Josip Brekalo
Brekalo training with VfB Stuttgart in 2017
Personal information
Date of birth (1998-06-23) 23 June 1998
Place of birth Zagreb, Croatia
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Left winger
Team information
Current team
 Fiorentina
Number 77
Youth career
2006–2015 Dinamo Zagreb
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2016 Dinamo Zagreb II 9 (0)
2015–2016 Dinamo Zagreb 8 (0)
2016 VfL Wolfsburg II 2 (0)
2016–2023 VfL Wolfsburg 108 (16)
2017–2018 → VfB Stuttgart (loan) 25 (2)
2021–2022 → Torino (loan) 32 (7)
2023– Fiorentina 13 (1)
International career‡
2012 Croatia U14 2 (0)
2013 Croatia U15 2 (0)
2013–2014 Croatia U16 8 (2)
2013–2015 Croatia U17 25 (9)
2015 Croatia U18 6 (3)
2015–2017 Croatia U19 17 (6)
2016–2019 Croatia U21 17 (9)
2018– Croatia 33 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:58, 8 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20:43, 13 June 2022 (UTC)

Josip Brekalo (Croatian pronunciation: [jǒsip brěːkalo];[2][3] born 23 June 1998) is a Croatian footballer who plays as a winger for Italian Serie A club Fiorentina and the Croatia national team.

Club career

Brekalo is a youth exponent from Dinamo Zagreb. He made his league debut on 19 December 2015 against Inter Zaprešić.[4] On 15 May 2016 he signed for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg for €10 million.

On 31 January 2017, Brekalo was loaned out to VfB Stuttgart until the end of the season with an option for a further year. The loan deal was initially automatically extended until June 2018 when Stuttgart secured promotion.[5] Brekalo scored his first senior goal on 17 February 2017 coming off the bench for VfB Stuttgart against 1. FC Heidenheim.[6] Brekalo returned prematurely to Wolfsburg on 1 January 2018.[7] On 8 May 2021, he scored his first career hat-trick in a 3–0 victory over Union Berlin.[8]

On 31 August 2021, Brekalo joined Torino on a loan with options to buy.

On 28 January 2023, Brekalo returned to Italy and signed with Fiorentina.[9]

International career

Brekalo is a youth international and has represented Croatia in 2015 UEFA Under-17 Euro, 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup, 2016 UEFA Under-19 Euro and 2019 UEFA Under-21 Euro.

He made his debut for Croatia's senior squad on 15 November 2018 in a 3–2 Nations League victory over Spain.[10] On 8 September 2020, Brekalo scored his first international goal for Croatia in a 4–2 Nations League defeat to France.[11]

On 1 June 2021, Brekalo was named in Croatia's final 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2020.[12] On 31 October 2022, he was named in the preliminary 34-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup;[13] however, this time he didn't make the final 26.[14]

Style of play

He usually plays on the left or right wing for both club and national team. However, he played some international matches on different positions. In the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League he played as a right back due to absence of Šime Vrsaljko. In 2020–21 UEFA Nations League he was used as one of two false 9 strikers in 4-1-2-1-2 formation, a formation which does not support wingers.

Personal life

Brekalo's father Ante (nicknamed Šargija) is a former footballer, having represented Bosnia and Herzegovina on various youth levels, as he hails from the Bosnian region of Posavina. His career was halted at the age of 21, when the Yugoslav Wars broke out and he got wounded on the battlefield.[15]

On 2 June 2021, Brekalo and his partner Dominika Kralj became parents of a girl, whom they named Nika.[16] On 17 July, Brekalo and Kralj married in Zagreb.[17]

Controversies

In summer 2018, Brekalo sparked controversy in German and Croatian media after stating that he would not like to wear a captain's armband with LGBT flag colours, after VfL Wolfsburg decided that captains of all their teams would wear such an armband during the 2018–19 season. The reason for that was cited to be the club's "stance for tolerant society" and "stance against discrimination". After 'liking' homophobic comments under club's Instagram post of captain Josuha Guilavogui wearing the armband, Brekalo blamed it on a mobile phone malfunction in an interview with Kicker. He then went on to state:[18][19][20]

"I have to say that I can't stand completely behind this action, because it contradicts my Christian belief. I've been raised religiously. I’m fine with people living a different lifestyle, because that's their business. But I don't want and don't have to carry a symbol representing them."

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 8 October 2023[21]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dinamo Zagreb II 2015–16 Druga HNL 90——90
Dinamo Zagreb 2015–16 Prva HNL 8031—111
VfL Wolfsburg II 2016–17 Regionalliga Nord 20——20
VfL Wolfsburg 2016–17 Bundesliga 4000—40
2017–18 Bundesliga 15400—154
2018–19 Bundesliga 25320—273
2019–20 Bundesliga 303218[lower-alpha 2]3407
2020–21 Bundesliga 297202[lower-alpha 2]0337
2021–22 Bundesliga 10110021
2022–23 Bundesliga 6010—70
Total 110178210312822
VfB Stuttgart (loan) 2016–17 2. Bundesliga 11100—111
2017–18 Bundesliga 14131—172
Total 25231—283
Torino (loan) 2021–22 Serie A 32710—337
Fiorentina 2022–23 Serie A 60104[lower-alpha 3]0110
2023–24 Serie A 71002[lower-alpha 3]091
Total 1311060201
Career total 1992716416323134

International

As of match played 13 June 2022[22]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Croatia 201820
201990
202083
2021111
202230
Total334
Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first. Score column indicates score after each Brekalo goal.
List of international goals scored by Josip Brekalo
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 8 September 2020Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France13 France2–22–42020–21 UEFA Nations League A
2 7 October 2020Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland14  Switzerland1–12–1Friendly
3 11 November 2020Vodafone Park, Istanbul, Turkey17 Turkey3–23–3
4 30 March 2021Stadion Rujevica, Rijeka, Croatia22 Malta3–03–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Stuttgart

Fiorentina

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Josip Brekalo". VfL Wolfsburg. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Jòsip". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 19 March 2018. Jòsip
  3. ↑ "brȅcati". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 19 March 2018. Brékalo
  4. ↑ "Dinamo Zagreb vs. Inter Zaprešić - 19 December 2015 - Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  5. ↑ "Josip Brekalo signs for VfB". VfB Stuttgart. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  6. ↑ "Away win in Heidenheim". VfB Stuttgart. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  7. ↑ "Josip Brekalo makes early return to VfL Wolfsburg". VfB Stuttgart. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  8. ↑ Kižlin, Slaven (8 May 2021). "VIDEO: Kakav dan Hrvata! Brekalo zabio tri komada, Kramarić u 13 minuta dao gol i dvaput asistirao". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  9. ↑ "BREKALO È UN NUOVO CALCIATORE DELLA FIORENTINA" (in Italian). ACF Fiorentina. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Croatia v Spain game report". UEFA. 11 November 2018.
  11. ↑ "France 4–2 Croatia". UEFA. 8 September 2020.
  12. ↑ HINA (1 June 2021). "Sada je konačno: Dalić potvrdio popis od 26 igrača za Euro 2020". Gol.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  13. ↑ "Dalić objavio prošireni popis za Svjetsko prvenstvo: Evo tko ima šansu putovati u Katar". Gol.hr (in Croatian). 31 October 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Zlatko Dalić objavio popis igrača za SP, ovo su 26 imena koje vodi u Katar". Večernji list (in Croatian). 9 November 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  15. ↑ Antolić, Dražen (8 June 2019). "VATRENI OTKRIO KAKO JE RAT ZAUSTAVIO OCA ŠARGIJU DA POSTANE NOGOMETNA KLASA 'Otišao je na ratište, bio ranjen i spriječen ostvariti snove'". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  16. ↑ "Još jedna prinova u redovima Vatrenih! Naš mladi reprezentativac postao otac kćerkice Nike". Gloria.hr (in Croatian). 2 June 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  17. ↑ Ludban, Helena; Štengl, Ivan (18 July 2021). "Josip Brekalo i Dominika Kralj izrekli sudbonosno 'da', ove godine dobili su kćer Niku". 24sata (in Croatian). Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  18. ↑ Gjerulff, Rune (27 August 2018). "Brekalo on Wolfsburg's LGBT armband: 'I don't want to carry a symbol representing them'". Bulinews. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  19. ↑ Midžor, Nina (27 August 2018). "Brekalo: Moj kršćanski odgoj priječi mi da podržim gayeve". 24sata (in Croatian). Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  20. ↑ Z. A. (27 August 2018). "Brekalo zaprepastio Nijemce: Objasnite mu da homofobija nije cool". Index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  21. ↑ "J. Brekalo". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  22. ↑ "Josip Brekalo profile". eu-football.info. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  23. ↑ Porzio, Francesco (24 May 2023). "Inter win Coppa Italia as Lautaro Martinez brace downs Fiorentina, build momentum for Champions League final". CBS Sports. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  24. ↑ Stone, Simon (7 June 2023). "Fiorentina 1–2 West Ham United: Jarrod Bowen goal decides Europa Conference League final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  25. ↑ "Team of the Tournament". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
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