Sead Kolašinac (; born 20 June 1993) is a Bosnian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a left-back for

Ligue 1 Ligue 1, officially known as Ligue 1 Uber Eats for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the French football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. A ...

club

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Kolašinac started his professional career at Schalke 04, playing first in its

reserve team In sports, a reserve team is a team composed of players under contract to a club but who do not normally play in matches for the first team. Reserve teams often include back-up players from the first team, young players who need playing time to i ...

, before joining

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in 2017. In 2021, he was loaned back to Schalke 04. The following year, he moved to Marseille. A former German youth international, Kolašinac made his senior international debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013, earning over 50 caps since. He represented the nation at their first major championship, the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

Club career

Schalke 04

Kolašinac started playing football at his hometown club

Karlsruher SC Karlsruher SC is a German association football club, based in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg that currently plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football. Domestically, the club was crowned German champion in 1909, and won the D ...

, which he joined in 2001. In 2009, he moved to

1899 Hoffenheim Turn- und Sportgemeinschaft 1899 Hoffenheim e.V., or simply TSG 1899 Hoffenheim or just Hoffenheim () is a German professional football club based in Hoffenheim, a village of Sinsheim municipality, Baden-Württemberg. Originally founded in 1899 ...

. A year later, he switched to

VfB Stuttgart Verein für Bewegungsspiele Stuttgart 1893 e. V., commonly known as VfB Stuttgart (), is a German sports club based in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg. The club's football team is currently part of Germany's first division, the Bundesliga. VfB Stu ...

. In January 2011, he went to Schalke 04. He made his professional debut against Greuther Fürth on 15 September 2012 at the age of 19. On 4 December, Kolašinac debuted in

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

away at

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

. In June 2013, he extended his contract until June 2017. In August 2014, he suffered a severe knee injury, which was diagnosed as anterior cruciate ligament tear and was ruled out for at least six months. He returned to the pitch on 11 April 2015, over seven months after the injury. On 13 December 2015, he scored his first professional goal against

FC Augsburg Fußball-Club Augsburg 1907 e. V., commonly known as FC Augsburg () or Augsburg, is a German football club based in Augsburg, Bavaria. FC Augsburg play in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the German football league system. The team was founded as ...

Arsenal

In June 2017, Kolašinac signed a five-year deal with English side

2017–18 season

He made his official debut for the club in

2017 FA Community Shield The 2017 FA Community Shield (also known as The FA Community Shield supported by McDonald's for sponsorship reasons) was the 95th FA Community Shield, an annual Association football, football match played between the winners of the previous seaso ...

against Chelsea on 6 August, managed to score a goal and win his first trophy. A week later, he made his league debut against Leicester City. In September 2017, he was voted Arsenal's Player of the Month for August. On 28 October, he scored his first league goal for the team in a triumph over

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...

. He was once again voted Arsenal's Player of the Month, this time for October.

2018–19 season

In August 2018, Kolašinac picked up a knee injury during pre-season game against Chelsea, which ruled him out for the start of season. He made his season debut in

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

game against Qarabağ on 4 October.

2019–20 season

Kolašinac played his first game of the campaign in a defeat of

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

on 17 August 2019. On 15 July 2020, he played his 100th game for the side against

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

2020–21 season

Kolašinac appeared in his first game of the season on 19 September against West Ham United. In January 2021, he was sent on a six-month loan to his former club Schalke 04. He played his first competitive game for the team since coming back on 9 January against 1899 Hoffenheim. On 27 February, he scored his first goal for Schalke 04 since his comeback in a victory over VfB Stuttgart.

2021–22 season

Kolašinac debuted in the season against

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

on 28 August 2021. In November, he suffered an ankle injury, which was diagnosed as

broken ankle An ankle fracture is a break of one or more of the bones that make up the ankle joint. Symptoms may include pain, swelling, bruising, and an inability to walk on the injured leg. Complications may include an associated high ankle sprain, compartme ...

and was ruled out for at least two months.

Marseille

In January 2022, Kolašinac moved to French outfit

on a contract until June 2023. He debuted officially for the team on 4 February against Angers. On 13 November, he scored his first goal for Marseille against

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

, which secured the victory for his side.

International career

Despite representing

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

at various youth levels, Kolašinac decided to play for

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

at senior level. In November 2013, his request to change sports citizenship from German to Bosnian was approved by

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

. Later that month, he received his first senior call-up, for a

friendly Friendly may refer to: Places * Friendly, West Yorkshire, a settlement in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England * Friendly, Maryland, an unincorporated community in the United States * Friendly, Eugene, Oregon, a neighborhood in the United States * ...

game against

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, and debuted in that game on 18 November. In June 2014, Kolašinac was named in Bosnia and Herzegovina's squad for

, country's first major competition. He made his tournament debut in the opening group match against Argentina on 15 June.

Style of play

During his career, Kolašinac has been deployed as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

and as a defensive midfielder, although he spent most of the time playing as a left-back. He possesses very strong body build and strength.

Media

Kolašinac was involved in the

Amazon Original In 2013, Amazon.com began distributing original television shows through its Amazon Prime Video service, some of which are developed in-house by Amazon Studios. Original programming Drama Comedy Animation Adult animation Anime Kids & fa ...

sports docuseries '' All or Nothing: Arsenal'', which documented the club by spending time with the coaching staff and players behind the scenes both on and off the field throughout their 2021–22 season.

Personal life

Kolašinac married his long-time girlfriend Susubelle in June 2019. Together they have a daughter named Soleil. He is a practising

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

; along with international teammates

Ibrahim Šehić Ibrahim Šehić (; born 2 September 1988) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Süper Lig club Konyaspor and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Šehić started his professional career at Željezničar, bef ...

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Izet Hajrović Izet Hajrović (; born 4 August 1991) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Super League Greece club Aris and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Hajrović started his professional career at Grasshoppers, befor ...

Edin Višća Edin Višća (; born 17 February 1990) is a Bosnian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor. Višća started his professional career at FK Budućnost Banovići, Budu ...

and

Ervin Zukanović Ervin Zukanović (; born 11 February 1987) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Super League Greece club Asteras Tripolis. Zukanović started his professional career at Željezničar. After leaving the club, he h ...

he visited a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

Zenica Zenica ( ; ; ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and an administrative and economic center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Zenica-Doboj Canton. It is located in the Bosna (river), Bosna river valley, about north of Sarajevo. Th ...

during national team concentration. In July 2019, he and his then teammate

Mesut Özil Mesut Özil (, ; born 15 October 1988) is a German professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Süper Lig club İstanbul Başakşehir. Özil is known for his technical skills, creativity, passing skills, and vision. He can ...

were victims of an attempted carjacking, which Kolašinac successfully fought off.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Arsenal *

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

: 2019–20 *

FA Community Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier Le ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

References

External links