Ivan Šunjić
Bosnian footballer (born 1996)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ivan Šunjić (born 9 October 1996) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Cyprus First Division club Pafos and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.
|
Šunjić in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ivan Šunjić[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 9 October 1996[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Pafos | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2015 | Dinamo Zagreb | 1 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Dinamo Zagreb II | 30 | (1) |
| 2016–2018 | Lokomotiva | 62 | (7) |
| 2018–2019 | Dinamo Zagreb | 24 | (0) |
| 2018 | → Lokomotiva (loan) | 11 | (3) |
| 2019–2024 | Birmingham City | 160 | (7) |
| 2022–2023 | → Hertha BSC (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2024– | Pafos | 61 | (8) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | Croatia U16 | 6 | (0) |
| 2012–2013 | Croatia U17 | 21 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Croatia U18 | 4 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Croatia U19 | 8 | (3) |
| 2014–2019 | Croatia U21 | 18 | (1) |
| 2017 | Croatia | 1 | (0) |
| 2024– | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 11 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 16 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | |||
Šunjić previously played for Dinamo Zagreb and Lokomotiva in Croatia, before joining English club Birmingham City in 2019. He spent the 2022–23 season on loan to Bundesliga club Hertha BSC, and was released at the end of the 2023–24 season. Following his release from Birmingham City, Šunjić joined the Cypriot club Pafos in August 2024, helping the club to achieve their first league title in his debut season.
Šunjić is of Croat descent and was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and emigrated to Croatia as a young child. He played for Croatia's youth teams from under-16 to under-21 level and played once for the senior team in 2017. In 2024, Šunjić switched his allegiance to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Early life
Club career
Early career
Šunjić began his football career in the youth ranks of NK Špansko. He moved to NK Zagreb in 2009, and joined Dinamo Zagreb at cadet level in 2012.[6][7]
The 18-year-old Šunjić made his senior debut for Dinamo Zagreb on 10 May 2014, replacing Ante Ćorić after 59 minutes of a 2–1 away defeat against Istra in the Prva NL, straight after Jozo Šimunović had been sent off and Istra had tied the scores via the ensuing penalty. With the league title already secured, Dinamo fielded a weakened side for the match, with many of the regular first-team players rested between the two legs of the 2014 Cup Final.[8][9] He helped Dinamo II gain promotion from the Tréca NL in 2014–15 and played regularly for them in the Druga NL, but his first-team involvement was limited to 25 minutes in an early round of the 2015–16 Croatian Cup before he moved on.[7]
Lokomotiva Zagreb
After appearing only for the reserves, he joined Lokomotiva on 10 February 2016.[10] On 13 May 2017, he scored his first goal for the club in the dying minutes of a 2–0 league victory over Inter Zaprešić.[11]
Ahead of the 2017–18 season, Šunjić was named club captain.[12] On 15 September, he scored the winning goal in the final minutes of a 1–0 league victory against Cibalia.[13] On 12 February 2018, Šunjić rejoined Dinamo Zagreb and signed a contract until 15 June 2023. However, at the same time, he moved to Lokomotiva on loan for the rest of the season.[14]
Dinamo Zagreb
Šunjić returned to Dinamo Zagreb for the 2018–19 season and featured 41 times in all competitions. He made eight appearances in the Europa League, scoring in a 4–1 victory against Fenerbahçe on 20 September 2018[2][15] and starting in Dinamo Zagreb's impressive 1–0 first leg win against Benfica in the round of 16 of the Europa League on 7 March.[16]
Šunjić was suspended for the second leg, in which Dinamo Zagreb were eliminated.[17] He made 30 league appearances as Dinamo Zagreb finished as champions, and scored a 90th-minute goal in the Croatian Cup semifinal against Osijek that secured a 2–0 victory.[18] Šunjić started in the final, which Dinamo Zagreb lost 3–1 to Rijeka.[19]
Birmingham City
On 26 July 2019, Šunjić signed a five-year contract with the Championship club Birmingham City. The officially undisclosed fee was reported as €7 million.[20][21] He made his debut as a second-half substitute in Birmingham's opening fixture of the season, a 1–0 win away against Brentford on 3 August 2019.[22] His "rasping rising 20-yard shot which flew into the net" to tie the scores away to Derby County won him the Championship Goal of the Month award for October,[23] but Birmingham lost the match.[24]
Three months later, the Birmingham Mail rated his performance at 9/10, describing him as "imposing and dynamic" and suggesting that "the destructive side of his game [had] gone up a level",[25] Interviewed during the first COVID-19 lockdown, Šunjić felt satisfied by his season thus far, despite dips in form which he felt inevitable in a "fast, physical league" with many games, but admitted there were areas in which he could improve.[26][27] He finished the season with 44 appearances, starting in 40 of them.[24] Šunjić joined Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin on loan for the 2022–23 season.[28]
Šunjić was a first team footballer during the 2023–24 season as Birmingham were relegated to the third tier for the first time in nearly 30 years.[29][30] He was released at the end of the season.[31]
Pafos
Šunjić signed for Cyprus First Division club Pafos on 1 August 2024.[32] On 3 November 2025, Pafos announced that they had extended their contract with Šunjić until the summer of 2027.[33]
International career
Croatia
Šunjić was included in Croatia's squad for the 2013 Under-17 World Cup, and played all three group stage matches.[34] He was called up to the senior national team in May 2017 for a friendly match against Mexico in the United States on 28 May.
Šunjić played the whole of the match, in which an inexperienced Croatia team comprising largely debutants and reduced to ten men secured a 2–1 victory against a relatively strong Mexican team.[35][36] He later served as captain of Croatia under-21 at the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship and played all three of their matches.[20][19]
Bosnia and Herzegovina
After not being called up to the Croatia senior team, Šunjić opted to switch his FIFA nationality to Bosnia and Herzegovina, his country of birth. Sergej Barbarez called him up to the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team for Nations League A matches against Germany and the Netherlands in November 2024.[37]
He made his debut on 16 November, starting in central midfield against Germany at Europa-Park Stadion, Freiburg, and played 74 minutes as Germany won 7–0, a Nations League record.[38]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 16 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2013–14[19] | Prva HNL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2014–15[19] | Prva HNL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16[19] | Prva HNL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||
| Dinamo Zagreb II | 2014–15[7] | Tréca HNL West | 18 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 18 | 1 | ||||
| 2015–16[19] | Druga HNL | 12 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 12 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 30 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 30 | 1 | ||||||
| Lokomotiva | 2015–16[19] | Prva HNL | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||||
| 2016–17[19] | Prva HNL | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 6[c] | 0 | — | 30 | 1 | |||
| 2017–18[19] | Prva HNL | 29 | 6 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 32 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 62 | 7 | 4 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | 72 | 7 | ||||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2018–19[19] | Prva HNL | 24 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 13[d] | 1 | — | 41 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20[19] | Prva HNL | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 2 | |||
| Birmingham City | 2019–20[24] | Championship | 40 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 44 | 3 | ||
| 2020–21[39] | Championship | 43 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 45 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22[40] | Championship | 41 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 44 | 3 | |||
| 2023–24[29] | Championship | 36 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 1 | |||
| Total | 160 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 173 | 7 | ||||
| Hertha BSC (loan) | 2022–23[19] | Bundesliga | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| Pafos | 2024–25[19] | Cypriot First Division | 32 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | 14[f] | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 52 | 4 | |
| 2025–26 | Cypriot First Division | 29 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | 13[e] | 0 | — | 46 | 4 | |||
| Total | 61 | 8 | 9 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 98 | 8 | |||
| Career total | 356 | 23 | 27 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 47 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 436 | 25 | ||
- Includes Croatian Cup, FA Cup, DFB-Pokal, Cypriot Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
- Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearance in Cypriot Super Cup
International
- As of match played 31 March 2026
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia[41] | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina[42] | 2024 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 0 | |
| Career total | 12 | 0 | |
Honours
Dinamo Zagreb
Pafos
