Ivan Šunjić (born 9 October 1996) 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 lea ...

who plays as a

defensive midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

for

Cyprus First Division The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...

club

Pafos Paphos, also spelled as Pafos, is a coastal city in southwest Cyprus and the capital of Paphos District. In classical antiquity, two locations were called Paphos: Old Paphos, today known as Kouklia, and New Paphos. It is the fourth-largest cit ...

and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. He previously played domestically for

Dinamo Zagreb Građanski nogometni klub Dinamo Zagreb (), commonly referred to as simply Dinamo Zagreb (), is a Croatian professional football club based in Zagreb. Dinamo play their home matches at Stadion Maksimir. They are the most successful club in Cr ...

and Lokomotiva, joined English club

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 ...

in 2019, spent the 2022–23 season on loan to

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany and the highest level of the German football league system. The Bundesliga comprises 18 teams ...

club

Hertha BSC Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football league system, German footbal ...

, and was released at the end of the 2023–24 season. Šunjić was born in Bosnia and Hercegovina, and emigrated to Croatia as a young child. He was a regular selection for Croatia's youth teams from under-16 through to under-21 level, and was

capped In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the e ...

once for the senior team in 2017. In 2024, he switched his allegiance to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Club career

Early life and club career

Šunjić was born on 9 October 1996 in

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. The ...

, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He and his familyfather Jozo, mother Aleksandra, and older brother Nikola moved from their home in

Kakanj Kakanj ( sr-cyrl, Какањ) is a town and municipality located in Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the Europe's oldest continuously inhabitted settlement. As of 2013, ...

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, Croatia, in 2000. Šunjić began his football career in the youth ranks of

NK Špansko NK Špansko is a Croatian football club based in the city of Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, n ...

. He moved to

NK Zagreb Nogometni klub Zagreb (''Zagreb Football Club''), commonly known as NK Zagreb or simply Zagreb (), is a Croatian football club based in the capital city of Zagreb. It currently competes in the fifth tier league competition of Croatian footbal ...

in 2009, and joined

at cadet level in 2012. The 18-year-old Šunjić made his senior debut for Dinamo Zagreb on 10 May 2014, replacing

Ante Ćorić Ante Ćorić (; born 14 April 1997) is a Croatian professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Croatian Football League club NK Varaždin (2012), Varaždin. He played for the Croatia national football tea ...

after 59 minutes of a 2–1 defeat away to Istra in the Prva NL, straight after

Jozo Šimunović Jozo Šimunović (; born 4 August 1994) is a Croatian professional footballer who most recently played as a centre back for Prva HNL club Gorica. Club career Early career Šimunović started playing football at age of 7 in his village, Gornj ...

had been

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

and Istra had tied the scores via the ensuing

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 ...

. With the league title already secured, Dinamo fielded a weakened side for the match, with many of the regular first-team players rested between the two legs of the 2014 Cup Final. He helped Dinamo II gain promotion from the and played regularly for them in the Druga NL, but his first-team involvement was limited to 25 minutes in an early round of the 2015–16 Croatian Cup before he moved on.

Lokomotiva Zagreb

After appearing only for the reserves, he joined Lokomotiva on 10 February 2016. On 13 May 2017, he scored his first goal for the club in the dying minutes of a 2–0 league victory over Inter Zaprešić. Ahead of the 2017–18 season, Šunjić was made the

club captain The captain of a football/soccer team, sometimes known as the skipper, is a team member chosen to be the on-pitch leader of the team; they are often one of the older or more experienced members of the squad, or a player that can heavily influ ...

. On 15 September, he scored the winning goal in the final minutes of a 1–0 league victory against Cibalia. On 12 February 2018, Šunjić rejoined Dinamo Zagreb and signed a contract until 15 June 2023. However, at the same time, he was loaned to Lokomotiva for the rest of the season.

Dinamo Zagreb

He returned to Dinamo Zagreb for the 2018–19 season and featured 41 times in all competitions. He made 8 appearances in the

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 ...

, scoring in a 4–1 win over Fenerbahçe on 20 September 2018 and starting in Dinamo Zagreb's impressive 1–0 first leg win against Benfica in the round of 16 of the Europa League on 7 March. He was suspended for the second leg, in which Dinamo Zagreb were eliminated. Šunjić made 30 league appearances as Dinamo Zagreb finished as champions, and scored a 90th-minute goal in the Croatian Cup semifinal against

Osijek Osijek () is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of 96,848 in 2021. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja ...

that secured a 2–0 win. He started in the final, which Dinamo Zagreb lost 3–1 to

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 ...

Birmingham City

On 26 July 2019, Šunjić signed a five-year contract with

of the English

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 ...

. The officially undisclosed fee was reported as €7 million. He made his debut as a second-half substitute in Birmingham's opening fixture of the season, a 1–0 win away against

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

on 3 August 2019. His "rasping rising 20-yard shot which flew into the net" to tie the scores away to

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...

won him the Championship Goal of the Month award for October, but Birmingham lost the match. Three months into the season, the ''

Birmingham Mail The ''Birmingham Mail'' (branded the ''Black Country Mail'' in the Black Country and ''Birmingham Live'' online) is a tabloid newspaper based in Birmingham, England, but distributed around Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull and parts ...

'' rated his performance at 9/10, describing him as "imposing and dynamic" and suggesting that "the destructive side of his game adgone up a level", Interviewed during the first COVID-19 lockdown, Šunjić felt satisfied by his season thus far, despite dips in form which he felt inevitable in a "fast, physical league" with many games, but admitted there were areas in which he could improve. He finished the season with 44 appearances (40 starts).

Hertha Berlin loan

Šunjić joined

club

Hertha Berlin Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC () or Hertha Berlin, is a German professional football club based in Berlin. Hertha BSC plays in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of German football, following relegation from t ...

on loan for the 2022–23 season.

Return to Birmingham

Šunjić was a first-team regular during the 2023–24 season as Birmingham were relegated to the third tier for the first time in nearly 30 years. He was released at the end of the season.

Pafos

Šunjić signed for

club

on 1 August 2024.

International career

Šunjić was included in Croatia's squad for the 2013 Under-17 World Cup, and played all three group matches. Šunjić was called up to the senior national team in May 2017 for a

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

against

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

in the United States on 28 May. He played the whole of the match, in which an inexperienced Croatia team comprising largely debutants and reduced to ten men secured a 2–1 victory against a relatively strong Mexican side. He captained

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 ...

at the

2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship The 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-21 Euro 2019) was the 22nd edition of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (25th edition if the Under-23 era is also included), the biennial international youth association ...

s and played all three of their matches. With waning opportunity with the Croatia senior side, Šunjić opted to switch his FIFA nationality to

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 ...

, his country of birth.

Sergej Barbarez Sergej Barbarez ( sr-cyrl, Сергеј Барбарез; born 17 September 1971) is a Bosnian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. A forward, Barbarez played for sev ...

called Šunjić up to the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team for Nations League A matches 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 ...

and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

in November 2024. He made his debut on 16 November, starting in central midfield against Germany at

Europa-Park Stadion The Europa-Park Stadion, which opened in 2021 and is also known as the Mooswald-Stadion (, is a stadium in Freiburg im Breisgau, Freiburg, Germany, that serves mainly as the home of Association football, football club SC Freiburg, replacing the Dr ...

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

, and played 74 minutes as Germany won 7–0, a Nations League record.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Dinamo Zagreb *

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 ...

: 2013–14, 2018–19 Pafos *

Cypriot First Division The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...

: 2024–25

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sunjic, Ivan 1996 births Living people Footballers from Zenica Croatian sportspeople from Bosnia and Herzegovina Men's association football midfielders Bosnia and Herzegovina men's footballers 21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina sportsmen Bosnia and Herzegovina men's international footballers Croatian men's footballers Croatia men's youth international footballers Croatia men's under-21 international footballers Croatia men's international footballers Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina GNK Dinamo Zagreb players GNK Dinamo Zagreb II players NK Lokomotiva Zagreb players Birmingham City F.C. players Hertha BSC players Pafos FC players Croatian Football League players Second Football League (Croatia) players First Football League (Croatia) players English Football League players Bundesliga players Cypriot First Division players Croatian expatriate men's footballers Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Cyprus Croatian expatriate sportspeople in England Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in England Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Germany Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Dual internationalists (men's football)