Timi Max Elšnik
Slovenian footballer (born 1998)
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Timi Max Elšnik (born 29 April 1998) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serbian SuperLiga club Red Star Belgrade and the Slovenia national team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 April 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Ptuj, Slovenia[1][2] | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[2][3] | ||
| Position | Central midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Red Star Belgrade | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Zlatoličje[4] | |||
| 2008–2015 | Aluminij | ||
| 2015–2016 | Derby County | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2019 | Derby County | 0 | (0) |
| 2017–2018 | → Swindon Town (loan) | 22 | (3) |
| 2018–2019 | → Mansfield Town (loan) | 19 | (3) |
| 2019 | → Northampton Town (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2020–2024 | Olimpija Ljubljana | 129 | (21) |
| 2024– | Red Star Belgrade | 53 | (6) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2015 | Slovenia U17[a] | 9 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Slovenia U19[a] | 9 | (2) |
| 2019–2021 | Slovenia U21 | 6 | (0) |
| 2021– | Slovenia | 34 | (2) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21 March 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2025 | |||
Club career
Derby County
Elšnik joined the Derby County academy in 2015 at the age of 17.[5] During his first season, he initially played for the under-18 team before progressing to the under-21 squad. At the end of the 2015–16 season, he was named the club's Scholar of the Year.[6] Shortly after signing a new three-year contract with the club in August 2016,[7] he made his first team debut as a substitute against Carlisle United in the EFL Cup, scoring twice in Derby's penalty shoot-out win.[8] He was released by Derby in July 2019.[9]
Loans to Swindon Town, Mansfield Town and Northampton Town
On 31 August 2017, Elšnik signed on a season-long loan for Swindon Town along with Derby teammate Kellan Gordon.[10] Two days later, Elšnik made his Swindon debut during their 4–1 home defeat against Barnet, featuring for the entire 90 minutes.[11]
On 31 August 2018, Elšnik signed on a season-long loan for Mansfield Town.[12] Four days later, Elšnik made his Mansfield debut during their 2–1 away win against Lincoln City in the EFL Trophy, featuring for the entire 90 minutes.[13] On 30 October 2018, Elšnik was brought back into the Mansfield side, starting the game against Crewe Alexandra. He scored two goals ensuring a 3–0 win for Mansfield.[14]
In January 2019, Mansfield activated a clause to terminate the loan spell during the winter transfer window.[15] Shortly after his return to Derby, he was loaned to Northampton Town until the end of the season.[16]
Olimpija Ljubljana
In January 2020, Elšnik returned to his home country and signed with Olimpija Ljubljana.[17] In December 2020, after extending his contract with the club, president Milan Mandarić appointed him as the team captain at only 22 years of age.[18] With Olimpija, Elšnik won the Slovenian league title in the 2022–23 season and the Slovenian Cup in the 2020–21 and 2022–23 seasons.
International career
Elšnik has represented Slovenia at the under-17, under-18, under-19, and under-21 levels.[19] He was the captain of the under-21 team at the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[20]
He made his senior debut on 8 October 2021 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Malta, replacing Jasmin Kurtić late in the game.[21] In June 2024, Elšnik was called up to the squad for UEFA Euro 2024 by Slovenian coach Matjaž Kek.[22] He appeared as a starter in all four Slovenia matches at the tournament.[23]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 5 October 2023[24]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[b] | Continental | Other[c] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Derby County | 2015–16[25] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016–17[26] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18[27] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19[28] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Swindon Town (loan) | 2017–18[27] | League Two | 22 | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | 0 | 25 | 5 | |
| Mansfield Town (loan) | 2018–19[28] | League Two | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 4 | 1 | 24 | 4 | |
| Northampton Town (loan) | 2018–19[28] | League Two | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| Olimpija Ljubljana | 2019–20 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 11 | 3 | — | — | — | 11 | 3 | |||
| 2020–21 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 31 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2[d] | 0 | — | 35 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4[e] | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 33 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 3[e] | 0 | — | 40 | 9 | ||
| 2023–24 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9[f] | 3 | — | 17 | 4 | ||
| Total | 104 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 129 | 21 | ||
| Career total | 154 | 22 | 9 | 5 | 18 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 190 | 31 | ||
- Appearances in official UEFA competitive matches only; friendly matches are not included.
- Includes FA Cup, Slovenian Cup
- Includes EFL Cup, EFL Trophy
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Five appearances and three goals in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
International
- As of match played 18 November 2025[29]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | |||
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | |
| Total | 34 | 2 | |
- Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Elšnik goal.[29]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 March 2024 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia |  Portugal | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 18 November 2025 | Strawberry Arena, Solna, Sweden |  Sweden | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Olimpija Ljubljana
Red Star Belgrade