Etien Velikonja

Etien Velikonja

Velikonja playing for Cardiff City in 2013
Personal information
Full name Etien Velikonja[1]
Date of birth (1988-12-26) 26 December 1988
Place of birth Šempeter pri Gorici, Slovenia
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current team
 Lierse
(on loan from Cardiff City)
Youth career
Gorica
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2006–2010 Gorica 104 (32)
2011–2012 Maribor 48 (20)
2012– Cardiff City 3 (0)
2014–2015 → Rio Ave (loan) 7 (1)
2015– → Lierse (loan) 44 (30)
National team‡
2006–2007 Slovenia U19 3 (1)
2007–2010 Slovenia U21 14 (3)
2009–2012 Slovenia 3 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 5 April 2016.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 5 April 2016

Etien Velikonja (born 26 December 1988 in Šempeter pri Gorici)[2] is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Lierse on loan from Cardiff City. He is the current top scorer in the second division with 25 goals in 29 games. Of his 25 goals not one was scored with his head.

Club career

Gorica

Velikonja started to play football at Gorica which is a club well known for their excellent youth system.[3] Coming through their youth system, he was improving season by season until 2006–07, when he was promoted to the senior squad.[3] In his first season he took part in seven matches, scoring one goal. Next year during season 2007–08 the managerial staff already understood that he is an enormous talent and Velikonja played 31 matches, scoring seven goals.[3] During the 2008–09 campaign Velikonja exploded, the young striker played 32 matches, scoring an amazing total of 17 goals. Finishing the campaign as the top goal scorer in the Slovenian 1.SNL.[3] In October 2009, on a league match against Koper,[4] he sustained a serious knee injury which caused him to miss the majority of 2009–10 season.[5] He was not available to the team up until the end of April 2010, four rounds before the end of the season, when he returned to the pitch as a late substitute in a league match against Drava.[6]

Maribor

Maribor players celebrating their ninth league title (29 May 2011, after the last round vs Domžale)
Velikonja with the Slovenian PrvaLiga trophy in 2011.

During the 2010 summer transfer window it was speculated for the first time that Velikonja could join 1.SNL Maribor, however, the deal was eventually not carried out and Velikonja stayed in Gorica for the start of the 2010–11 season.[7] He then prepared himself for the new season, putting his injury behind him, as by the end of 2010 he had played a total of 18 league matches for Gorica with an average of over 89 minutes per round, scoring five goals in the process.[8] On 17 January 2011, during the winter transfer window, Velikonja was signed by Maribor in a deal that included an undisclosed transfer fee and a player, Vito Plut, going the other way.[9][10] Velikonja has signed a contract with Maribor until 31 December 2013.[2] He played his first league match for the new club on 26 February 2011, and scored one goal in a 4–2 victory against Rudar.[11]

Cardiff City

On 12 July 2012, Velikonja signed a four-year contract for Football League Championship side Cardiff City.[12][13][14] The whole transfer is reportedly worth €3.6 million and Zlatko Zahovič, director of football at Maribor, stated that the Velikonja transfer was a record high for the Slovenian PrvaLiga, at the time.[13][14][15][16] Maribor reportedly received a compensation of €2 million, with Velikonja earning around €400,000 per season for a total of €1.6 million in four years with the Welsh side.[13][14][15][16] He joined his new club on 25 July after the second qualifying round of the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League.[13] He made his debut on 21 August in a 0–0 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion. Despite a prolific goalscoring record for Cardiff's Development Squad, Velikonja found first-team opportunities limited during his first season at the club, but was rewarded for his patience with a start up front at Hull City on the final day of the title-winning campaign, which resulted in being substituted at half time after an ineffective performance.

Rio Ave

After months of waiting for his Premier League debut and with manager Malky Mackay seemingly unwilling to include him in any of his matchday squads City loaned him to Rio Ave in January 2014 until the end of the season. He played two cup finals with Nuno Espirito Santo's team but lost the Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga showdowns against Benfica.

Lierse

With Cardiff swiftly relegated to the Championship Velikonja was loaned out again in January 2015. Former Slovenia national team manager Slaviša Stojanović brought Velikonja to Lierse, where he was fighting relegation with his assistant Miloš Kostić. The team with Spanish world cup winner Joan Capdevila and Montenegrin goalkeeper Boban Bajković lost the battle for survival with Velikonja scoring one of his five goals in the play-offs. He stayed with Lierse and started life in the Belgian Second Division with a bang, scoring eight goals in his first eight appearances.[17] With mid-table Lierse struggling in the fight for promotion the former Gorica man broke his all-time goalscoring record for a single season by scoring his 21st goal against Heist on 19 March.[18] Velikonja finished the season with a record goal tally of 25 and as the league's top scorer for the second time in his career. He was crucial to Lierse in the fight for the top eight places. Lierse finished 7th and avoided the drop to Belgian amateur league football.[19]He became Lierse fans' player of the season.[20].

International career

Etien Velikonja was a member of all the Slovenian youth national teams.[3] On 12 August 2009, Velikonja made his full international debut for Slovenia national team at the Ljudski vrt stadium, Maribor, in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification match against San Marino.[21]

Personal life

Velikonja was born in Šempeter pri Gorici, present day Slovenia. He is a cousin of football player Tim Matavž.[22] The two were also childhood friends of football players, Valter Birsa and Goran Cvijanović.[22][23] He is in a long-term relationship with Slovenian triple jumper Maja Bratkič.[24]

Career statistics

As of 5 April 2016[25]
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Slovenia League Slovenian Cup League Cup Europe Total
2006–07Gorica1. SNL7110 20101
2007–083151020345
2008–09321744313922
2009–101650020185
2010–111843320237
2006–11Gorica Total1043297––11112440
2010–11Maribor1. SNL16631 ––197
2011–12301456714221
2012–1320001030
2010–12Maribor Total482087––816428
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
2012–13Cardiff CityChampionship301000––40
2013–14Premier League000000––00
2014–15Championship000010––10
2012–Cardiff City Total301010––50
Portugal League Taça de Portugal Taça da Liga Europe Total
2013–14Rio Ave (loan)Primeira Liga710000 71
Belgium League Belgian Cup League Cup Europe Total
2014–15Lierse S.K. (loan)Belgian Pro League1140000 114
2015–16Lierse S.K. (loan)Belgian Second Division29250000 2925
Total
Slovenia 152521714––19218868
England 301000––50
Portugal 710000––71
Belgium 44300000––4430
Career total 1987818140019223694

Honours

Club

Maribor[26]

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Professional retain list & free transfers 2012/13" (PDF). The Football League. 18 May 2013. p. 11. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Osebni karton: Etien Velikonja" (in Slovenian). nkmaribor.com. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "The best young striker in Slovenia". imscouting.com. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  4. ↑ "Zapisnik: Koper-Gorica 1–1" (in Slovenian). Slovenian PrvaLiga official website. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "Etien Velikonja, poškodovani nogometaš Hit Gorice: Že poleti želim oditi v tujino" (in Slovenian). dnevnik.si. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "Zapisnik: Drava-Gorica 2–4" (in Slovenian). Slovenian PrvaLiga official website. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  7. ↑ ""Slovenska tržnica": Velikonja ostaja na Primorskem" (in Slovenian). rtvslo.si. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  8. ↑ "Velikonja: Statistika sezone 10/11" (in Slovenian). prvaliga.si. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  9. ↑ "Prihaja Velikonja" (in Slovenian). nkmaribor.com. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  10. ↑ "Uradno: Velikonja v Maribor!" (in Slovenian). nogomania.com. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  11. ↑ "Maribor še povečal prednost, zmaga Olimpije v Novi Gorici" (in Slovenian). RTVSLO.si. 26 February 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  12. ↑ "City capture Slovenian ace Velikonja". BBC News (Cardiff City FC). 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Dario Dotto, Rok Plestenjak (12 July 2012). "Velikonja v Cardiff, odškodnina skrivnost" (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 A.V., M.R. (12 July 2012). "Velikonja iz Maribora odhaja v Cardiff City" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  15. 1 2 Uredništvo (12 July 2012). "Številke še nikoli tako visoke" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  16. 1 2 Stuart James (31 October 2013). "Cardiff City signed Etien Velikonja without Malky Mackay's approval". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  17. ↑ http://www.nogomania.com/Slovenski-Nogomet/Igralec/Etien-Velikonja/Novica/Osmic-na-osmi.aspx
  18. ↑ http://www.nogomania.com/Slovenski-Nogomet/Igralec/Etien-Velikonja/Novica/Velikonjinih-rekordnih-21.aspx
  19. ↑ http://int.soccerway.com/national/belgium/second-division/20152016/regular-season/r31609/
  20. ↑ http://www.nogomania.com/Slovenski-Nogomet/Igralec/Etien-Velikonja/Novica/Navijaci-izbrali-Eti-najboljsi.aspx
  21. ↑ "San Marino lažje ogrevanje za Poljake" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenia. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 13 August 2009.
  22. 1 2 "Bratranca z golgeterskimi geni" (in Slovenian). dnevnik.si. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  23. ↑ "Do imena iz mamine knjige" (in Slovenian). NK Maribor. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  24. ↑ http://www.all-athletics.com/node/146487
  25. ↑ http://us.soccerway.com/players/etien-velikonja/35356/
  26. ↑ http://etienvelikonja.com/si/razsirjen-profil/
  27. ↑ "PrvaLiga Goalscoring Charts" (in Slovenian). PrvaLiga.si. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  28. ↑ http://us.soccerway.com/national/belgium/second-division/20152016/regular-season/r31609/

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