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Ajdin Hrustic

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Ajdin Hrustic
Hrustic with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022
Personal information
Full name Ajdin Hrustic[1]
Date of birth (1996-07-05) 5 July 1996 (age 28)[1]
Place of birth Dandenong, Victoria, Australia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Salernitana
Number 8
Youth career
2004–2007 Heatherton United
2007–2009 South Melbourne
2009–2010 Sandringham
2010–2011 Nottingham Forest
2011–2012 Austria Wien
2012–2014 Schalke 04
2014–2015 Groningen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2020 Jong Groningen 49 (8)
2017–2020 Groningen 67 (5)
2020–2022 Eintracht Frankfurt 34 (3)
2022–2024 Hellas Verona 6 (0)
2024 → Heracles Almelo (loan) 14 (1)
2024– Salernitana 5 (0)
International career‡
2017–2018 Australia U23 4 (0)
2017– Australia 31 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 August 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 June 2024

Ajdin Hrustic (Bosnian: Ajdin Hrustić; born 5 July 1996) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie B club Salernitana and the Australia national team.

Early life

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Born in Dandenong, Victoria,[3] Hrustic played youth football with South Melbourne and Schalke 04 before moving to FC Groningen, where he made his professional debut in 2017. In 2020 he signed for the German football club Eintracht Frankfurt.

Club career

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Groningen

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In June 2015, Hrustic signed a three-year contract with FC Groningen, his first senior professional deal.[4] He made his competitive debut for the club as a substitute in a draw against AZ Alkmaar on 2 April 2017.[5] His first goal for the club came two weeks later, with a shot from long range to seal a 5–1 win over PEC Zwolle.[6]

Eintracht Frankfurt

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On 28 September 2020, Hrustic signed a contract with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt that will keep him at the club through to 2023, and was given the No. 7 jersey.[7][8] He made his debut on 19 December 2020 in a 2–0 victory against FC Augsburg, coming off the bench for Aymen Barkok.

Hrustic scored his first goal for Eintracht Frankfurt against Mainz 05, on 9 May 2021, with an improvised finish where he managed to chip the ball over goalkeeper Robin Zentner.[9]

On 18 May 2022, he became the first Australian player to win the UEFA Europa League in its history, after Eintracht Frankfurt triumphed over Scottish opponents Rangers in the 2022 final, winning a penalty shoot-out 5–4 after the match ended 1–1 after extra time, with Hrustic converting his team's second penalty of the shootout.[10] He became the first Australian since Harry Kewell in 2005 to win a major UEFA competition.[11]

Hellas Verona

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Wasn't an easy move. I got injured, got left alone to be honest. For the first time I kind of felt where I really did struggle to be honest and when the door opened up back to Eredivisie, it was the first thing I wanted.

—Hrustic on injury at Hellas Verona, 2024.[12]

On 1 September 2022, Hrustic signed a four-year contract with Hellas Verona in Italy.[13] He made his debut in a 2–0 loss to Lazio on 11 September 2022. Hrustic would however injure his ankle on 16 October during a 2–1 loss to AC Milan which meant that he would not see the pitch for Verona for the rest of the year.[14]

Despite appearing in the World Cup and on 4 January 2023 coming off the bench against Torino, Hrustic underwent surgery on his ankle and missed the rest of Verona's season although he did recover in time to be named on the bench for the final three games of the season.[15]

During the pre-season of the 2023–24 season, Hrustic was told that Verona wanted to move him on, citing that they could no longer afford his salary. Hrustic stated that "I did think they were bluffing, to be honest" and despite this he played in Verona's pre-season fixtures. He was however not registered for the upcoming season and missed out on five months of club football.[16]

Loan to Heracles Almelo

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On 1 February 2024, Hrustic returned to the Netherlands and signed with Heracles Almelo until the end of the season.[17] On 3 March, he scored his first goal for Heracles against Almere, with a bending shot into the bottom corner.

Salernitana

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On 30 August 2024, Hrustic moved to Salernitana in Serie B on a one-season contract, with a conditional performance-based automatic renewal option.[18]

International career

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Hrustic with Australia at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup

Due to his Bosnian and Romanian heritage, Hrustic was eligible to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania internationally, in addition to his birth country Australia. He was contacted by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 2017, but ultimately rejected the offer and expressed his wish to represent the Socceroos.[19]

Hrustic was called up to an Australian under-23 development squad in March 2017.[20] This was the first time he had been involved with Football Federation Australia in several years, having previously not been involved with the Australian setup since moving to Europe.

On 22 May 2017, Hrustic was named in the Australian national side's 30-man preliminary squad for the month of June, including the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, a friendly against Brazil and a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia.[21] He was retained in the final 23-man squad.[22] He made his Socceroos debut on the losing side of a 4–0 friendly against Brazil, coming on as a 57th-minute substitute.[23]

On 4 June 2021, Hrustic scored his first goal for Australia against Kuwait in the second round of World Cup qualifying, bending the ball off the inside of the post and in from a 30-odd-metre free-kick. His second goal also came off a free-kick bouncing off the crossbar to go in underneath the goal against Japan in 2021.

During Australia's cut-throat match against the United Arab Emirates in the fourth round of qualifying, Hrustic scored his third goal with a sweetly struck volley that deflected off a UAE defender in the dying minutes of the match to secure the win for Australia and passage through to the intercontinental play-off round against Peru. Against Peru, Hrustic had one of the best opportunities for Australia during the match when he scuffed a shot from the edge of the box. He scored the fourth penalty for Australia as they beat Peru 5–4 in the penalty shoot-out, qualifying for the World Cup.

Despite suffering an injury while playing for Hellas Verona and being a doubt for the tournament,[24] Hrustic was included in the 2022 FIFA World Cup squad, being substituted on in Australia's final three matches as the Socceroos were knocked out by Argentina in the round of sixteen.[25]

After a 2–0 friendly loss against Argentina on 15 June 2023, he missed out on the next four Australia squads including the Asian Cup due to lack of playing time at club level. On 21 March 2024, Hrustic made his first appearance for Australia since the loss to Argentina, playing against Lebanon in the second round of World Cup qualifying. He scored his fourth goal on 6 June against Bangladesh in a 2–0 win with a long shot that deflected into the goal.[26]

Personal life

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Hrustic was born in Dandenong a suburb of Melbourne, Australia to a Bosnian father and a Romanian mother.[27][5]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 7 August 2024[28]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Jong Groningen 2014–15 Beloften Eredivisie 2 0 — — — 2 0
2015–16 15 0 — — — 15 0
2016–17 Derde Divisie 26 4 — — — 26 4
2017–18 5 3 — — — 5 3
2019–20 Reserve Eredivisie 1 1 — — — 1 0
Total 49 8 — — — 49 8
Groningen 2016–17 Eredivisie 5 1 0 0 — 2 0 7 1
2017–18 18 1 1 1 — 0 0 19 2
2018–19 18 0 1 0 — 2 0 21 0
2019–20 25 3 2 0 — 0 0 27 3
2020–21 1 0 — — — 1 0
Total 67 5 4 1 — 4 0 75 6
Eintracht Frankfurt 2020–21 Bundesliga 11 1 1 0 — — 12 1
2021–22 23 2 0 0 5 0 — 28 2
Total 34 3 1 0 5 0 — 40 3
Hellas Verona 2022–23 Serie A 6 0 0 0 — — 6 0
2023–24 0 0 0 0 — — 0 0
Total 6 0 0 0 — — 6 0
Heracles Almelo (loan) 2023–24 Eredivisie 14 1 0 0 — — 14 1
Career total 170 17 5 1 5 0 4 0 184 18

International

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As of match played 6 June 2024[29]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Australia 2017 1 0
2018 0 0
2019 2 0
2020 0 0
2021 10 2
2022 10 1
2023 1 0
2024 3 1
Total 27 4
Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Hrustic goal.
List of international goals scored by Ajdin Hrustic[29]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 3 June 2021 Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait  Kuwait 3–0 3–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 12 October 2021 Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama, Japan  Japan 1–1 1–2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 7 June 2022 Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al-Rayyan, Qatar  United Arab Emirates 2–1 2–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
4 6 June 2024 Bashundhara Kings Arena, Dhaka, Bangladesh  Bangladesh 1–0 2–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

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Eintracht Frankfurt

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017: List of Players: Australia" (PDF). FIFA. 2 July 2017. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2017.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™: List of Players: Australia" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Ange Postecoglou has had Socceroos bolter Ajdin Hrustic on radar for almost a decade". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  4. ^ Kulas, Damir (29 June 2015). "Former South Melbourne youth Hrustic pens senior deal with FC Groningen". CornerFlag.com.au. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  5. ^ a b Davutovic, David (3 April 2017). "Young Aussie striker Ajdin Hrustic making waves in Europe with new Dutch club Groningen". Herald Sun. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  6. ^ Davutovic, David (17 April 2017). "Aussie youngster Ajdin Hrustic opens professional account with tidy goal in Dutch league". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Socceroo Hrustic makes Frankfurt move". The World Game. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  8. ^ Elliott, Binks (29 September 2020). "Bundesliga's latest Aussie star to wear No. 7 shirt". FTBL.com.au. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  9. ^ Thomas, Josh (9 May 2021). "Socceroo Ajdin Hrustic scores stunning first Bundesliga goal for Eintracht Frankfurt". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Socceroo wins Europa League in shootout thriller". 18 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Socceroo Hrustic steps up on Europe's big stage".
  12. ^ "Ajdin Hrustić: "Een warme club is wat ik nu nodig heb in mijn carrière"" [Ajdin Hrustić: "A warm club is what I need now in my career"] (in Dutch). Heracles Almelo. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Ajdin Hrustic è un nuovo centrocampista gialloblù!" (in Italian). Hellas Verona. 1 September 2022. Archived from the original on 2 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Socceroos headaches continue as Australia's 'best player' Ajdin Hrustic in doubt for World Cup". Sydney Morning Herald. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Hrustic undergoes successful ankle surgery". Socceroos. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  16. ^ "'I thought they were bluffing': How the Socceroos' missing link fell off the radar". Sydney Morning Herald. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  17. ^ "HERACLES ALMELO VERSTERKT ZICH MET AJDIN HRUSTIĆ" [HERACLES ALMELO STRENGTHENS ITSELF WITH AJDIN HRUSTIĆ] (in Dutch). Heracles Almelo. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Ajdin Hrustić è un giocatore della Salernitana" [Ajdin Hrustić is a player of Salernitana] (in Italian). Salernitana. 30 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
  19. ^ Davutovic, David (22 May 2017). "Ajdin Hrustic tells why he chose the Socceroos over World Cup-bound Bosnia". Herald Sun. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  20. ^ Davutovic, David (15 March 2017). "Deni Juric, the younger brother of Socceroos striker Tomi, selected for Olyroos camp in Spain". Herald Sun. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  21. ^ "Uncapped Hrustic named in Socceroos squad". FourFourTwo. 22 May 2017.
  22. ^ "Socceroos squad named by Ange Postecoglou for vital June clashes, Ajdin Hrustic called up". ABC News. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  23. ^ Kemp, Emma (13 June 2017). "Socceroos go down 4–0 to classy Brazil". Nine's Wide World of Sports. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  24. ^ "Socceroos star Hrustic in doubt for World Cup". beIN Sports Australia. 20 October 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Australia World Cup 2022 guide: Key players, injuries, tactics & tournament prediction". 12 November 2022.
  26. ^ Rugari, Vince (6 June 2024). "Socceroos scrape 2-0 win over Bangladesh, Irankunda makes debut". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  27. ^ Kulas, Damir (2 April 2017). "Former Heatherton, South junior Hrustic makes Eredivisie debut". CornerFlag.com.au. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  28. ^ "Ajdin Hrustić » Club matches". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  29. ^ a b "Ajdin Hrustic". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
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