Danijel Subašić (born 27 October 1984) is a Croatian 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 ...

who played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

. He currently works as the goalkeeping coach of the Croatia national team. Subašić began his career in Croatia with

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

and

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. In January 2012, he joined

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, and went on to make 292 competitive appearances for them over eight-and-a-half years. He won

Ligue 2 Ligue 2 (, League 2), also known as Ligue 2 BKT due to sponsorship reasons, is a French professional football league. The league serves as the second division of French football and is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Prof ...

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and

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

in 2016–17, also being named the league's Goalkeeper of the Year in the latter season. Subašić made his senior international debut for

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

in 2009. He was part of their squads for two

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

s and as many

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...

s. He was a member of the Croatian squad which ended as runners-up to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...

Club career

Zadar

Subašić started his professional career in his hometown club

during the 2003–04 season. Following Zadar's relegation from the top flight at the end of the 2004–05 season, he became a first-team regular during the club's time in the Croatian second division.

Hajduk Split

In the summer of 2008, he was loaned 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 ...

and immediately became a regular at the club, appearing in all of their 18 league matches in the first half of the 2008–09 season. During the winter break of the season, the club decided to convert the loan into a permanent transfer. Subašić kept his place as a regular in the second half of the season, making a further 13 league appearances for the club. Early in the season, he also made three appearances for the club in 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 ...

qualifying. During his second season with Hajduk, in 2009–10, he made a total of 28 league appearances, as well as another two appearances in the UEFA Europa League qualifying, and also helped the club win the

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 ...

. In the

2010–11 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, he made 20 appearances in the league. He had a knee injury in early November which kept him out of action until just prior to the new year. He was the first choice keeper before and after the injury. In that season, Hajduk also qualified for the

where Danijel kept for all the league games bar one.

Monaco

In January 2012, Subašić joined

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 ...

. He made 17 appearances for the club during the 2011–12 season, keeping five clean sheets. In Monaco's last Ligue 2 match of the 2011–12 season, he scored the winning goal from a free kick in a 2–1 away victory over

Boulogne Boulogne-sur-Mer (; ; ; or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Hauts-de-France, Northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Pas-de-Calais. Boul ...

. In the 2012–13 season, Subašić played an important part in winning the Ligue 2 title and earning promotion to

. He missed only 3 league matches. On 10 August 2013, he made his

debut for Monaco in a 2–0 win against

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

. During the 2013–14 season, which was his first season in Ligue 1, Subašić kept four clean sheets and experienced only one defeat in Monaco's first 13 Ligue 1 matches. Subašić played 35 matches in Ligue 1 as Monaco finished runner-up in 2013–14 season. During the 2014–15 season, Subašić kept eight consecutive clean sheets in

matches; on 8 February 2015, his run of not conceding a goal in Ligue 1 ended after 842 minutes in an away match against

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 ...

. In the 2016–17 season, Subašić played an important part in winning the first Ligue 1 title after 17 years, as well reaching the Champions League semi-finals, and was named Ligue 1's Goalkeeper of the Year. Subašić missed the beginning of the 2019–20 season due to a hamstring injury and was replaced by

Benjamin Lecomte Benjamin Pascal Lecomte (born 26 April 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Montpellier. Early life Lecomte was born in Paris. Club career Lorient On 26 October 2010, Lecomte made his professional debut ...

, who joined Monaco in July 2019. However, Lecomte continued to play in the starting formation despite poor performances, even after Subašić had recovered for his injury. Subašić was relegated to a backup role and did not appear in any games during the whole season. On 8 June 2020, his departure was announced, after having spent eight-and-a-half years at Monaco.

Return to Hajduk Split

After one year without a contract, Subašić rejoined his old club Hajduk Split on 22 September 2021.

Retirement

On 28 May 2023, Subašić announced his retirement from professional football.

International career

Subašić made his international debut with the Croatian under-21 national team, in a friendly match against

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

on 1 March 2006. During the same year, he won a total of 6 international caps with the team, including two competitive appearances in the qualifying for the 2007 European Under-21 Championship. In 2009, he was called up to the Croatia national team at the full international level, and made his debut for the team on 14 November 2009 in a friendly match against

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...

Vinkovci Vinkovci () is a city in Slavonia, in the Vukovar-Syrmia County in eastern Croatia. The city settlement's population was 28,111 in the 2021 census, while the total population was 30,842, making it the largest town of the county. It is a local tr ...

, playing the full 90 minutes and keeping a clean sheet in Croatia's 5–0 win. In May 2010, he won another two international caps in friendly matches, in the away fixtures at

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

, keeping clean sheets in both matches. After

Stipe Pletikosa Stipe Pletikosa (; born 8 January 1979) is a Croatian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. As of 29 July 2021, he works at the Croatian Football Federation as the tech ...

retired from international football in 2014, Subašić became Croatia's first-choice goalkeeper.

UEFA Euro 2016

In May 2016, Subašić was selected in Croatia's final 23-man squad for

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 ...

in France. Subašić played in all of Croatia's group games, particularly playing a key role in Croatia 2–1 win over

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

; saving a penalty from

Sergio Ramos Sergio Ramos García (; born 30 March 1986) is a Spanish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a centre-back for and captain (association football), captains Liga MX club C.F. Monterrey, Monterrey. Regarded as one of the gr ...

, marking Spain's first defeat at a Euro finals match since

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2018 FIFA World Cup

In May 2018, he was named in Croatia's final 23-man squad for the

in Russia. Subašić was Croatia's regular starting goalkeeper throughout the tournament. Subašić played a key role in Croatia's match against

in the round of sixteen, where he saved three penalties during the

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

; thereby also equaling the record number set by

Ricardo Ricardo is the Spanish and Portuguese cognate of the name Richard. It derived from Proto-Germanic ''*rīks'' 'king, ruler' + ''*harduz'' 'hard, brave'. It may be a given name, or a surname. People Given name * Ricardo de Araújo Pereira (born ...

in the

2006 World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams represe ...

. His opposite number,

Kasper Schmeichel Kasper Peter Schmeichel (born 5 November 1986) is a Danish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Scottish Premiership club Celtic F.C., Celtic and the Denmark national footb ...

, had saved a penalty kick in extra time and two penalties in the shootout to earn the

Man of the Match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...

award; Subašić and Schmeichel thus combined for a record six saves from the penalty spot in one game. On 7 July, in the match against hosts

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

in the quarter-finals, Subašić suffered a minor injury in the last few minutes of the match, but despite this, Subašić kept on playing the match, making several important saves. In the

, Subašić saved the first

penalty Penalty, The Penalty, Penalization, Penalisation, Penalize or Penalise may refer to: Sports * Foul (sports) ** Penalty (golf) ** Penalty (gridiron football) ** Penalty (ice hockey) ** Penalty (rugby) ** Penalty (rugby union) ** Penalty kick (assoc ...

from

Fyodor Smolov Fyodor Mikhaylovich Smolov ( rus, Фёдор Миха́йлович Смо́лов, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ ˈsmoləf, links=yes; born 9 February 1990) is a Russian professional footballer who plays as a striker. Club career Smolo ...

; thereby becoming just the third goalkeeper in

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...

history to have made four or more saves in penalty shootouts at the World Cup finals; equaling the record made by

Sergio Goycochea Sergio Javier Goycochea (; born 17 October 1963) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is best known for helping his country reach the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final with his penalty kick saves. Club career ...

and

Harald Schumacher Harald Anton "Toni" Schumacher (born 6 March 1954) is a German former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. At club level, he won a Bundesliga title and three DFB-Pokal titles with 1. FC Köln. At international level, he represen ...

, also making Croatia just the second team to have advanced on consecutive penalty shootouts, after

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 ...

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

. In the

2018 FIFA World Cup Final The 2018 FIFA World Cup final was the final match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 2018 World Cup, the 21st edition of FIFA's competition for national association football, football teams. The match was played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russ ...

, Croatia lost 4–2 to France. Subašić received praise for his performance at the tournament, including from legendary German goalkeeper

Oliver Kahn Oliver Rolf Kahn (; born 15 June 1969) is a German football executive and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team in 1975. Twelve years later, Kahn made his debut match in t ...

. Following the conclusion of the World Cup, Subašić announced his retirement from the Croatia national team. He earned a total of 44 caps (1 unofficial).

Personal life

Subašić was born to Jovan "Jovo" Subašić, an ethnic Serb from the village of Zagrad near

Benkovac Benkovac () is a town and municipality in the Zadar County, Croatia. Geography Benkovac is located where the plain of Ravni Kotari and the karstic plateau of Bukovica, Croatia, Bukovica meet, 20 km from the town of Biograd na Moru and 30&n ...

, who belonged to the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

religion, and Boja (), from the village of Raštević who was

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He was raised Catholic. Subašić wears the image of his former

NK Zadar Nogometni klub Zadar (), commonly referred to as NK Zadar or simply Zadar, was a Croatian football club based in Zadar, a city on the Adriatic coast, best known for playing in the top flight of Croatian football for almost twenty years. Histor ...

teammate,

Hrvoje Ćustić Hrvoje Ćustić (21 October 1983 – 3 April 2008) was a Croatian footballer who played as a midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in t ...

, under his jersey while playing. Ćustić died in an on-field accident in 2008. After the

round of 16 match against

, Subašić took off his shirt to display the image, but

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

issued a warning to Subašić due to his "private message", as FIFA rules state that a player is not allowed to display private, political, religious or similar images. The decision was made by FIFA as a result of previous players taking off their jersey and displaying images or texts that could cause controversy. Following the match against

, Subašić walked up to the fans in order to take off his jersey and display the image once again, although he only showed a small part of it, as he was stopped by Croatia staff member Iva Olivari, whom he proceeded to hug afterwards.

Career statistics

Club

International

:Source:

Honours

Hajduk Split *

: 2009–10, 2021–22,

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

Monaco *

: 2016–17 *

Croatia *

runner-up:

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Individual *

Goalkeeper of the Year: 2016–17 * UNFP

Team of the Year Team of the Year may refer to: * BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Award * Canadian Press Team of the Year Award *GPA Gaelic Team of the Year * IRB International Sevens Team of the Year * IRB International Team of the Year * J.League Team of ...

: 2016–17 *

Honorary citizen Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honor usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

of the

Zadar County Zadar County ( ) is a county in Croatia, it encompasses northern Dalmatia and southeastern Lika. Its seat is the city of Zadar. Geography Among the largest towns in the county of Zadar are: Zadar, Benkovac, Bibinje, Biograd, Nin, Croatia, Nin ...

: 2019 * City of Zadar Award: 2018 Orders * Order of Prince Branimir

Order of Duke Branimir The Order of Duke Branimir () is the 7th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on April 1, 1995. The medal is awarded for excellence in promoting Croatia in international relations. It is named after duke Br ...

: 2018

References

External links

*
AS Monaco profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Subasic, Danijel 1984 births Living people Footballers from Zadar Men's association football goalkeepers Croatian men's footballers 21st-century Croatian sportsmen Croatia men's youth international footballers Croatia men's under-21 international footballers Croatia men's international footballers UEFA Euro 2012 players 2014 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2016 players 2018 FIFA World Cup players NK Zadar players HNK Hajduk Split players AS Monaco FC players Croatian Football League players First Football League (Croatia) players Ligue 2 players Ligue 1 players Croatian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Monaco Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Monaco Croatian Roman Catholics