Samir Handanović facts for kids
Handanović playing for Slovenia in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 July 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.93 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Inter Milan U17 (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2003 | Slovan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2004 | Domžale | 7 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | → Zagorje (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2004–2012 | Udinese | 182 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | → Treviso (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Lazio (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Rimini (loan) | 39 | (0) |
| 2012–2023 | Inter Milan | 380 | (0) |
| Total | 623 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 2001 | Slovenia U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Slovenia U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2003–2006 | Slovenia U21 | 9 | (0) |
| 2004–2015 | Slovenia | 81 | (0) |
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Samir Handanović (born 14 July 1984) is a Slovenian former professional football player. He was a fantastic goalkeeper known for his amazing saves. After retiring from playing, he became the head coach for Inter Milan's under-17 team in August 2024.
Samir was nicknamed Batman because of his acrobatic saves. Many people think he is one of the best goalkeepers of his time. He is also one of only four non-Italian goalkeepers to win the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year award, which he won three times! He was especially good at saving penalty kicks, even setting a league record.
Contents
Samir's Football Journey
Starting in Slovenia
Samir Handanović began his football career in his home country, Slovenia. He played for a local team called Slovan. Later, he joined Domžale, where he made his first appearance in Slovenia's top league during the 2003–04 season. During that same season, he also played on loan for a team called Zagorje.
Time at Udinese
Joining Udinese and Early Loans
In 2004, when he was 20, Samir joined Serie A team Udinese in Italy. He didn't play much at first. He went on loan to other teams like Treviso and Lazio. In 2006, he was loaned to Rimini. He played very well there and was considered one of the best goalkeepers in the league.
Becoming Udinese's Main Goalkeeper
Samir returned to Udinese in 2007 and became their main goalkeeper. He played in European competitions for the first time, making his debut in the UEFA Cup. He played over 200 games for Udinese over five years.
Setting Penalty Records at Udinese
In the 2010–11 season, Samir saved six penalty kicks. This equaled an old league record for the most penalties saved in one season! Because of his great performances, he was chosen for the Serie A Team of the Year. In 2011, he played his first ever UEFA Champions League match against Arsenal.
Moving to Inter Milan
Joining a Big Club
In July 2012, Samir Handanović joined Inter Milan, one of Italy's biggest clubs. He was brought in to be their new main goalkeeper. He quickly became a key player for the team.
Early Years and Challenges
Samir made his debut for Inter in a UEFA Europa League match in August 2012. He quickly became known for his strong performances. In 2012, he was named among the top ten goalkeepers in the world by the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics). Even though Inter had some tough seasons, Samir always played well. He was chosen for the Serie A Team of the Year again in 2013.
Becoming Inter's Captain
Samir continued to be a top performer for Inter. On 13 February 2019, he was named the new team captain of Inter Milan. This was a big honor! He also reached his 100th clean sheet (a game where the opponent doesn't score) for Inter.
At the end of the 2018–19 season, he won the Lega Serie A Best Goalkeeper award. He played every single league game that season and had 17 clean sheets, which tied a club record!
More Milestones and Trophies
As captain, Samir led Inter to many important games. In September 2019, he played his 300th game for the club. He also made his 450th appearance in Serie A, showing how long he had been playing at the highest level.
In December 2019, he won the AIC Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year Award for the third time. He also tied the record for the most penalties saved in Serie A history with 24 saves. He broke this record in October 2020 with his 25th penalty save!
In February 2021, he played his 500th Serie A game, becoming only the 15th player to reach this milestone. In May 2021, Samir won his first major trophy: the Serie A title with Inter Milan! This was a huge moment in his career. He also won the Coppa Italia twice and the Supercoppa Italiana twice with Inter.
Retirement from Playing
Samir Handanović left Inter Milan in July 2023 after his contract ended. He played a total of 455 matches for the club. He officially retired from professional football in September 2023.
Playing for Slovenia
International Debut
Samir made his first appearance for the Slovenia national team on 17 November 2004 in a friendly match. He became a regular player for his country.
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2010 FIFA World Cup
Samir played every minute of Slovenia's qualifying games for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In June 2010, he was part of Slovenia's team for the World Cup. He played in all three of Slovenia's matches, keeping a clean sheet in their first game against Algeria, which Slovenia won 1–0. Slovenia was eliminated from the tournament after the group stage.
Retirement from International Football
On 18 November 2015, Samir Handanović announced he was retiring from the national team. He had played 81 games for Slovenia, making him the most capped goalkeeper in the country's history.
How Samir Played
Samir Handanović was known for being a very agile and athletic goalkeeper, even though he was tall and strong. He had amazing reflexes and could make incredible saves. He was also good at organizing his defense and leading his team.
He was especially famous for saving penalty kicks. He holds the record for the most penalties saved in Serie A history, with 26 saves! Many people, including other famous goalkeepers, praised him for his consistent performances. He said that his cousin Jasmin Handanović (who was also a goalkeeper) and Peter Schmeichel were his biggest inspirations.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Samir Handanović stayed with Inter Milan. He worked as a technical helper for the club. On 1 August 2024, he was given the job of coaching Inter Milan's under-17 team, helping to train the next generation of players.
Personal Life
Samir Handanović was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 14 July 1984. His older cousin, Jasmin Handanović, was also a professional football goalkeeper. Samir is married to Zoja Trobec, and they have two sons, Alen (born 2011) and Ian (born 2013).
Career Statistics
Club
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| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Domžale | 2003–04 | 1. SNL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Zagorje (loan) | 2003–04 | 2. SNL | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| Udinese | 2004–05 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Serie A | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 0 | |||
| 2008–09 | Serie A | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 45 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Serie A | 37 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12 | Serie A | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | — | 51 | 0 | ||
| Total | 182 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 212 | 0 | ||
| Treviso (loan) | 2005–06 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Lazio (loan) | 2005–06 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Rimini (loan) | 2006–07 | Serie B | 39 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 0 | ||
| Inter Milan | 2012–13 | Serie A | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 48 | 0 | |
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 40 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | Serie A | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 43 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 49 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — | 48 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 47 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 50 | 0 | |
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |
| Total | 380 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 52 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 455 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 623 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 74 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 730 | 0 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | |||
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 81 | 0 | |
Awards and Achievements
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2020–21
- Coppa Italia: 2021–22, 2022–23
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2021, 2022
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2019–20
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2022–23
Individual Awards
- Slovenian Footballer of the Year: 2009, 2011, 2012
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2010–11, 2012–13, 2018–19
- AIC Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year: 2011, 2013, 2019
- Lega Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year: 2018–19
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2019–20
See also
In Spanish: Samir Handanović para niños
