Luka Krajnc
Krajnc in 2015
Personal information
Date of birth (1994-09-19) 19 September 1994
Place of birth Ptuj, Slovenia[1]
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Catanzaro
Number 32
Youth career
2003–2011 Maribor
2011–2013 Genoa Primavera
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2011 Maribor 1 (0)
2011–2015 Genoa 3 (0)
2013–2015 → Cesena (loan) 44 (1)
2015–2018 Cagliari 21 (0)
2016–2017 → Sampdoria (loan) 0 (0)
2017–2018 → Frosinone (loan) 46 (0)
2018–2021 Frosinone 24 (0)
2020–2021 → Fortuna Düsseldorf (loan) 24 (2)
2021–2023 Hannover 96 40 (1)
2023– Catanzaro 11 (0)
International career
2010 Slovenia U16 1 (0)
2010 Slovenia U17 5 (0)
2011 Slovenia U18 2 (0)
2011–2012 Slovenia U19 16 (1)
2011–2012 Slovenia U20 2 (0)
2012–2016 Slovenia U21 19 (2)
2015–2018 Slovenia 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 January 2024

Luka Krajnc (born 19 September 1994) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Italian Serie B club Catanzaro.

Club career

Krajnc began his football career at the age of eight when his father took him on a trial with the Slovenian football club Maribor.[2] He signed his first professional contract with Maribor at the age of 16 and played for the main squad in a couple of friendly matches. On 29 May 2011, he played his first and only 1. SNL match for Maribor in the last round of the 2010–11 season,[3] with Maribor already crowned champions. At the time of his debut he was the youngest player ever with an appearance for Maribor in a 1. SNL match, a record which lasted until 25 March 2012.[4]

On 3 April 2011, Krajnc signed a pre-contract with Italian Serie A club Genoa.[5] The transfer fee paid by Genoa was undisclosed, but was reported to be close to €1 million. He joined his new club on 1 July 2011.[6][7] He began his career at Genoa with their Primavera side which he also captained, before making a debut for the main squad on 27 October 2012 at San Siro in a league match against AC Milan.[8] With 18 years, one month and 14 days he became the youngest Slovenian player ever with an appearances in the Italian top division, Serie A.[7]

On 3 July 2013 he moved to Cesena in temporary co-ownership deal.[9] In June 2015 Genoa acquired Cesena's share and became the sole owner of the player's rights.[10]

On 31 August 2016, Krajnc joined Sampdoria on a season-long loan.[11] In the second part of the 2016–17 season, he was loaned to Frosinone.[12]

On 20 June 2018, Frosinone turned Krajnc's loan into a permanent deal for undisclosed fee.[13]

In September 2020, he joined Fortuna Düsseldorf on a season-long loan.[14]

On 24 August 2021, Krajnc joined Hannover 96 on a three-year contract.[15]

On 23 August 2023, Krajnc returned to Italy and signed a two-year deal with Catanzaro.[16]

International career

Krajnc has represented Slovenia at all youth levels from under-16 to under-21.[17] On 30 March 2015 he made his senior international debut, replacing Dominic Maroh after 65 minutes of an eventual 1–0 friendly defeat to Qatar at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.[18]

Style of play

Krajnc, who is left footed, primarily plays in central defence and is praised for his pace, strength, passing and ability on the ball.[19]

Personal life

Krajnc is from Kapla na Kozjaku in the hilly region of northeastern Slovenia near the Austrian border, roughly 37 km from the city of Maribor.[2][20] Before moving to Maribor he usually had to study and do his homework on the back seat of his father's car, traveling to and from training.[2][8]

References

  1. 1 2 Luka Krajnc at Soccerway
  2. 1 2 3 "Nočno življenje me ne bo zavedlo" [Nightlife will not deceive me] (in Slovenian). NK Maribor. 8 April 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "Luka Krajnc" (in Slovenian). Slovenian PrvaLiga. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Soigralci in navijači odnesli tremo" [Teammates and fans helped me with fright] (in Slovenian). NK Maribor. 26 March 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  5. ↑ To. G. (3 April 2011). "Luka Krajnc pri 16 letih iz Maribora v Genoo" [Luka Krajnc from Maribor to Genoa at the age of 16] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  6. ↑ D. D. (7 April 2011). "Kako je Genoa Chelseaju speljala Krajnca?" [How did Genoa steal Krajnc from Chelsea?] (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  7. 1 2 Plestenjak, Rok (29 October 2012). "Tako mlad ni debitiral še nihče" [No one debuted that young] (in Slovenian). Siol. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  8. 1 2 T. O. (30 October 2012). "Na San Siru kot v kinu, slike ni pokvaril niti sporen gol" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  9. ↑ "Luka Kranjc è un giocatore del Cesena" (in Italian). AC Cesena. 3 July 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  10. ↑ Dominko, Peter (25 June 2015). "Genoa odkupila Krajnca" [Genoa bought Krajnc]. Slovenski nogometni portal (in Slovenian). Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  11. ↑ "Official: Krajnc to Sampdoria". Football italia. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  12. ↑ Uredništvo (10 January 2017). "Uradno: Krajnc v Frosinone" [Official: Krajnc to Frosinone] (in Slovenian). Nogomania. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  13. ↑ "Salamon alla Spal e Krajnc al Frosinone" (in Italian). Cagliari. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  14. ↑ Uredništvo (29 September 2020). "URADNO: Luka Krajnc je izpolnil svoje sanje" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  15. ↑ "Trotz "anderer Optionen": Krajnc entscheidet sich für Hannover". kicker.de (in German). kicker. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  16. ↑ "Luka Krajnc se je po dveh letih v Nemčiji vrnil tja, kjer je doslej preživel največ časa: Branilec v Italiji podpisal za Catanzaro". Planet Nogomet (in Slovenian). 23 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  17. ↑ "Luka Krajnc" (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  18. ↑ "Qatar 1–0 Slovenia". eu-football.info. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  19. ↑ "Blues to have first refusal on Slovenian starlet". theshedender.com. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  20. ↑ "Luka Krajnc: Prav nič ne bi razmišljal" [Luka Krajnc: I wouldn't think about it]. Ekipa (in Slovenian). 25 February 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.