Josip Stanišić (; born 2 April 2000) is a 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 defender for club

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional football team, ...

. Born in Germany, he plays for the Croatia national team. An all-around defender, Stanišić has featured most often as a

right-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

but also as a wing-back and

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

at senior level.

Club career

Early career

1860 Munich

Stanišić already played in the youth teams for the then second division

TSV 1860 Munich , commonly known as TSV 1860 München (; ''sechzig'' locally ; lettered as ) or 1860 Munich, is a sports club based in Munich. The club's association football, football team plays in the 3. Liga, the third tier of German football league system ...

and stayed there until the summer of 2015.

SC Fürstenfeldbruck

As a 15-year-old, the change took place in front of the gates of the state capital in the U16s of the then sixth division

SC Fürstenfeldbruck SC Fürstenfeldbruck is a German association football club from Fürstenfeldbruck, Bavaria. History The club was established in 1919 as ''Fußball Club Fürstenfeldbruck''. The team is part of a sports club which, apart from football, also off ...

. With the club's younger B-Juniors, he was one of the top performers from the start and, as the second-best goalscorer in his team, contributed to the fact that the Bruckers were one of the two top teams in the B-Junior District League alongside 1. FC Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Already in May 2016, just turned 16, he was pulled up to the U17, in which he was also one of the top performers and with two goals in the remaining eight games of the season contributed to the U17 of

being promoted from the regional league to the state league, in the junior B division, the third highest division behind the Bundesliga and Bayernliga. The Croatian also had a regular place in the team in the regional league, which just missed the Bayern league at the end of the season.

Youth career at Bayern Munich

Stanisic was no longer there at this point, however, as

FC Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), commonly known as Bayern Munich (), FC Bayern () or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. They are most known for their men's professional association foo ...

had noticed him in the meantime and signed him for their U17s in January 2017. Hardly in Munich, Stanišić suffered an ankle fracture in preparation for the second half of the season and was out for the rest of the season. So he missed winning the German B-Junior Championship. In the summer of 2018, Stanišić played part of the season preparation with the professional team of

and was also used in two games in Klagenfurt and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. However, Stanišić continued to play everyday life with the A-Juniors and was the new team captain there in his second season. In January he had to undergo a groin operation and was absent for several weeks. In that season, too, the team missed the final round of the German championship, with fourth place even quite clearly, and the two cup competitions again ended early. He made his professional debut for

Bayern Munich II FC Bayern Munich II (''FC Bayern Munich Amateure'' until 2005) are the German reserve football teams, reserve team of Football in Germany, German association football club FC Bayern Munich, Bayern Munich, currently playing in the Regionalliga B ...

in the

3. Liga The 3. Liga is a professional association football league and the third division in Germany. In the German football league system, it is positioned between the 2. Bundesliga and the fourth-tier Regionalliga. The modern 3. Liga was formed for t ...

on 26 July 2019, coming on as a substitute at half-time for

Angelo Mayer Angelo Mayer (born 10 September 1996) is a German footballer who plays as a left-back for Bayernliga club FC Pipinsried. Career Mayer made his professional debut for Bayern Munich II in the 3. Liga on 20 July 2019, starting in the away match aga ...

in the home match against

KFC Uerdingen KFC Uerdingen 05 was a German football club in the Uerdingen district of the city of Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia. The former Bundesliga side, which had its greatest successes in the 1980s, plays in the fourth-level Regionalliga. In 2025, t ...

, which finished as a 2–1 win.

Bayern Munich

Stanišić made his

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 ...

debut for

in a 1–1 draw with

Union Berlin 1. Fußballclub Union Berlin e. V., commonly known as Union Berlin (), is a professional Football in Germany, German football club based in Berlin. The club's origins can be traced to 1906, when its predecessor FC Olympia Oberschöneweide was fo ...

on 10 April 2021, being named in the starting lineup as a

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

. On 1 July 2021, Stanišić signed a professional contract with Bayern until 2023. After impressing Bayern coach

Julian Nagelsmann Julian Nagelsmann (born 23 July 1987) is a German professional football coach who is currently the manager of the Germany national team. He has previously managed TSG Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. Born in Bavaria ...

during the

pre-season In an organized sports league, a typical season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session: for example, in Major League Baseball the season lasts approximately from the last week of March to the last week of S ...

, Stanišić remained with the senior team, despite the original plan to be sent on loan to Heidenheim. He was named in the starting lineup as a

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

on 13 August 2021, the first day of

, as Bayern drew 1–1 with

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e.V. Mönchengladbach, better known as Borussia Mönchengladbach () and colloquially known as just Gladbach, is a professional Association football, football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-W ...

. Four days later, he was named in the starting lineup once again, as Bayern defeated

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, often known simply as Borussia Dortmund () or by its initialism BVB (), or just Dortmund by International fans, is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is ...

3–1 to win the

DFL-Supercup The Franz Beckenbauer Supercup or ''German Super Cup'' is a one-off association football, football match in Germany that features the winners of the Bundesliga championship and the DFB-Pokal. The competition is run by the Deutsche Fußball Liga (E ...

. On 14 September, Stanišić made his Champions League debut in a 3–0 victory over

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 ...

, coming off the bench for

Niklas Süle Niklas Süle (born 3 September 1995) is a German professional footballer who plays either as a centre-back or right-back for club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national team. Süle started his career at TSG Hoffenheim, before joining Bay ...

in the 82nd minute. On 15 October 2021, Stanišić extended his contract with Bayern until 2025. On 14 May 2022, Stanišić scored his first goal for Bayern in a 2–2 draw with

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian language, Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth-largest city in the Germany, German state of Lower Saxony, on the river Aller (Germany), Aller east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the locat ...

. Later that year, on 12 November, he extended his contract with Bayern until 2026.

Loan to Bayer Leverkusen

On 20 August 2023, Stanišić joined fellow Bundesliga club

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen, officially known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH () and commonly known as Bayer Leverkusen or simply Leverkusen, is a German professional football club based in Leverkusen, North Rhine-Westphalia. It competes in the B ...

on a one-year loan deal. On 10 February 2024, he scored his first goal for Leverkusen by scoring the first goal in a 3–0 victory over his parent club Bayern Munich. On 14 April, Bayer Leverkusen secured their first-ever Bundesliga title, in which he became the second player to win the competition with two different clubs in two consecutive seasons, following

August Starek August Starek (born 16 February 1945) is a former international Austrian footballer and football manager. Club career Starek started his career at 1. FC Simmering, clinching the Regionalliga East title in 1965. He then made a move to SK Rapid ...

in 1968 and 1969. A week later, on 21 April, he scored a header in the 97th minute of stoppage time in a 1–1 away draw against Borussia Dortmund, to extend Leverkusen's unbeaten streak in all competitions. On 9 May, he scored another 97th-minute goal in a 2–2 draw against

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

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 ...

semi-final second leg, qualifying his club to the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

by winning 4–2 on aggregate, as well as prolonging his club's unbeaten streak to 49 matches, breaking the previous record set by Benfica between 1963 and 1965.

Return to Bayern Munich

On 27 June 2024, Stanišić extended his contract with Bayern until 2029.

International career

Stanišić holds both

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

Croatian citizenship The Croatian nationality law dates back from June 26, 1991, with amendments on May 8, 1992, October 28, 2011, and January 1, 2020, and an interpretation of the Constitutional Court in 1993. It is based upon the Constitution of Croatia (Chapter I ...

s. Despite previously playing for Germany U19, Stanišić was called up to the Croatia U21 team by

Igor Bišćan Igor Bišćan (; born 4 May 1978) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is the currently head coach of Qatar Stars League club Al-Ahli. In his playing career, he was a versatile player and could play almost every posi ...

on 23 August 2021 for the upcoming UEFA Under-21 Euro 2023 qualifiers against

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

and

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. However, he failed to make his debut due to an injury. Soon after, on 20 September, Stanišić was called up to the senior Croatia team by

Zlatko Dalić Zlatko Dalić (; born 26 October 1966) is a Croatian people, Croatian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former Football player, player. He has been the manager of the Croatia national football ...

for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. He made his debut on 8 October in a 3–0 victory over the former opponent, being named in the starting lineup. On 9 November 2022, Stanišić was named in Dalić's 26-man squad for the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup was the 22nd FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

. He received no playtime until the 2–1

third place play-off Many sports playoffs and knockout tournaments include a third place playoff, third place match, bronze medal game, or consolation game to decide which competitor or team will be credited with finishing third and fourth. This game is typically com ...

victory over

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

on 17 December, when he replaced the injured

Josip Juranović Josip Juranović (; born 16 August 1995) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a right-back or right wing-back for Bundesliga club Union Berlin and the Croatia national team. Club career Born in Zagreb, Croatia, Juranović went t ...

in the starting lineup.

Personal life

Stanišić was born in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Croat The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

parents. His father Damir hails from Malino, and his mother Sandra hails from

Oriovac Oriovac is a village and a municipality in Brod-Posavina County, Croatia. History Until 1918, Oriovac (named ''Oriowacz'' before 1850) was part of the Austrian monarchy (Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia after the compromise of 1867), in the Slavon ...

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Bayern Munich II *

: 2019–20 Bayern Munich *

2020–21 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 ...

, 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 ...

, 2024–25 *

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Bayer Leverkusen * Bundesliga: 2023–24 *

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English language, English, is a German knockout Association football, football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competiti ...

: 2023–24 *

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 ...

runner-up: 2023–24 Croatia *

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 ...

third place:

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...

runner-up:

References

External links

Profile
at the FC Bayern Munich website * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stanisic, Josip 2000 births Living people Footballers from Munich Croatian men's footballers 21st-century Croatian sportsmen Croatia men's under-21 international footballers Croatia men's international footballers German men's footballers Germany men's youth international footballers German people of Croatian descent Men's association football fullbacks Men's association football central defenders FC Bayern Munich II players FC Bayern Munich footballers Bayer 04 Leverkusen players 3. Liga players Bundesliga players 2022 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2024 players 21st-century German sportsmen