Eldin Jakupović (; born 2 October 1984) is a Swiss professional
footballer who plays as a
goalkeeper for
MLS Next Pro club
Chattanooga FC.
He started his professional career at
Grasshopper Club Zürich in 2004, then moved to
FC Thun a year later. After success there, Jakupović joined
FC Lokomotiv Moscow in March 2006. He returned to Grasshoppers on loan spending two seasons there. In 2010, he moved to Greece joining
Olympiakos Volou. In September 2011, after one season at Olympiakos Volou, he joined
Aris. In 2012, he moved to
Hull City. In 2017, he left Hull City after their relegation back to the
EFL Championship to join
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
side
Leicester City. After leaving
Leicester City, he joined fellow Premier League team Everton on a free transfer in September 2022.
Having played at under-21 level for both Bosnia and Switzerland, he earned his only senior cap for the latter in 2008, and was part of their squad at
UEFA Euro 2008.
Club career
Early career
Jakupović was born in
Kozarac, SFR Yugoslavia, present-day
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
. He moved to Switzerland at a young age due to the
Bosnian War and started his professional career at
Grasshopper Club Zürich in 2004. He then moved to
FC Thun in 2005. After a successful spell at FC Thun, Jakupović joined
FC Lokomotiv Moscow in March 2006.
Grasshoppers
Jakupović returned to former club to Grasshopper Club Zürich on a year-long
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
on 30 August 2007. He scored a 94th-minute equaliser against
BSC Young Boys in his third match for the club, earning Grasshoppers a 3–3 draw. During the season Jakupović forced
Fabio Coltorti to the bench as his backup. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Jakupović extended his loan at Grasshoppers for another year, which meant new signing goalkeeper
Massimo Colomba was benched.
Lokomotiv return
On 31 August 2009, Jakupović was confirmed as part of the Lokomotiv Moscow squad, with
Ivan Pelizzoli leaving on loan to join
AlbinoLeffe. Due to the number of foreigners in the Lokomotiv squad, Jakupović was asked to go out on loan again. In December, Jakupović went on trial at
Tottenham Hotspur and had a successful week. However, due to various reasons a deal could not be completed with Lokomotiv Moscow. After a turbulent time with the Lokomotiv management, Jakupović was allowed to be released.
Olympiakos Volou
Jakupović had a fine season with
Olympiakos Volou. After they were
relegated to the
Delta Ethniki, Jakupović left the team.
Aris
On 30 September 2011, Jakupović joined
Aris, with three other ex-teammates,
Noe Acosta,
Javier Umbides and
Khalifa Sankare. He made his debut on 5 November 2011, against
Olympiakos SFP, which finished 2–3.
Hull City
On 20 March 2012, Jakupović joined English
Championship club
Hull City on trial, and after impressing in training and a friendly match Hull manager
Nick Barmby expressed a desire to sign Jakupović on a permanent contract. Following the sacking of Nick Barmby, Jakupović had trials with Ipswich Town. On 9 July 2012, Jakupović signed for Hull City on a two-year contract, becoming
Steve Bruce's first full signing as manager. He officially joined the team on their pre-season training session in Portugal. He made his debut in a 3–1 friendly win against
North Ferriby United on 16 July 2012. His first Championship match for The Tigers came on 21 December 2012 at
Derby County, when he played in a 2–1 victory as Hull moved into second place in the Championship table. This was followed up by three more league appearances, all of which consisted of clean sheets.
In January 2014 Jakupović joined
Leyton Orient on loan until 8 February. On 29 January 2014, Jakupović was recalled to parent club
Hull City.
On 13 February 2014, Jakupović re-joined
Leyton Orient until 17 May 2014, but was again recalled on 27 March 2014.
On 9 July 2014, Jakupović signed a new two-year contract with Hull City, and began their
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
campaign as third-choice goalkeeper behind
Allan McGregor and
Steven Harper. He made his first appearance of the season on 18 October away to
Arsenal as a substitute when Harper injured his arm before half-time, and did not concede until
Danny Welbeck equalised for 2–2 in added time. A week later he started for the first time in the division, keeping a clean sheet in a goalless draw against
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 ...
.
Jakupović started for Hull against Arsenal in the
FA Cup fifth round on 20 February 2016, at the
Emirates Stadium. He made 12 saves to earn his side a 0–0 draw, which led to a replay at the
KC Stadium.
On 24 June 2016, Jakupović signed a new two-year deal with Hull City. Since McGregor was out with a back injury that ruled him out for about six months, Jakupović started off the 2016–17 season against Premier League Champions,
Leicester City and helped earn the Tigers a 2–1 victory on opening day.
Leicester City
In July 2017, following Hull City's relegation back to the second tier of English football, Jakupović signed a three-year deal with
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
side
Leicester City. He made his debut in the
FA Cup third round match against
Fleetwood Town. He signed a one-year contract extension in June 2020.
On 10 June 2022, it was announced that Jakupović would be released from Leicester City upon expiry of his contract at the end of the month.
Everton
Jakupović's Leicester contract expired in June 2022. Two months later he signed for Everton until the end of the year as a back-up keeper, following injuries to first and third choices
Jordan Pickford and
Andy Lonergan.
Los Angeles FC
On 9 January 2023, Jakupović signed a one-year contract with
Los Angeles FC. On 8 April 2023, Jakupović made his debut and kept a clean sheet against
Austin FC, which Los Angeles FC won 3–0.
International career

Jakupović has dual citizenship, both
Bosnian and
Swiss, and has represented both at under-21 level.
He has played for Bosnia and Herzegovina U21 for two competitive matches, and a friendly match against
Austria U21 for Switzerland on 1 March 2006.
In August 2005, Jakupović received his first call-up to the Bosnia and Herzegovina national squad which was a match against
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
, however he did not accept the call up. In March 2007, Jakupović was asked again to play for the senior
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
against Norway, but declined the offer.
Jakupović was included in the Swiss
UEFA Euro 2008 squad as one of the two substitutes for
Diego Benaglio, the first-choice goalkeeper at the time. He made his debut on 20 August 2008, in a friendly match against
Cyprus. He was called up for the first two matches of
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, but was an unused substitute.
In October 2008, Jakupović said that he would not play again for the Swiss national team due to family reasons.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Hull City
*
Football League Championship play-offs:
2016
References
External links
Official UEFA player page*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jakupovic, Eldin
1984 births
Living people
People from Prijedor
Footballers from Banja Luka Region
Bosnia and Herzegovina emigrants to Switzerland
Men's association football goalkeepers
Bosnia and Herzegovina men's footballers
21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen
Bosnia and Herzegovina men's under-21 international footballers
Swiss men's footballers
Switzerland men's under-21 international footballers
Switzerland men's international footballers
UEFA Euro 2008 players
Grasshopper Club Zurich players
FC Thun players
FC Lokomotiv Moscow players
Olympiacos Volos F.C. players
Aris Thessaloniki F.C. players
Hull City A.F.C. players
Leyton Orient F.C. players
Leicester City F.C. players
Everton F.C. players
Los Angeles FC players
Swiss Super League players
Russian Premier League players
Super League Greece players
English Football League players
Premier League players
Swiss expatriate men's footballers
Expatriate men's footballers in Russia
Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Russia
Expatriate men's footballers in Greece
Swiss expatriate sportspeople in Greece
Expatriate men's footballers in England
Swiss expatriate sportspeople in England
21st-century Swiss sportsmen