2017 | Ludogorets Razgrad | 16 | (0) |
| 2017 | → Korona Kielce (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2017–2024 | Red Star Belgrade | 180 | (1) |
| 2023–2024 | → Slovan Bratislava (loan) | 25 | (0) |
| 2024– | Al-Riyadh | 33 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2011– | Canada | 80 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 November 2023 |
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Milan Borjan, born on October 23, 1987, is a professional soccer player. He plays as a goalkeeper for Saudi Pro League club Al-Riyadh. Born in Yugoslavia, he is also a key player for the Canada national team.
Contents
Early Life and Soccer Beginnings
Milan Borjan was born in Knin, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time and is now in Croatia. His parents, Boško and Mirjana, are of Serb background. His paternal grandmother was Croatian. Milan started playing soccer early with the Dinara Knin youth team.
In 1995, his family moved to Belgrade, where he continued playing soccer with FK Radnički Beograd. In 2000, his family moved to Canada. They first lived in Winnipeg, Manitoba for a few months, then settled in Hamilton, Ontario. Milan played youth soccer there for East Hamilton SC and Mount Hamilton SC.
Club Career Highlights
Starting in South America
In 2005, Borjan tried out for Boca Juniors, a famous club in Argentina, but did not sign a contract. In 2006, he joined Club Nacional de Football in Uruguay, playing for their youth team. He also had a trial with another Argentine club, Club Atlético River Plate, in 2007. His last team in South America was Quilmes, where he played in 2008.
Playing for Rad
In January 2009, Borjan returned to Serbia and joined FK Rad, a club in Belgrade. He started as the third-choice goalkeeper. However, due to issues with the main goalkeeper's work permits and an injury to the second goalkeeper, Borjan quickly became the only available option.
He played his first game on August 16, 2009. By late 2010, he was the main goalkeeper and helped FK Rad finish fourth in the league. This earned them a spot in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds.
Time with Sivasspor
After playing in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Borjan moved to the Turkish club Sivasspor. He made his first appearance for them on September 11, 2011.
Loan to Vaslui
Because he wasn't playing much in Turkey, Borjan was loaned to SC Vaslui, a Romanian club. He became their starting goalkeeper and helped them get a spot in the UEFA Champions League by keeping seven clean sheets in 16 games.
Back at Sivasspor
After his successful loan, Borjan returned to Sivasspor. He was back in the starting lineup for the 2012–13 season. In February 2014, his contract with Sivasspor ended.
Joining Ludogorets Razgrad
On September 12, 2014, Borjan signed with PFC Ludogorets Razgrad, a Bulgarian club. They had already qualified for the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage. Just four days later, Borjan played his first game for them in a Champions League match against Liverpool F.C.. This was a special moment, as he was the first Canadian player to play in the Champions League group stage since 2007.
Playing for Radnički Niš
On February 15, 2015, Borjan signed a one-year contract with FK Radnički Niš in Serbia. Since he had a Serbian passport, he was not counted as a foreign player. He made his debut on February 23, 2015, and kept three clean sheets in a row.
Second Time at Ludogorets Razgrad
Borjan returned to PFC Ludogorets Razgrad on June 2, 2015, signing a three-year deal. He was initially the second-choice goalkeeper but became the starter after the main goalkeeper got a serious injury.
Loan to Korona Kielce
On February 15, 2017, Borjan was loaned to Korona Kielce, a club in Poland. He played 14 league games for them and kept five clean sheets.
Becoming a Star at Red Star Belgrade
On July 24, 2017, Borjan officially joined Red Star Belgrade, a big club in Serbia. He signed a three-year contract. He made his debut on July 27, 2017, in a 2017–18 UEFA Europa League qualifying match, keeping a clean sheet.
In his second season, Borjan helped Red Star qualify for the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League. He kept clean sheets against Napoli and Liverpool in the group stage. In February 2019, it was announced that Borjan would extend his contract until 2023. Red Star honored him as their athlete of the year.
On May 23, 2022, Borjan even scored a penalty for Red Star in their final game of the 2021–22 Serbian SuperLiga season, as the club won their fifth straight title. In July 2022, he signed another contract extension until 2026. However, in June 2023, he learned he would no longer be the first-choice goalkeeper. In June 2024, Borjan and Red Star Belgrade agreed to end his contract.
Loan to Slovan Bratislava
In June 2023, Borjan joined Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia on loan.
Move to Al-Riyadh
Milan Borjan joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Riyadh on August 21, 2024. He played his first game for them three days later.
International Career with Canada
Borjan was first called to join the Canada national team in 2010. He made his debut for Canada on February 10, 2011, in a friendly game against Greece. That summer, he played in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Since late 2012, Borjan has been Canada's main goalkeeper. He played in the Gold Cup tournaments in 2013, 2017, and 2019. In 2015, he received his first red card for Canada during a World Cup qualifying match.
Borjan was a key player for Canada during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He made a crucial save in a 2–1 win against Mexico, which was Canada's first win against Mexico in 21 years. He also kept a clean sheet in a 2–0 victory over the United States. He was named Canada's player of the month for January.
On November 13, 2022, Borjan was chosen for Canada's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. During Canada's match against Croatia, he faced some negative comments from Croatian fans. Canada Soccer later filed a complaint with FIFA.
In June 2023, Borjan was part of Canada's team for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals, where Canada finished second to the United States. He was also named to the squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup but left the team early due to an injury.
Personal Life
Milan Borjan is married to Snežana Filipović. She used to be a marketing director for another soccer club, FK Partizan, and is the sister of soccer player Nenad Filipović. Milan has a younger sister, Nikolija, and a younger brother, Nikola, who is also a goalkeeper. Milan can speak English, Bulgarian, Spanish, and Serbian fluently.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rad | 2009–10 | Serbian SuperLiga | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 23 | 0 | |||
| Total | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 36 | 0 | |||
| Sivasspor | 2011–12 | Süper Lig | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | 29 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 37 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 43 | 0 | 13 | 0 | – | 56 | 0 | |||
| Vaslui (loan) | 2011–12 | Liga I | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 19 | 0 | |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 2014–15 | Bulgarian First League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Radnički Niš (loan) | 2014–15 | Serbian SuperLiga | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 0 | |
| Korona Kielce (loan) | 2016–17 | Ekstraklasa | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 | 0 | |
| Red Star Belgrade | 2017–18 | Serbian SuperLiga | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 46 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 47 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | 30 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 47 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 47 | 0 | ||
| Total | 180 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 75 | 0 | 275 | 1 | ||
| Slovan Bratislava (loan) | 2023–24 | Slovak First League | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Al-Riyadh | 2024–25 | Saudi Pro League | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 34 | 0 | |
| Career total | 380 | 1 | 42 | 0 | 92 | 0 | 515 | 1 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2011 | 5 | 0 |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | 0 | |
Honours and Achievements
Ludogorets Razgrad
- Bulgarian First League: 2014–15, 2015–16
Red Star Belgrade
- Serbian SuperLiga: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
- Serbian Cup: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
Slovan Bratislava
- Slovak First League: 2023–24
Canada National Team
- CONCACAF Nations League runner up: 2023
Individual Awards
- Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season: 2018–19, 2022–23
See also
In Spanish: Milan Borjan para niños
