Saša Kalajdžić
Austrian footballer (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saša Kalajdžić (Serbian Cyrillic: Саша Калајџић; born 7 July 1997) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Austrian Bundesliga club LASK on loan from EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Austria national team.
|
Kalajdžić with VfB Stuttgart in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Saša Kalajdžić[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 7 July 1997[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Vienna, Austria | ||
| Height | 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
LASK (on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers) | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004–2006 | SV Donau | ||
| 2006–2010 | SR Donaufeld Wien | ||
| 2010–2014 | First Vienna FC | ||
| 2014–2015 | SR Donaufeld Wien | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | SR Donaufeld Wien | 18 | (7) |
| 2016–2018 | Admira Wacker II | 33 | (13) |
| 2017–2019 | Admira Wacker | 33 | (11) |
| 2019–2022 | VfB Stuttgart | 57 | (23) |
| 2022– | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 13 | (2) |
| 2024 | → Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2025– | → LASK (loan) | 22 | (6) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017–2019 | Austria U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 2020– | Austria | 24 | (5) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:31, 10 May 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 04:54, 28 June 2026 (UTC) | |||
Kalajdžić began his senior career playing in the third and fourth tiers of Austrian football with SR Donaufeld Wien. In 2016, he signed for Austrian Bundesliga club Admira Wacker, where he scored twelve goals in 35 matches for the first team. He joined German club VfB Stuttgart in July 2019, sustaining a serious knee injury shortly after joining and not making his debut until May 2020. Nevertheless, he would go on to score 24 goals in 60 matches for the club. In August 2022, Kalajdžić was signed by English club Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported fee of £15 million.
Kalajdžić played for Austria at under-21 level, before making his senior international debut in October 2020. He was part of Austria's squad at UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Club career
FC Admira Wacker Mödling
.jpg)
Born in the Austrian capital Vienna, Kalajdžić joined FC Admira Wacker Mödling in 2016, from SR Donaufeld Wien.[3] He originally played as a midfielder for the club's reserve side in the Austrian Regionalliga East, before being converted into a forward.[3]
VfB Stuttgart
On 5 July 2019, Kalajdžić signed a four-year contract with the German club VfB Stuttgart.[4] Shortly after his arrival, he suffered a torn cruciate ligament during a preseason training camp.[5] He made his league debut on 28 May 2020, coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute of matchday 28 of the 2019–20 2. Bundesliga season against Hamburger SV, and scored his first goal on matchday 33 during a 6–0 rout of FC Nuremberg.[6]
In the following season, Kalajdžić frequently led the line for VfB Stuttgart, finishing the season as the 6th top scorer in the Bundesliga with 16 goals,[7] helping his team finish 9th. The next season, he scored the winner in Stuttgart's 3–2 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach on matchday 25,[8] and the team's first goal in a 2–1 win over 1. FC Köln on the final matchday, to ensure the club's presence in the Bundesliga for the 2022–23 season.[9]
Wolverhampton Wanderers
On 31 August 2022, English club Wolverhampton Wanderers announced that they had signed Kalajdžić on a five-year deal, with the option to extend for a further 12 months.[10] The fee was undisclosed by the club, but was reported to be £15 million.[11] He made his debut three days later as a starter in a 1–0 Premier League win against Southampton at Molineux, but was substituted at half-time due to injury which was later confirmed as an ACL tear requiring surgery.[12][13] Wolves subsequently announced that the player underwent reparative surgery on 6 September, and cautioned that the typical rehabilitation period after such a procedure is nine months.[14]
Kalajdžić made his second appearance for Wolves (and first since 3 September 2022) against Manchester United on 14 August 2023 as a late substitute. Kalajdžić again entered the field as a late substitute against Everton on 26 August 2023, and proceeded to score his first goal for Wolves in the 87th minute to help them win 1–0 away at Goodison Park.[15]
Kalajdžić scored his second goal for Wolves in his next match – his first start for the club since 3 September 2022 – a home game in the EFL Cup against Blackpool on 29 August 2023 that Wolves won 5–0.[16]
Kalajdžić scored his second Premier League goal, again as a substitute, in a 2–1 Wolves win away to Bournemouth on 21 October 2023.[17] It was the second time in the season he had scored a late winning goal for Wolves in a Premier League fixture to secure an away win.
Loan to Eintracht Frankfurt
On 7 January 2024, Wolves sent Kalajdžić on loan to Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt until the end of the 2023–24 season.[18] On 15 February, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 away draw against Union Saint-Gilloise during the Conference League knockout round play-offs.[19] On 18 February, Kalajdžić suffered a third ACL tear in the space of five years in a Bundesliga match against SC Freiburg.[20]
Return to Wolverhampton
Kalajdžić missed the entire 2024–25 season due to his ACL injury.[21]
Loan to LASK
On 5 September 2025, Wolves loaned out Kalajdžić a second time, this time to Austrian side LASK.[22] On 30 January 2026, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 victory over Blau-Weiß Linz in the Austrian Cup.[23] Later that year, on 26 April, he netted a brace, including a goal from his own half, and provided an assist in a 5–1 away victory over TSV Hartberg.[24]
International career
Kalajdžić made six appearances for Austria at under-21 level.[25] He made his senior international debut for Austria on 14 October 2020, in a Nations League 1–0 victory against Romania, as an extra time substitute for Michael Gregoritsch.[26]
On 25 March 2021, he scored his first two international goals in a 2–2 away draw with Scotland during 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.[27] He was included in the squad for Euro 2020, where he scored a goal in a 2–1 loss after extra-time against Italy in the round of 16.[28]
On 18 May 2026, Kalajdžić was selected in Ralf Rangnick’s 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking Austria's first appearance in the tournament since 1998.[29] A month later, on 27 June, he scored his first World Cup goal in the stoppage time, equalising in a 3–3 draw with Algeria and securing his country's qualification for the knockout stage.[30]
Style of play
_45.jpg)
Due to his two-metre stature and relatively slender build, Kalajdžić received comparisons with the English striker Peter Crouch, who similarly to him functioned as an out-and-out target man. During his youth career, Kalajdžić also played as a holding midfielder and referred to Nemanja Matić as an inspiration.[31][32]
Personal life
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 10 May 2026
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| SR Donaufeld Wien | 2014–15[25] | Austrian Regionalliga East | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16[25] | Wiener Stadtliga | 16 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 7 | |||
| Total | 18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 7 | ||||
| Admira Wacker Amateure | 2016–17[36] | Austrian Regionalliga East | 27 | 10 | — | — | — | 27 | 10 | |||
| 2017–18[36] | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | |||||
| 2018–19[36] | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 33 | 13 | — | — | — | 33 | 13 | |||||
| Admira Wacker | 2017–18[36] | Austrian Bundesliga | 18 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 20 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19[36] | 15 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 15 | 8 | |||
| Total | 33 | 11 | 2 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 35 | 12 | |||
| VfB Stuttgart | 2019–20[36] | 2. Bundesliga | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21[36] | Bundesliga | 33 | 16 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 36 | 17 | |||
| 2021–22[36] | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 6 | ||||
| 2022–23[36] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 57 | 23 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 60 | 24 | ||||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2022–23[36] | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023–24[36] | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 13 | 3 | |||
| 2025–26 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 16 | 3 | |||
| Eintracht Frankfurt (loan) | 2023–24[36] | Bundesliga | 5 | 0 | — | — | 1[c] | 1 | 6 | 1 | ||
| LASK (loan) | 2025–26 | Austrian Bundesliga | 22 | 6 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 181 | 62 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 194 | 67 | ||
- Includes Austrian Cup, DFB-Pokal
- Appearance in UEFA Europa Conference League
International
- As of match played 27 June 2026[37]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 2020 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 24 | 5 | |
- Scores and results list Austria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kalajdžić goal.[37]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 March 2021 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | 3 |  Scotland | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification | [38] |
| 2 | 2–1 | |||||||
| 3 | 28 March 2021 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria | 4 |  Faroe Islands | 3–1 | 3–1 | [39] | |
| 4 | 26 June 2021 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 11 |  Italy | 1–2 | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | UEFA Euro 2020 | [40] |
| 5 | 27 June 2026 | Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, United States | 24 |  Algeria | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2026 FIFA World Cup |
Honours
LASK
Individual
- Austrian Bundesliga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2020–21
- Wolverhampton Wanderers Player of the Month: August 2023[42]
