Ante Budimir
Croatian footballer (born 1991)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ante Budimir (Croatian pronunciation: [ǎːnte bûdimiːr];[3][4] born 22 July 1991) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a striker for La Liga club Osasuna and the Croatia national team.
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Budimir playing for FC St. Pauli in 2015 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ante Budimir[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 22 July 1991 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Zenica, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Osasuna | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 17 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2008[2] | Radnik Velika Gorica | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | LASK | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Radnik Velika Gorica | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | HNK Gorica | 22 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Inter Zaprešić | 66 | (18) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Lokomotiva Zagreb | 30 | (17) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | FC St. Pauli | 19 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → Crotone (loan) | 40 | (16) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Sampdoria | 11 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | → Crotone (loan) | 22 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Crotone | 17 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019 | → Mallorca (loan) | 18 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | Mallorca | 36 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | → Osasuna (loan) | 30 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Osasuna | 156 | (67) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Croatia U15 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Croatia U21 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2020– | Croatia | 35 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 7 March 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 9 October 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
Club career
FC St. Pauli
In August 2014, Budimir joined German club FC St. Pauli of the 2. Bundesliga on a four-year deal until 2018.[5] St. Pauli had to pay a transfer fee believed to be around €900,000.[6] In an interview on Budimir's signing, former Croatian international Jurica Vranješ described him as "tall, strong in the air, and reliable in combinations" and compared his style to Dimitar Berbatov.[7] Budimir had a tough time at St. Pauli, scoring one goal in 20 appearances in the St. Pauli shirt.
Crotone and Sampdoria
On 1 September 2015, Budimir was loaned out to Italian club Crotone for the remainder of the season.[8] He made his Crotone debut on 7 September 2015, in a 4–0 loss to Cagliari Calcio, coming on as a 71st-minute substitute for Pietro De Giorgio. In March 2016, Crotone exercised their €1 million buyout option on the player. Budimir ended the season as Crotone's top goalscorer with 16 goals in 40 Serie B appearances, as they were promoted as runners-up to Cagliari; this tally was fourth for goalscorers in the whole league season.[9]
In June 2016, ahead of Crotone's debut Serie A season, Sampdoria of the same league activated Budimir's release clause believed to be in the region of €1.8 million, and the player signed a deal ending in mid-2020.[10] A year later, he was sent back to Crotone on a one-year loan with obligation to buy.[11] The obligation was fulfilled by now relegated Crotone at the end of the season, and he remained in the club on a permanent contract.
Mallorca
On 15 January 2019, Budimir moved on loan to Spanish club Mallorca.[12] He scored his first goal for the Balearic club on 3 February as a Panenka penalty kick in a 2–0 home win over AD Alcorcón, later being sent off.[13] On 27 June, after achieving promotion to La Liga – he scored the opening goal as they overturned a 2–0 first-leg deficit to defeat Deportivo de La Coruña 3–2 on aggregate in the play-off final – he signed a permanent deal for a €2.2 million fee.[14]
During the 2019–20 season Budimir scored 13 goals,[15] which also placed him as the 8th best 2019–20 La Liga top scorer.[citation needed]
Osasuna
On 5 October 2020, Budimir was loaned to top tier side CA Osasuna for the 2020–21 season.[15] On 7 June 2021, Osasuna announced the signing of Budimir on a permanent deal until June 2025.[16] In the 2023–24 season, he became the top scorer for his club, as he also set a new personal best in La Liga by scoring 17 goals.[17]
On 2 March 2025, he scored a penalty in a 3–3 draw against Valencia, surpassing Sabino Andonegui's long-standing record of 57 La Liga goals for Osasuna.[18] He finished the 2024–25 season with 21 goals, setting a new personal best and eclipsing his previous season’s tally.[19] He would also become the 3rd top La Liga scorer that season, beating out the likes of Julian Alvarez and Raphinha.
International career
On 27 August 2020, during pre-season training, Budimir was called up by the Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalić for September Nations League clashes against Portugal and France.[20][21] He made his national team debut on 7 October in a friendly 2–1 victory over Switzerland, providing Mario Pašalić with an assist for the winning goal.[22] He scored his debut goal on 11 November in a friendly 3–3 draw with Turkey.[23][24]
Budimir was a member of Croatia's squad that finished third at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He appeared twice as a substitute – in the round of 16 against Japan[25] and the quarter-final against Brazil.[26]
On 21 November 2023, Budimir scored the only goal of Croatia's 1–0 win over Armenia to qualify the nation for the UEFA Euro 2024.[27]
Personal life
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 7 March 2026[29]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Inter Zaprešić | 2010–11 | Prva HNL | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 3 | ||
| 2011–12 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 6 | ||||
| 2012–13 | 31 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 9 | ||||
| Total | 66 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 18 | ||
| Lokomotiva Zagreb | 2013–14 | Prva HNL | 27 | 12 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 12 | ||
| 2014–15 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 17 | ||
| FC St. Pauli | 2014–15 | 2. Bundesliga | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 20 | 1 | ||
| FC St. Pauli II | 2014–15 | Regionalliga Nord | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | |||
| Crotone (loan) | 2015–16 | Serie B | 40 | 16 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 41 | 17 | ||
| Sampdoria | 2016–17 | Serie A | 11 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Crotone (loan) | 2017–18 | Serie A | 22 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 24 | 7 | ||
| Crotone | 2018–19 | Serie B | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 3 | ||
| Mallorca (loan) | 2018–19 | Segunda División | 18 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[b] | 1 | 20 | 6 | |
| Mallorca | 2019–20 | La Liga | 35 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 13 | ||
| 2020–21 | Segunda División | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Mallorca total | 36 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 13 | ||
| Osasuna (loan) | 2020–21 | La Liga | 30 | 11 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 32 | 12 | ||
| Osasuna | 2021–22 | La Liga | 28 | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 30 | 9 | ||
| 2022–23 | 31 | 8 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 8 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 33 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 2[c] | 1 | 1[d] | 0 | 38 | 18 | ||
| 2024–25 | 38 | 21 | 4 | 3 | — | — | 42 | 24 | ||||
| 2025–26 | 26 | 13 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 29 | 15 | ||||
| Osasuna total | 186 | 78 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 208 | 86 | ||
| Career total | 447 | 157 | 30 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 482 | 170 | ||
- Includes Croatian Cup, DFB-Pokal, Coppa Italia, Copa del Rey
- Appearances in La Liga play-offs
- Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearance in Supercopa de España
International
- As of match played 9 October 2025[30]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 2020 | 4 | 1 |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 3 | |
| Total | 35 | 6 | |
- Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Budimir goal.[30]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 November 2020 | Vodafone Park, Istanbul, Turkey | 3 |  Turkey |
1–1 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| 2 | 21 November 2023 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia | 19 |  Armenia |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualification |
| 3 | 8 June 2024 | Estádio Nacional, Oeiras, Portugal | 21 |  Portugal |
2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 20 March 2025 | Stadion Poljud, Split, Croatia | 29 |  France |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A |
| 5 | 6 June 2025 | Estádio Algarve, Faro/Loulé, Portugal | 31 |  Gibraltar |
2–0 | 7–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 9 June 2025 | Opus Arena, Osijek, Croatia | 32 |  Czech Republic |
4–1 | 5–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
