Tonći Pirija (born March 13, 1980) is a Croatian retired

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 ...

. Throughout his career Pirija managed to play in his country's highest tier with prominent clubs as

HNK Hajduk Split Hrvatski Nogometni klub Hajduk Split, commonly referred to as Hajduk Split (), is a Croatian professional Association football, football Football team, club based in Split, Croatia, Split, that competes in the Croatian First Football League, Cro ...

, and

HNK Šibenik Hrvatski nogometni klub Šibenik (), better known as HNK Šibenik or simply Šibenik (), is a Croatian professional association football, football sports club, club based in Šibenik. It competes in the Croatian Football League, SuperSport HNL, t ...

. He had several stints abroad in the highest tiers in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...

, and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. His most notable stint abroad was in the Canadian Soccer League with

Toronto Croatia C.N.S.C. Toronto Croatia (Croatian National Sports Club Toronto Croatia) is a Canadian soccer team based in Toronto, Ontario, that plays in the Supergroup Open Division in the Canadian Academy of Football. The team's colours are red, white and b ...

with whom he achieved two

CSL Championship The Canadian Soccer League championship final, or CSL Championship, is the post-season match of the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) and is the successor to the CNSL Championship. The winner is crowned champion as in other North American sports le ...

s, and a First Division title. Pirija also played at the international level with the Croatian U20, U19, and U17 national teams.

Playing career

Pirija began his career in 1997 with

in the

Croatian First Football League 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. Establishe ...

. In 2000, he was loaned to

, where he appeared in 6 matches. During his time with Hajduk he participated in the

2001–02 UEFA Champions League The 2001–02 UEFA Champions League was the 47th season of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA's premier club football tournament, and the 10th since its rebranding from the "European Champion Clubs' Cup" or "European Cup". The tournament was won by ...

against

RCD Mallorca Real Club Deportivo Mallorca, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (, , ''Royal Sporting Club Mallorca''), commonly known as Real Mallorca or RCD Mallorca, is a Spanish professional association football, football club based in Palma de Mallorca, ...

. He also saw action in the

2001–02 UEFA Cup The 2001–02 UEFA Cup was won by Feyenoord at their home ground in the final against Borussia Dortmund. It was the second time they won the competition. Liverpool could not defend their title as they automatically qualified for the 2001–02 ...

against

Wisła Kraków Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. They currently compete in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system, ...

. After several seasons in the Croatia top flight he went abroad to Greece to play with OFI Heraklion in the

Superleague Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repl ...

. After a season in Greece he was transferred to NK Zagorje to the

Slovenian PrvaLiga The Slovenian PrvaLiga (, ), currently named Prva liga Telemach due to sponsorship reasons, also known by the abbreviation 1. SNL, is the top level of the Slovenian football league system. Contested by ten clubs, it operates on a system of prom ...

. In 2005, he returned to Croatia to play with

NK Međimurje NK Međimurje is a Croatian football club based in Čakovec. The club is named after Međimurje, the region in northern Croatia where the city of Čakovec is located. The club plays their home games at the Stadion SRC Mladost, Čakovec, whic ...

, where he played in 11 matches and recorded 1 goal. He went once more abroad to Asia to play with

FC Tobol FC Tobol () is a Kazakhstan, Kazakh professional association football, football club based at the Kostanay Central Stadium, Central Stadium in Kostanay. They have been members of the Kazakhstan Premier League since its foundation in 1992. In 20 ...

in the

Kazakhstan Premier League The Kazakhstan Professional Football League (, ''Qazaqstan Premier Ligasy''), commonly referred to as the Kazakh Premier League or simply the Premier League, is a professional association football league in Kazakhstan and the highest level of the ...

. In the 2006 season he was playing with

NK Imotski NK Imotski is a Croatian football club based in the town of Imotski, in the region of Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it f ...

in the

Croatian Second Football League The Croatian Second Football League (), commonly Druga NL or 2. NL, is the third tier of the Croatian football league system. The league was established in 1991, following the dissolution of the Yugoslav League. It is operated by the Croatian ...

. He went overseas in 2008 to play with

in the

Canadian Soccer League The Canadian Soccer League (CSL; ) is a semi-professional league for Canadian soccer clubs primarily located in the province of Ontario, and claims the history of the Canadian National Soccer League (CNSL). It is a non-FIFA league previously ...

. He made his debut on July 13, 2008 against the

Serbian White Eagles Serbian White Eagles Football Club (/''Fudbalski klub Srpski beli orlovi'') is a Canadian semi-professional Association football, soccer team. The team is a member of the Canadian Soccer League, a Non-FIFA international football, non-FIFA sanct ...

. In 2010, he was appointed the team captain, and won the

after defeating Capital City F.C. by a score of 1-0. The following season he won the double with Croatia by clinching the First Division title, and defeating the

Montreal Impact Academy Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the ninth-largest in North America. It was founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", and is now named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

in the CSL Championship final. In 2013, he signed with London City, where he helped London clinch a postseason berth. He featured in the quarterfinal match against

York Region Shooters York Region Shooters is a Canadian association football, soccer team, that plays in the Canadian Soccer League. The Shooters played their home games at the St. Joan of Arc Turf Field in the City of Vaughan, Ontario. The team's colours were blue ...

, where they advanced to the next round after a 4-2 victory in a penalty shootout. In the next round they were eliminated from the competition after a 4-2 defeat to

Kingston FC Kingston FC were a Canadian association football, soccer team based in Kingston, Ontario, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The team was awarded a franchise in 2011 as a member of the Canadian Soccer League, and participated in the league for three seas ...

International career

Pirija played with the

Croatia national under-17 football team The Croatia national under-17 football team represents Croatia in international football matches for players aged 17 or under. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Croatia. It is a member of UE ...

, and was selected for the

1996 UEFA European Under-16 Championship The 1996 UEFA European Under-16 Championship was the 14th edition of the UEFA's European Under-16 Football Championship. Players born on or after 1 August 1979 were eligible to participate in this competition. Austria hosted the event, during 29 ...

. He later played with the

Croatia national under-19 football team The Croatia national under-19 football team represents Croatia in international association football, football matches for players aged 19 or under. It is governed by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Croatia. ...

, where he appeared in four matches, and recorded one goal. He made his debut for the Croatia national under-20 football team on September 28, 1999 against

. In total he made four appearances for the Croatia U-20 team.

Honours

Toronto Croatia

(2):

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

First Division (1):

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pirija, Tonći 1980 births Living people Footballers from Split, Croatia Men's association football midfielders Croatian men's footballers Croatia men's youth international footballers HNK Hajduk Split players HNK Šibenik players OFI Crete F.C. players NK Solin players NK Zagorje players NK Međimurje players FC Tobol players NK Imotski players Toronto Croatia players London City Soccer Club players Croatian Football League players Super League Greece players Slovenian PrvaLiga players Kazakhstan Premier League players First Football League (Croatia) players Canadian Soccer League (1998–present) players Croatian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Slovenia Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Slovenia Expatriate men's footballers in Kazakhstan Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Kazakhstan Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Canada