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Alexander Kačaniklić ( sr-Cyrl, Александар Качаниклић; ; ; born 13 August 1991) is a Swedish former 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 lea ...
. He normally operated as a winger but could also play as a
central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
. A full international between 2012 and 2020, he won 21
caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
and scored three goals for the Sweden national team.


Club career


Youth career

Born in
Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
, Sweden, Kačaniklić played for a local team until he joined from Swedish club
Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
, alongside his brother, when he was ten. Kačaniklić joined
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
from Swedish club
Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
in the summer of 2007, where he was assigned to the club's academy. It came after when Kačaniklić was scouted while playing for Sweden U16. During his progress, the club's U18 Manager Hughie McAuley said: "Alex is a talented player and has already played at reserve team level. He is a naturally gifted footballer who is very quick. He crosses really good balls and can also be effective on the right wing when he cuts inside and scores goals. I'm looking forward to seeing him make more progress." He scored "a wonderful effort" against
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
's youth team in the
2008–09 FA Youth Cup The 2008–09 FA Youth Cup was the 57th FA Youth Cup. A record 474 clubs participated in the competition. The competition started in September 2008 with the preliminary round and concluded with the final on 22 and 26 May 2009. Arsenal knocked out ...
Final. Two years later, Kačaniklić graduated from the academy to the club's reserves, where he was featured under John McMahon. It was reported in February 2010 that Kačaniklić could get a chance in Liverpool's first team football ahead of the
UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
match. But he never made it to the starting line-up. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Kačaniklić was offered a two–year contract with the club. He moved on to
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
in August 2010, together with
Lauri Dalla Valle Lauri Dalla Valle (born 14 September 1991) is a Finnish former professional footballer who played as a striker. After playing youth football for JIPPO and Inter Milan, Dalla Valle moved to England in 2008 to join Liverpool. After two seasons he ...
, as part of the deal in which Fulham's
Paul Konchesky Paul Martyn Konchesky (born 15 May 1981) is an English Association football, football coach and former professional player who most recently was manager of West Ham United W.F.C., West Ham United Women of the FA WSL. During a 21-year playing ca ...
joined Liverpool. After leaving Liverpool, Kačaniklić reflected his time there, saying: "I left because I saw an opportunity to make a career for myself and develop as a player and a person. I had some really good years at Liverpool and they helped me a lot and England is the country where I want to play, so it was an easy decision to leave Sweden. It is difficult moving so young. It is a different lifestyle in England compared to Sweden and I left all the comforts I had at home, in terms of my friends and school. But having my family here made it so much easier and I am so grateful to them for that."


Fulham

After almost two years with the Fulham Reserves, Kačaniklić was an unused substitute as Fulham drew with
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
on 19 November 2011. He made his Fulham debut on 30 March 2012, coming on as a substitute for the injured
Pavel Pogrebnyak Pavel Viktorovich Pogrebnyak ( ; born 8 November 1983) is a Russian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Born in Moscow, Pogrebnyak began his career at Spartak Moscow, making his professional debut in 2002. Over the next th ...
after 35 minutes. He almost scored a goal, as a clipped shot was parried by
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
goalkeeper
John Ruddy John Thomas Gordon Ruddy (born 24 October 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He is currently a free agent. Ruddy began his career at Cambridge United, before signing for Everton as a 19-year-old. He spent f ...
and hit the crossbar. He was praised by
Martin Jol Maarten Cornelis "Martin" Jol (born 16 January 1956) is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. He played over 400 games during his career which included spells in the Netherlands, Germany and England, as well as earning three caps wi ...
in his post-match press conference. He made his first start for Fulham in an away match against
Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
on 7 April 2012. Fulham won the match 0–3, and Kačaniklić was subbed off after 88 minutes for fellow Academy graduate
Marcello Trotta Marcello Trotta (born 29 September 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Turris. Club career Early career Born in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Italy, Trotta began his career in the youth team at Serie A club ...
, who made his Premier League debut for Fulham. Shortly before the match, Jol confirmed that Fulham would offer Kačaniklić a new contract. In a 1–0 win over Liverpool on 1 May 2012, Kačaniklić set up the only goal of the game when "he was a constant threat to Liverpool's backline, especially in the first half, and certainly played his part in the goal when
John Arne Riise John Arne Semundseth Riise (born 24 September 1980) is a Norwegian former professional Association football, footballer and Manager (association football), coach. With 110 caps, Riise is the most capped player for the Norway national football te ...
's cross hit him before rebounding off
Martin Škrtel Martin Škrtel (born 15 December 1984) is a Slovak former professional Association football, footballer who played as a centre-back. Škrtel previously played for FK AS Trenčín and FC Zenit Saint Petersburg, Zenit Saint Petersburg, before join ...
into the back of the net". Following this, Kačaniklić received a handful first team appearances, result in him making four appearances at the end of the 2011–12 season. Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Kačaniklić signed a new two-year deal with the option of a third year to stay at Craven Cottage. It came after when he was linked a move away from the club. Kačaniklić scored his first goal for Fulham in the 5–0 drubbing at home against Norwich on the opening day of the
2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
season. Since the start of the season, he became a first team regular for the side, playing in the midfield position. Kačaniklić had a good start to the season, assisting both of
Dimitar Berbatov Dimitar Ivanov Berbatov (; born 30 January 1981) is a Bulgarian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Known for his technique and ball control, Berbatov is regarded as one of the greatest Bulgarian players of all time. He cap ...
's goals on 15 September 2012 against
West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
, resulting a 3–0 win for Fulham. He scored a header at
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
on 10 November 2012 in a 3–3 draw. Kačaniklić then scored the winner in Fulham's 2–1 victory away to West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day. However, injuries and competitions in the midfield positions soon led him losing his first team place and appeared on the substitute bench, resulting out on loan to Burnley. After being recalled on 18 April 2013, Kačaniklić made his first appearance for Fulham two days later, starting the whole game before being substituted in the 85th minute, in a 1–0 loss against Arsenal. Two weeks later on 4 May 2013, he set up a goal for
Bryan Ruiz Bryan Jafet Ruiz González (; born 18 August 1985) is a Costa Rican former professional Association football, footballer. A left-footed Midfielder#Attacking midfielder, attacking midfielder, he also played as a Forward (association football)#S ...
, who went to score twice, in a 4–2 loss against
Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifacete ...
. Kačaniklić then scored his fourth goal of the season, as well as, setting up the club's third goal of the game, in a 3–0 win over
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club ( ; ) is a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. It competes in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Swansea have played their home matches at ...
in the last game of the season. After the match, he was named Sky Sports’ Team of the Week. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Kačaniklić went on to make thirty appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. However at the start of the 2013–14 season, Kačaniklić suffered a hamstring injury that saw him miss the opening game of the season against
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
. It wasn't until on 24 August 2013 when he made his first appearance of the season, coming on as a substitute in the 61st minute, in a 3–1 loss against Arsenal. Following this, Kačaniklić was involved in a lot of playing time for the side. After sitting out of the first team for two matches, he returned to the starting line-up, coming on as an 80th-minute substitute, in a 2–0 loss against
Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
on 26 October 2013. In a follow–up, Kačaniklić scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 loss against
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
. He then set up two goals in two matches on 8 December 2013 and 14 December 2013. On 23 January 2014, Kačaniklić signed a one-year extension to his contract, keeping him at Fulham until June 2015. However, Kačaniklić soon found his playing time reduced later in the 2013–14 season, due to being placed on the substitute bench. As a result, the club were later relegated to the
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
after losing 4–1 to
Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...
. Sky Sports said about his performance, saying: "Kacaniklic hasn't fared much better, with his most noteworthy act all season coming when he scored a consolation with his side three-goals down at home to Manchester United." At the end of the 2013–14 season, Kačaniklić made twenty–nine appearances and scoring once in all competitions. In the 2014–15 season, Kačaniklić made one appearances for the side before joining FC Copenhagen by the end of August. After being recalled by Fulham following his loan spell at FC Copenhagen ended, his first appearance for the side since August came on 10 January 2015, coming on as a substitute in the 61st minute, in a 1–0 draw against
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...
. Seven days later on 17 January 2015, Kačaniklić scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 win over Reading. Following this, he regained his first team place for Fulham and appeared in the starting line-up, Kačaniklić scored his second goal of the season, in a 2–0 win over
Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...
on 23 March 2015. However, injuries continued to struck him on two occasions, including one for the remaining matches of the 2014–15 season. Despite this, he went on to make sixteen appearances and scoring two times in all competitions in the 2014–15 season. In the 2015–16 season, Kačaniklić scored on his first appearance of the season, in a 1–0 win against
Wycombe Wanderers Wycombe Wanderers Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 188 ...
in the first round of the League Cup. Kačaniklić then scored his second goal of the season, in a 4–2 win over Reading on 24 October 2015. He later scored two more goals for the side later in the season against
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
and
Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...
. However, he, once again, found himself in and out of the first team throughout the 2015–16 season, due to the club's change of management. Kačaniklić also faced concern with injuries along the way. At the end of the 2015–16 season, he went on to make twenty–seven appearances and scoring four times in all competitions. Following this, Kačaniklić were among four players to be released by the club upon expiry of his contract.


Loan to Watford

On 30 January 2012, Kačaniklić joined
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
club
Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...
on a youth loan until the end of the season. He made his debut the next day, starting the whole game before being substituted in the 74th minute and set up two goals, in a 2–0 away win against
Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
. In a follow–up match, Kačaniklić set up the opening goal for
John Eustace John Mark Eustace (born 3 November 1979) is an English professional football coach and former player who is currently head coach of club Derby County. During his playing career, he played as a central midfielder for Coventry City, Stoke City, ...
, who went on to score twice, in a 2–1 win over
Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
. Kačaniklić scored his first goal in a 3–2 home win against
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
on 3 March 2012. After a series of impressive displays and becoming a first team regular for Watford, Kačaniklić was recalled by his parent club, Fulham, on 27 March 2012.


Loan to Burnley

On 1 March 2013, Kačaniklić joined Championship side Burnley on loan until the end of the 2012–2013 season, and was given the number 19 shirt. He made his Burnley debut against
Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Charlton, south-east London, England. The team compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Their home ground is ...
on 2 March 2013, playing the full 90 minutes and setting up the only goal of the game in a 1–0 win for Burnley. Kačaniklić was featured in the first team for the next four matches before losing his place by the beginning of April. He was recalled by
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
on 18 April 2013. By the time Kačaniklić was recalled, he made six appearances for the side.


Loan to Copenhagen

Kačaniklić signed on a season-long loan for
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
on 1 September 2014 after signing a contract extension until 2016 with Fulham. He made his Copenhagen debut, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against
Aalborg Aalborg or Ålborg ( , , ) is Denmark's List of cities and towns in Denmark, fourth largest urban settlement (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an Urban area, urban populati ...
on 13 September 2014. Five days later on 18 September 2014, Kačaniklić made his European debut, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 win over
HJK Helsinki Helsingin Jalkapalloklubi (), commonly known as HJK Helsinki (), or simply as HJK (), is a Finnish football club based in Helsinki. The club competes in Veikkausliiga, the top division of the Finnish football league system. Founded in 1907, the ...
. He scored his first goal for the club, in a 1–1 draw against
SønderjyskE SønderjyskE is a Denmark, Danish sport corporation. They have a Football (soccer), football team (SønderjyskE Fodbold, based in Haderslev), two team handball, handball teams (SønderjyskE Håndbold, one male based in Sønderborg, one female bas ...
on 27 September 2014. Kačaniklić’s second goal came on 19 October 2014, in a 1–0 win over
Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is List of cities and towns in Denmark, Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 64,511 ().Nantes Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
on a free transfer following his release by
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
. After missing the opening game of the season, Kačaniklić made his FC Nantes debut, coming on as a substitute for
Jules Iloki Jules Hermon Aziz Iloki (born 14 January 1992) is a French professional Association football, footballer who last played as a Winger (association football), winger for Chinese Super League club Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C., Tianjin Jinmen Tiger. ...
in the 23rd minute, and played for the rest of the match, as they lost 1–0 against
AS Monaco Association Sportive de Monaco Football Club, commonly referred to as AS Monaco (), is a professional football club based in Fontvieille, Monaco. Although not in France, they are a member of the French Football Federation (FFF) and currently ...
on 20 August 2016. It wasn't until on 21 September 2016 when he made his first start for the club, playing 75 minutes, in a 0–0 draw against
Saint-Étienne Saint-Étienne (; Franco-Provençal: ''Sant-Etiève''), also written St. Etienne, is a city and the prefecture of the Loire département, in eastern-central France, in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regi ...
. However, Kačaniklić found himself placed on the substitute bench, as a result of a pecking order in the midfield competitions. By December, he was dropped from the first team and appeared once over the next two months. With a speculation over his FC Nantes’ future, Kačaniklić said he will stay at the club following talks with Manager
Sérgio Conceição Sérgio Paulo Marceneiro da Conceição (; born 15 November 1974) is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who mostly played as a right winger. Throughout his career, he played for ten teams in five countries. After gain ...
. However, Kačaniklić continued to remain on the substitute bench at times for the rest of the 2016–17 season. Despite this, he received more playing time between 11 March 2017 and 16 April 2017 and later contributed two assists: the first one came against
Montpellier Montpellier (; ) 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 France, department of ...
on 11 March 2017 and the second one came against Saint-Étienne on 9 April 2017. At the end of the 2016–17 season, Kačaniklić went on to make nineteen appearances in all competitions. In the 2017–18 season, Kačaniklić started the first two league matches of the season before suffering an injury in the first half and was substituted, in a 1–0 loss against
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
on 12 August 2017. As a result, Kačaniklić was sidelined for two matches before returning to the substitute bench against Montpellier on 9 September 2017. However, his return was short–lived when he suffered an injury once again. It wasn't until on 25 October 2017 when Kačaniklić returned to the starting line-up and played 60 minutes before being substituted, in a 3–1 loss against
Tours FC Tours Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tours (), was a football club based in Tours, France. Formed in 1919, the club adopted the name Tours FC in 1951 after several other name changes. The club was dissolved on 26 February 2025 d ...
in the third round of the Coupe de la Ligue. Even after making a return, he continued to spend the rest of the year on the sidelines, due to injuries and placed on the substitute bench. With his first team opportunities limited at FC Nantes, Kačaniklić stayed at the club despite being linked a move away from the January transfer window. It wasn't until on 17 January 2018 when he made his first appearance in almost three months, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 1–1 draw against
Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
. Kačaniklić then appeared in the next four matches, including setting up one of the goals, in a 3–0 win over
Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 7,115 as of 2020, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Guin ...
on 27 January 2018. Following this, he returned to the substitute bench for the remaining matches of the 2017–18 season. The 2018–19 season saw Kačaniklić make no appearances for the side. It was announced on 28 December 2018 that he agreed the termination of his contract with Nantes. Shortly after leaving the club, Kačaniklić spoke out about his teammate
Emiliano Sala Emiliano Raúl Sala Taffarel (; 31 October 1990 – 21 January 2019) was an Argentine professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. After playing youth football in Argentina and following ...
.


Hammarby IF

On 9 February 2019, Kačaniklić signed a three-year contract with
Hammarby IF Hammarby Idrottsförening ("Hammarby Sports Club"), commonly known as Hammarby IF or simply Hammarby ( or, especially locally, ), is a Swedish sports club located in Stockholm, with a number of member organizations active in a variety of differ ...
in
Allsvenskan Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system. Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...
, marking his return to Sweden for the first time in twelve years. Upon joining the club, he said: "It's nice that it's finally done and I'm extremely happy to be here." Kačaniklić made his Hammarby IF debut in the opening game of the season against
IF Elfsborg Idrottsföreningen Elfsborg, more commonly known as IF Elfsborg or simply Elfsborg (), is a professional association football, football club based in Borås, Sweden, and is affiliated to the Västergötlands Fotbollförbund. They play in the Alls ...
, where he started and played 71 minutes before being substituted, in a 1–1 draw. However, Kačaniklić suffered an injury that saw him sidelined for three matches. His bad start to his Hammarby IF's career led the Swedish media to debate whether Kačaniklić is a flop. It wasn't until on 5 May 2019 when Kačaniklić returned from injury, coming on as a late substitute, in a 3–2 win over
Örebro Örebro ( ; ) is the seventh-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers inland along the small river Svartån, and ...
. Since returning to the first team from injury, he quickly regained his first team place for the side. His first goal in Hammarby came at home against
Falkenbergs FF Falkenbergs Fotbollsförening, also known simply as Falkenbergs FF, Falkenberg or (especially locally) FFF, is a Swedish football club based in Falkenberg. Formed on 3 January 1928, the club plays in the second highest Swedish league, Superetta ...
on 7 July 2019, in a 6–2 win, where he also scored two more and assisted to one. It was Kačaniklić's first
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three Wick ...
at senior level. Following the match, Aftonbladet named him Allsvenskan's Team of the Week for Round 14. Two weeks later on 22 July 2019, he scored his fourth goal for the club, in a 5–2 win over Elfsborg, followed up by scoring the club's second goal of the game, in a 6–1 win over
AFC Eskilstuna Athletic Football Club Eskilstuna, also known as AFC Eskilstuna or simply AFC, is a Swedish professional football club based in Eskilstuna. The club has previously been known under the names FC Café Opera and Väsby United before switching owne ...
. His performance for the side had convincingly led the Swedish media to call him a flop earlier in the season. His goal scoring form continued throughout August, scoring against
Helsingborg Helsingborg (, , ), is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Scania County, Scania (Skåne), Sweden. It is the second-largest city in Scania (after Malmö) and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, ninth ...
,
GIF Sundsvall Gymnastik- och Idrottsföreningen Sundsvall, more commonly known as GIF Sundsvall (), Giffarna or simply Sundsvall, is a Swedish professional association football, football club based in Sundsvall. The club is affiliated with Medelpads Fotbollf� ...
and
IFK Luleå IFK Luleå is a Swedish professional football club formed in 1900, located in Luleå. The club merged with Luleå FF and played under the name Luleå FF/IFK from 1986 to 1989. History IFK Luleå was originally founded in the year 1900, but wen ...
. His performance attracted from
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; "Honour Division" or "Premier Division") is a professional association football league in the Netherlands and the highest level of the Dutch football league system. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start o ...
champions,
Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...
and Turkish side
Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...
. Amid the transfer rumours, Kačaniklić was sidelined on two occasions throughout September. Despite this, he returned to the starting line-up and later played a role, scoring victories against title contenders,
Djurgården Djurgården ( or ) or, more officially, , is an island in central Stockholm, Sweden. Djurgården is home to historical buildings and monuments, museums, galleries, the amusement park Gröna Lund, the open-air museum Skansen, the small resident ...
and
Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...
to keep Hammarby IF's hopes alive. In the last game of the season against
BK Häcken Bollklubben Häcken, more commonly known as BK Häcken or simply Häcken (), is a Swedish professional association football, football club based in Gothenburg (Hisingen). It currently plays in Allsvenskan, the top tier of Swedish football. Forme ...
, Kačaniklić scored the club's opening goal of the game and then set up the club's second goal, in a 4–1 win but was unable to win the Allsvenskan, due to different results, leading Djurgården becoming champions and Hammarby finishing third place. In his first season at Hammarby IF, he went on to make twenty–six appearances and scored eleven times in all competitions.


Hajduk Split

On 15 February 2021, Kačaniklić transferred to
Hajduk Split Hrvatski Nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Split, that competes in the Croatian First League, the top tier in Croatian football. Since 1979, the club's home ...
in
Prva HNL The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establish ...
, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract. Reports suggested a transfer fee of around 7.5 million SEK. He made his debut for Hajduk on 27 February, in a 1–0
derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
win over
Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...
. However, ahead of a
Croatian Cup Croatian Cup may refer to: *Croatian Football Cup *Croatian Football Super Cup *Croatian Women's Football Cup *Croatian Basketball Cup, also known as Krešimir Ćosić Cup *Croatian Handball Cup *Croatian Water Polo Cup The Croatian Water Polo C ...
quarter-final against Gorica on 16 March, Kačaniklić got injured in training which forced him to miss the game, as Hajduk got eliminated by the
Turopolje Turopolje () is a region in Croatia between the capital city Zagreb and Sisak. The administrative center of the Turopolje region is the town of Velika Gorica. Geography Turopolje forms part of Posavina, a region south of Zagreb bordering th ...
club. He recovered in time for the 3 April game against Lokomotiva, which Hajduk won 2–0. On 1 May, he scored his first goal in a 3–2 derby win over Rijeka.


International career


Youth career

Kačaniklić has played international football for Sweden in UEFA European football championship games at under-17 and under-19 levels. In February 2011, Kačaniklić was called up by Sweden U21. However, he was replaced the following month by Viktor Lundberg.


Senior career

On 15 August 2012, Kačaniklić was called up to the Sweden national team replacing
Emir Bajrami Emir Bajrami (born 7 March 1988) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a winger. Starting off his professional career with IF Elfsborg in 2006, he went on to represent FC Twente, AS Monaco, and Panathinaikos before retiring ...
for the match against
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. Kačaniklić previously considered to be shortlisted for the Sweden squad ahead of the
UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...
, but didn't make the cut.
He was introduced as a substitute with 25 minutes left, coming on for Christian Wilhelmsson. Sweden lost the friendly match to Brazil on a scoreline of 0–3. On 12 October 2012, Kačaniklić played his first competitive international, in the 2014 World Cup UEFA Group C qualifiers. In the match against the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
he was introduced in the 62nd minute, with the result then being 1–0 for the opposition.FIFA Match report: Faroe Islands – Sweden, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier
Retrieved 20 October 2012.
Only three minutes later, after a pass from
Zlatan Ibrahimović Zlatan Ibrahimović (born 3 October 1981) is a Swedish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Ibrahimović is known for his acrobatic strikes and Volley (association footba ...
, Kačaniklić scored his first goal for his country, levelling the score to 1–1. Ten minutes further into the game Ibrahimović netted as well and the game ended 2–1 in favour of Sweden. Four days later on 16 October 2012, Sweden played again in the same competition, this time against
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Kačaniklić again started as a substitute but after Germany completely outplayed Sweden in the first half, Kačaniklić and
Kim Källström Kim Mikael Källström (; born 24 August 1982) is a Swedish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder. He was noted for his play-making ability and free-kick taking. He started his career at several clubs i ...
were introduced by Swedish coach
Erik Hamrén Erik Anders Hamrén (born 27 June 1957) is a Swedish manager and former football player, who most recently was the manager of Danish Superliga club AaB. He also previously coached the Sweden national team between 2009 and 2016 and the Iceland ...
.FIFA Match report: Germany – Sweden, 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier
Retrieved 20 October 2012.
The score was then 3–0 for Germany, and in the 57th minute things would get even worse for Sweden as
Mesut Özil Mesut Özil (, ; born 15 October 1988) is a German former professional association football, footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Known for his ball control, technical skills, creativity, passing skills, and vision, he is widely re ...
made it 4–0. After that however, Sweden managed to do the unimaginable, and with great performances from half-time substitutes Källström and Kačaniklić, they scored four goals and the game ended 4–4. Kačaniklić, who set up
Johan Elmander Johan Erik Calvin Elmander (; born 27 May 1981) is a Swedish former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), striker. Beginning his career with Holmalunds IF in the late 1990s, he went on to p ...
for his goal which made the score 4–3, received praise in various media for his effort. The following year, Kačaniklić’s first appearance for the national side came on 6 February 2013, playing 77 minutes before being substituted, in a 3–2 loss against
Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
. He then scored his second goal for the national side when Zlatan Ibrahimović made a perfect pass to allow him easily nod the ball, in a 1–0 win against
Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
on 3 June 2013. Four months later on 15 October 2013, Kačaniklić scored his third goal for the national side, in a 5–3 loss against Germany. A month later against
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
in the
play-offs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
round, he played in both legs, as Sweden lost 4–2 on aggregate. After the match, Kačaniklić said he and his teammates were sad over the loss. Three years later, Kačaniklić was shortlisted for the national side to potentially be in the squad ahead of
UEFA Euro 2016 The 2016 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2016 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2016) or simply Euro 2016, was the 15th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's association football, football ch ...
but didn't make the cut. After a six-year absence, Kačaniklić was called up to the Sweden squad for the training tour in early 2020. He made his return on the pitch in a 1–0 friendly win against
Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...
on 9 January 2020. Three days later on 12 January 2020, Kačaniklić captained the national side for the first time, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 win over
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
.


Personal life

Kačaniklić's older brother
Robin Robin most commonly refers to several species of passerine birds. Robin may also refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), inclu ...
(born 1988) is a midfielder. Their father was born in Sweden to immigrants from
SR Macedonia The Socialist Republic of Macedonia (), or SR Macedonia, commonly referred to as Socialist Macedonia, Yugoslav Macedonia or simply Macedonia, was one of the six constituent republics of the post-World War II Socialist Federal Republic of Y ...
, a part of
SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, of
Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
descent. His family hails from
Čučer-Sandevo Čučer-Sandevo () is a village in Republic of North Macedonia. It is a seat of the Čučer-Sandevo Municipality. Geography The village is located in the northern part of the Skopje Valley, in the central part of the territory of the Municipality ...
. His father wanted him to play for the
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
, but he chose to represent Sweden. Growing up, Kačaniklić idolised
Rivaldo Rivaldo Vítor Borba Ferreira (; born 19 April 1972), known simply as Rivaldo, is a Brazilian former footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder but also as a second striker, and on occasion deployed as a wide midfielder or as ...
and later
Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Saudi Pr ...
. He also grew up supporting
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, citing the club's style of play. In addition to speaking Swedish, Kačaniklić can speak English and learned French during his time at Nantes.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kačaniklić goal''.


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kacaniklic, Alexander Footballers from Helsingborg 1991 births Living people Swedish men's footballers Sweden men's international footballers Sweden men's youth international footballers Sweden men's under-21 international footballers Men's association football midfielders English Football League players Premier League players Danish Superliga players Ligue 1 players Allsvenskan players Croatian Football League players Cypriot First Division players Liverpool F.C. players Fulham F.C. players Watford F.C. players Burnley F.C. players F.C. Copenhagen players FC Nantes players Hammarby Fotboll players HNK Hajduk Split players AEL Limassol players Swedish expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark Expatriate men's footballers in France Expatriate men's footballers in Croatia Expatriate men's footballers in Cyprus Swedish expatriate sportspeople in England Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Denmark Swedish expatriate sportspeople in France Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Croatia Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Swedish people of Serbian descent Swedish people of Macedonian descent 21st-century Swedish sportsmen