Strahinja Eraković
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Eraković with Red Star Belgrade in 2021 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Strahinja Eraković[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 January 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Batajnica, FR Yugoslavia | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team |
Red Star Belgrade (on loan from Zenit Saint Petersburg) | ||
| Number | 25 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2019 | Red Star Belgrade | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | Red Star Belgrade | 79 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Grafičar Beograd (loan) | 21 | (2) |
| 2023– | Zenit Saint Petersburg | 61 | (0) |
| 2026– | → Red Star Belgrade (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017–2018 | Serbia U17 | 11 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | Serbia U19 | 7 | (1) |
| 2021 | Serbia U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Serbia U21 | 6 | (1) |
| 2022– | Serbia | 20 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 26 April 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | |||
Strahinja Eraković (Serbian Cyrillic: Страхиња Ераковић; born 22 January 2001) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Red Star Belgrade on loan from Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg, and the Serbia national team.
Red Star Belgrade
Eraković joined Red Star Belgrade in 2010 at the age of nine. He played for every youth category for the Belgrade club[3][user-generated source] and was the captain of the Under-19 side. Eraković represented the club in UEFA Youth League, playing matches against Napoli[4] and Paris Saint-Germain.
Eraković made his first-team debut for Red Star Belgrade on 1 August 2020 in a Superliga match against Novi Pazar.[5] Despite being just 19, he quickly became a regular footballer for the champions of Serbia. In his first season, Eraković played against Hoffenheim,[6][7] Gent[8] and Slovan Liberec[9] in the UEFA Europa League. He was a part of the Red Star Belgrade club that won the first league[10][11] and cup double[12][13] after a 14-year wait.
In the 2021–22 season, Eraković became one of the most important players[14] for the club and ranked among the players with most minutes spent on the pitch. He was a first-team regular in European competition as well, playing against Braga,[15] Midtjylland[16] and Ludogorets[17][18] in the Europa League group stage. He captained the side in the away match at Ludogorets.[19] Red Star Belgrade qualified for the competition's knockout stage and Eraković played in both legs as Red Star Belgrade bowed out of the competition with a 4–2 aggregate defeat against Rangers FC of Scotland. Eraković played as Red Star Belgrade secured back-to-back Superliga[20][21] and Kup Srbije doubles.[22][23]
At the start of the 2022–23 season, Eraković signed a new contract to remain at Red Star Belgrade until June 2026.[24]
Loan to Grafičar
Eraković spent the 2019–20 season playing for RFK Grafičar,[25] Red Star Belgrade's affiliate club in the Prva liga Srbije, the second tier of Serbian football. Eraković appeared in 21 games and scored two goals for Grafičar.
Zenit Saint Petersburg
On 23 July 2023, Eraković agreed to join Russian champions Zenit Saint Petersburg on a four-year contract, with the option to extend for another year.[26]
On 4 February 2026, Eraković returned to Red Star Belgrade on loan with an option to buy.[27]
International career
Eraković was eligible to represent Australia via his mother, who has Australian citizenship, but he rejected the offer.[28]
Having been captain of all Serbian youth national teams, Eraković debuted for the Serbian senior squad in a 2022–23 UEFA Nations League match against Norway.[29] In November 2022, he was selected in Serbia's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,[30] but did not appear in any match.
