Ester Sokler
Slovenian footballer (born 1999)
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Ester Sokler (born 4 June 1999) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Slovenia national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 4 June 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Krško, Slovenia | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Maccabi Tel Aviv | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2016 | Krško[2] | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2020 | Krško | 55 | (5) |
| 2020–2021 | Brežice 1919 | 11 | (6) |
| 2021–2022 | Celje | 44 | (9) |
| 2022–2023 | Radomlje | 30 | (10) |
| 2023–2026 | Aberdeen | 49 | (3) |
| 2025–2026 | → Radnički 1923 (loan) | 12 | (6) |
| 2026 | Radnički 1923 | 18 | (9) |
| 2026– | Maccabi Tel Aviv | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Slovenia U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 2017 | Slovenia U18 | 7 | (1) |
| 2017 | Slovenia U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2019 | Slovenia U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 2026– | Slovenia | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:35, 26 July 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19:44, 4 June 2026 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Born in Krško,[3] Sokler started his playing career at the age of six, at the football school Nogobikci, before joining the youth sector of his hometown club Krško.[2] He came through the club's youth ranks, as he won the under-13 and under-15 national championship in 2012 and 2014, respectively.[2]
Having been promoted to the senior squad in 2016, aged 17,[2] Sokler made his Slovenian PrvaLiga debut on 26 November 2016, in a 4–0 defeat against Maribor.[4]
In July 2020, Sokler joined Slovenian Second League side Brežice 1919,[5] where he spent six months,[6] before returning to PrvaLiga in December 2020, having signed a contract with Celje until 2023.[7][8]
After two seasons at Celje,[6] Sokler joined fellow Slovenian top-tier club Radomlje on a permanent deal in July 2022.[3][9] He scored 10 goals in 31 games in his first season with Radomlje,[6] as they finished seventh in the league.[10]
On 16 June 2023, Sokler joined Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year deal.[6][10][11]
In September 2025, he went on a season-long loan to Serbian SuperLiga club Radnički 1923.[12] After scoring six goals in twelve appearances during the first part of the season, the move was made permanent in January 2026 for an undisclosed sum.[13]
In July 2026, Sokler signed for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv on a two-year contract, with the option to extend for two more years.[14][15]
International career
Sokler was a Slovenian youth international,[16] and earned one cap for the under-21 national team in 2019.[1] He was called up to the senior team for a pair of friendly matches in June 2026 and made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Cyprus, coming on as a second-half substitute in place of Žan Vipotnik.[17]
Personal life
Sokler hails from the small village of Brestanica, near Krško.[2] He cited Wayne Rooney as his football idol while growing up.[2]
In 2023, he claimed that he has often been mistaken for a woman, as Ester is actually a female given name in many countries, including Slovenia itself.[18] According to him, his parents likely chose to name him after Mi2's 1998 song "Moja teta Estera".[18]
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Krško | 2016–17 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Slovenian Second League | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 4 | |||
| Total | 55 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 5 | ||
| Brežice 1919 | 2020–21 | Slovenian Second League | 11 | 6 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 12 | 9 | ||
| Celje | 2020–21 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 14 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 3 | ||
| 2021–22 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 32 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 44 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 10 | ||
| Radomlje | 2022–23 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 30 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 10 | ||
| Aberdeen | 2023–24[21] | Scottish Premiership | 26 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7[c] | 1 | 40 | 4 |
| 2024–25 | Scottish Premiership | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 7 | |
| 2025–26 | Scottish Premiership | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[d] | 1 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 49 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 72 | 12 | ||
| Radnički 1923 (loan) | 2025–26 | Serbian SuperLiga | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 6 | ||
| Radnički 1923 | 2025–26 | Serbian SuperLiga | 17 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 9 | ||
| Total | 29 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 15 | ||
| Career total | 218 | 48 | 14 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 252 | 61 | ||
- Includes Slovenian Football Cup, Scottish Cup
- Includes Scottish League Cup
- Two appearances in UEFA Europa League, five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League