Nemanja Bilbija
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.jpg) Bilbija with Zrinjski Mostar in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 November 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Banja Luka, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Zrinjski Mostar | ||
| Number | 99 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2008 | Borac Banja Luka | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2008–2010 | Borac Banja Luka | 30 | (11) |
| 2010–2013 | Vojvodina | 43 | (2) |
| 2012–2013 | → Borac Banja Luka (loan) | 23 | (14) |
| 2013–2015 | Sarajevo | 30 | (6) |
| 2015–2016 | Split | 9 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | Zrinjski Mostar | 86 | (40) |
| 2019 | Gangwon | 6 | (2) |
| 2019– | Zrinjski Mostar | 167 | (118) |
| International career | |||
| 2009–2012 | Bosnia and Herzegovina U21 | 22 | (9) |
| 2018–2023 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 6 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 26 April 2026 | |||
Nemanja Bilbija (Serbian Cyrillic: Немања Билбија, pronounced [němaɲa bîlbija]; born 2 November 1990) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bosnian Premier League club Zrinjski Mostar.
A former youth international for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bilbija made his senior international debut in 2018, earning 6 caps until 2023. He is the Bosnian Premier League's record goalscorer.
Early career
Bilbija started his career with his hometown club Borac Banja Luka, whose academy he joined in 2000.[1] He made his professional debut on 8 November 2008 against Posušje at the age of 18.[2] He scored his first goal as a professional against Orašje on 7 March 2009.[3]
On 29 January 2010 Bilbija moved to Serbian side Vojvodina signing a four-year contract.[4] During his time at the club, he was sent on two loans to his former club, Borac Banja Luka.[5]
In August 2013, Bilbija signed a two-year deal with Sarajevo.[6]
In July 2015, he joined Split on a two-year contract.[7]
Zrinjski Mostar
On 11 February 2016, Bilbija signed with Zrinjski Mostar on free transfer.[8] He scored on his competitive debut for the club against his former team Sarajevo on 28 February.[9]
In August 2017, Bilbija signed a new two-year deal with Zrinjski Mostar.[10] In a game against Vitez on 26 August, Bilbija scored his first hat-trick for the team.[11] A year later, he scored four goals in a convincing triumph over Zvijezda 09.[12]
On 10 November 2018, Bilbija scored a brace on his 100th appearance for the club.[13]
Gangwon
On 23 December 2018, Bilbija joined South Korean side Gangwon for an undisclosed transfer fee.[14] On 4 January 2019, Bilbija officially joined Gangwon after signing a contract with the club.[15]
He made his debut for Gangwon on 2 March 2019, in a 2–0 away loss against Sangju Sangmu coming in as a substitute in the 71st minute.[16]
Bilbija scored his first goal for Gangwon on 15 May 2019, in a 2–0 home win against Paju Citizen in the round of 16 of the 2019 Korean FA Cup.[17]
Return to Zrinjski Mostar
On 24 December 2019, Bilbija came back to Zrinjski almost a year after joining Gangwon, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract which will last until the summer of 2023 with the Mostar based club.[18] In his first game back, Bilbija scored a goal in a 2–0 league win against Čelik Zenica on 23 February 2020.[19]
On 31 October 2020, he scored a hat-trick against Velež in the Mostar derby.[20]
Bilbija finished the 2020–21 season as the league's top goalscorer with 17 goals.[21]
In a league game against Sarajevo on 23 October 2021, Bilbija scored his 76th goal for Zrinjski, making him the club's highest goalscorer of all time.[22] Following a 4–0 over Sarajevo on 16 April 2022, the club was crowned league champions, with Bilbija winning his fourth league title with Zrinjski.[23] He finished the 2021–22 season again as the league's top goalscorer with a record-breaking 33 goals.[24]
On 4 September 2022, Bilbija scored two goals in a 4–1 league win against Sarajevo, overtaking Wagner as the Bosnian Premier League's record goalscorer.[25] He finished the 2022–23 season as the league's top goalscorer for a third time in a row, as well as winning the double with Zrinjski, the first in the club's history.[26]
In the first leg of the Bosnian Cup final in May 2024, Bilbija suffered a severe knee injury after tearing his ligament, ruling him out for five months.[27] His first game back since his injury was a 2–0 win over Radnik Bijeljina on 16 October 2024.[28] On 27 September 2025, Bilbija made his 300th appearance for Zrinjski in a 3–1 away win in the Mostar derby over rivals Velež.[29]
International career
Bilbija was a member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national under-21 team. He was also captain of the under-21 side and is the highest goalscorer in the team's history with 9 goals.[30]
In August 2017, Bilbija received his first senior call-up, for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Gibraltar.[31] He debuted in a friendly game against United States on 28 January 2018.[32]
Personal life
Bilbija's father Milorad Bilbija was also a professional footballer who currently works as a football manager.[33]
