Mile Svilar
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_(cropped).jpg) Svilar in 2017 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mile Svilar[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 27 August 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Antwerp, Belgium | ||
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Roma | ||
| Number | 99 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2008–2009 | KFCO Wilrijk | ||
| 2009–2010 | Beerschot A.C. | ||
| 2010–2017 | Anderlecht | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Anderlecht | 0 | (0) |
| 2017–2022 | Benfica | 7 | (0) |
| 2022– | Roma | 90 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014 | Belgium U15 | 3 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | Belgium U16 | 3 | (0) |
| 2016 | Belgium U17 | 7 | (0) |
| 2016 | Belgium U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Belgium U19 | 5 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Belgium U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 2021 | Serbia | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:11, 25 April 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 1 September 2021 | |||
Mile Svilar (Serbian Cyrillic: Миле Свилар; born 27 August 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Roma. Born in Belgium, he played for the Serbia national team.
Early career and Anderlecht
Svilar is a product of the Belgian youth teams of KFCO Wilrijk and Beerschot A.C.. In 2010 he joined Anderlecht, signing his first professional contract with the club in 27 August 2015.[3] He was promoted to the first team in the 2016–17 season as the third choice goalkeeper, he was first included in the match day squad in the Belgian Cup match against Charleroi. He was also amongst the unused substitutes in Anderlecht's victory in the 2017 Belgian Super Cup.[4]
Benfica
Svilar signed a five-year contract with Portuguese champions Benfica on 28 August 2017.[5] On 14 October, he made his debut with the club in a 1–0 victory over Olhanense,[citation needed] becoming the youngest goalkeeper to ever play for Benfica.[6] In international competition, he broke Iker Casillas' record as the youngest goalkeeper to ever play in the Champions League on 18 October 2017, in a 1–0 home defeat to Manchester United, aged 18 years and 52 days.[7][8] In the return leg against the English side, aged 18 years and 65 days, he became the youngest goalkeeper ever to save a penalty in a Champions League match. In the same match, which ended in a 2–0 away defeat, he also became the youngest player ever to score an own goal in the competition.[9][10]
Roma
On 1 July 2022, Svilar signed a contract with Serie A club Roma until 30 June 2027.[11] On 22 February 2024, he saved two penalties during the shootouts which ended in a 4–2 victory over Feyenoord in the 2023–24 Europa League knockout round play-offs.[12] In the 2024–25 season, Svilar recorded the highest save percentage in the league at 77%, and kept 16 clean sheets, a tally matched only by Alex Meret.[13] On 11 July 2025, he extended his contract with the club until 2030.[14]
International career
Youth
Svilar was a member of Belgium U-16, Belgium U-17, Belgium U-18 national teams and was also a member of Belgium U-19. He was the first choice goalkeeper for the Belgium U-17 team at the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Azerbaijan.
Senior
Born in Belgium to a Serbian father and Bosnian Serb mother, Svilar is eligible to represent Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia.[15][16] On 4 November 2017, he announced that he would play his first game for the Serbia national team in March 2018, as he accepted the call from the Football Association of Serbia.[17] On 20 August 2021, he received his first call up to the Serbia national football team,[18] he debuted with Serbia in a friendly 4–0 win over Qatar on 1 September 2021.[19]
On 5 March 2024, Svilar was called up by Serbia after being absent for almost three years, but he reportedly turned down the call-up,[20] and was therefore not included in the final squad.[21] Serbia manager Dragan Stojković later commented that Svilar will not receive future international call-ups from Serbia.[22]
Personal life
Svilar has a Serbian passport.[23] His father, Ratko, is a former Yugoslav goalkeeper.[5] His mother is from Trnovo, near Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.[24]
Career statistics
Honours
Anderlecht
Benfica
Individual
- UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2023–24[27]
- Serie A Best Goalkeeper: 2024–25[28]
- The Athletic Serie A Team of the Season: 2024–25[29]
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2024–25[30]
