Igor Matanović
Croatian-German footballer (born 2003)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Igor Matanović (born 31 March 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Bundesliga club SC Freiburg.[2] Born in Germany, he plays for the Croatia national team.
|
Matanović with Croatia in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 31 March 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Hamburg, Germany | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | SC Freiburg | ||
| Number | 31 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –2010 | Harburger TB | ||
| 2010–2021 | FC St. Pauli | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | FC St. Pauli | 17 | (1) |
| 2021–2025 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 16 | (1) |
| 2021–2023 | → FC St. Pauli (loan) | 36 | (2) |
| 2023–2024 | → Karlsruher SC (loan) | 32 | (16) |
| 2025– | SC Freiburg | 35 | (14) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017 | Croatia U14 | 3 | (0) |
| 2020 | Germany U17 | 3 | (2) |
| 2020 | Germany U18 | 2 | (2) |
| 2022–2024 | Croatia U21 | 6 | (2) |
| 2023–2024 | Croatia U23 | 1 | (1) |
| 2024– | Croatia | 13 | (2) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 September 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 27 September 2026 | |||
Club career
FC St. Pauli
Matanović played for the youth team of Harburger TB until 2010, when he moved to FC St. Pauli's youth academy.[3] He made his professional debut for St. Pauli's senior team in the 2. Bundesliga on 27 November 2020, coming on as a substitute in the 87th minute for Rico Benatelli against VfL Osnabrück. The home match finished as a 1–0 loss.[4]
Eintracht Frankfurt
On 30 August 2021, he signed a five-year contract for Eintracht Frankfurt; on the same day he returned to FC St. Pauli on loan.[5]
Karlsrusher SC (loan)
On 17 August 2023, Matanović moved to Karlsruher SC in 2. Bundesliga on loan.[6]
SC Freiburg
On 9 July 2025, Matanović joined SC Freiburg.[7]
International career
In April 2022, he declared his intention to represent Croatia internationally at the senior level.[8]
Matanović was called up to the senior Croatia national team for the first time for the Nations League games against Portugal and Poland in September 2024.[9] He debuted on 5 September 2024 against Portugal at Estádio da Luz. He substituted Martin Baturina in the 61st minute, Portugal won 2–1.[10]
On 18 May 2026, Matanović was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by head coach Zlatko Dalić.[11] His side was knocked out by Portugal after a 2–1 defeat in Toronto, where an equalizing 103rd-minute stoppage-time goal from Joško Gvardiol was disallowed as offside by VAR.[12] The VAR used cutting-edge snickometer technology to detect Matanović's hair grazing the ball to rule the offiside in a controversial ruling.[13]
Personal life
Matanović's family is from Kotor Varoš, Bosnia and Herzegovina.[14]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 19 September 2026
| Club | Season | League | DFB-Pokal | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC St. Pauli | 2020–21 | 2. Bundesliga | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | |
| Eintracht Frankfurt | 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | Bundesliga | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7[a] | 0 | 25 | 2 | |
| Total | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 25 | 2 | ||
| FC St. Pauli (loan) | 2021–22 | 2. Bundesliga | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 2 | |
| 2022–23 | 2. Bundesliga | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | ||
| Total | 36 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 39 | 2 | |||
| FC St. Pauli II (loan) | 2021–22 | Regionalliga Nord | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Regionalliga Nord | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 3 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Karlsruher SC (loan) | 2023–24 | 2. Bundesliga | 32 | 14 | 0 | 0 | — | 32 | 14 | |
| SC Freiburg | 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 31 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 15[a] | 3 | 50 | 15 |
| 2026–27 | Bundesliga | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2[b] | 1 | 7 | 6 | |
| Total | 35 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 4 | 57 | 21 | ||
| Career total | 139 | 32 | 10 | 4 | 24 | 4 | 173 | 40 | ||
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Conference League
International
- As of match played 27 September 2026[15]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 2024 | 5 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | 13 | 2 | |
- Croatia's score listed first, score column indicates score after each Matanović goal.[15]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 October 2024 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia |  Scotland | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2024–25 UEFA Nations League A |
| 2 | 26 March 2026 | Camping World Stadium, Orlando, United States |  Colombia | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Honours
SC Freiburg
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2025–26[16]
