Branimir Hrgota

{{short description|Swedish footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Branimir Hrgota

| image = Hrgotabmg.JPG

| caption = Hrgota with Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2012

| fullname = Branimir Hrgota

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1993|01|12|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina

| height = 1.85 m

| position = Forward

| currentclub = Greuther Fürth

| clubnumber = 10

| youthyears1 = {{0|0000}}–2008

| youthclubs1 = IK Tord

| youthyears2 = 2008–2011

| youthclubs2 = Jönköpings Södra IF

| years1 = 2011–2012

| clubs1 = Jönköpings Södra IF

| caps1 = 39

| goals1 = 28

| years2 = 2012–2013

| clubs2 = Borussia Mönchengladbach II

| caps2 = 8

| goals2 = 2

| years3 = 2012–2016

| clubs3 = Borussia Mönchengladbach

| caps3 = 69

| goals3 = 7

| years4 = 2016–2019

| clubs4 = Eintracht Frankfurt

| caps4 = 35

| goals4 = 5

| years5 = 2019–

| clubs5 = Greuther Fürth

| caps5 = 180

| goals5 = 60

| nationalyears1 = 2011–2012

| nationalteam1 = Sweden U19

| nationalcaps1 = 9

| nationalgoals1 = 3

| nationalyears2 = 2012–2015

| nationalteam2 = Sweden U21

| nationalcaps2 = 14

| nationalgoals2 = 3

| nationalyears3 = 2014

| nationalteam3 = Sweden

| nationalcaps3 = 3

| nationalgoals3 = 0

| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Men's football}}

{{Medal|Country|{{fb|SWE}}}}

{{MedalCompetition|UEFA European Under-21 Championship}}

{{Medal|W|2015 Czech Republic|}}

| club-update = 27 December 2024

| nationalteam-update = 20:09, 16 March 2022 (UTC)

}}

Branimir Hrgota ({{IPA|hr|branimir xr̩gota}}; born 12 January 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains 2. Bundesliga club Greuther Fürth. Born in Bosnia, he has played for the Sweden men's national football team.

Club career

=Jönköpings Södra IF=

Hrgota started his career as a youth player in lower league side IK Tord which he combined with competing in karate. In 2008, he made the decision to give up martial arts and transferred to second division team Jönköpings Södra IF. He made his debut with the first team in 2011 and became the league top scorer that season, netting 18 goals in 25 games.{{cite web | url = http://www.fotbollsoraklet.se/vem-ar-branimir-hrgota/ | title = Vem är Branimir Hrgota? | publisher = fotbollsoraklet.se | access-date = 28 August 2012}} After the season Hrgota received the Player of the Year award from the club supporters.{{cite web | url = http://www.sodrasajten.se/branimir-hrgota-arets-spelare-2011 | title = Branimir Hrgota - Årets Spelare 2011 | publisher = sodrasajten.se | access-date = 19 May 2013 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131104065117/http://www.sodrasajten.se/branimir-hrgota-arets-spelare-2011 | archive-date = 4 November 2013 | df = dmy-all }} Several clubs were interested in buying him after his successful debut year but Hrgota decided to stay with Jönköpings Södra so that he could finish school in the spring.{{cite web | url = http://www.eurosport.se/fotboll/superettan/2011/hrgota-stannar-i-j-sodra_sto3040946/story.shtml | title = Supertalangen stannar - ska gå ut skolan | publisher = eurosport.se | access-date = 19 May 2013}} He went on to score 10 goals in 14 games the following season before moving to Germany in the summer.{{cite web | url = https://svenskfotboll.se/superettan/person/?playerid=7165 | title = Branimir Hrgota | language = sv | publisher = svenskfotboll.se | access-date = 3 January 2013}}

=Borussia Mönchengladbach=

On 4 July 2012, he completed his move to the German club Borussia Mönchengladbach. He made his Bundesliga debut against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim as 74th-minute substitute, replacing Mike Hanke. On 11 May 2013, he made the first eleven for the first time against 1. FSV Mainz 05. He made a big impact on the game scoring a hat-trick. His first ever Bundesliga goal was a converted penalty five minutes before half-time. In the second half he scored two more goals, both with his left foot. After 85 minutes he was substituted for Lukas Rupp. On 15 June 2016, it was announced that Hrgota would join fellow Bundesliga team Eintracht Frankfurt on a three-year contract.

=Eintracht Frankfurt=

Hrgota scored in his first goal in the game in a 4–3 penalty shoot-out victory against 1. FC Magdeburg in the DFB-Pokal on 21 August 2016. On 20 December 2016, before the winter break, he scored a brace in a 3–0 win over 1. FSV Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga. Despite failing to score in the semi-final cup tie away from home against his former club Borussia Mönchengladbach on 25 April 2017, Hrgota slotted home the winning penalty in the shoot-out which Eintracht Frankfurt won 7–6, having drawn the game 1–1 in normal time.

=Greuther Fürth=

On 7 August 2019, Hrgota joined Greuther Fürth on a two-year deal.{{cite web|url=https://www.greuther-fuerth.de/aktuell/nachrichten/profis/story-des-tages/2019-2020/20190807-hrgota-verstaerkt-das-kleeblatt/|title=Hrgota stürmt für's Kleebatt|language=de|publisher=SpVgg Greuther Fürth|date=7 August 2019|access-date=8 August 2019}}

On 12 February 2022, Hrgota's opener against Hertha Berlin, after 27 seconds, was the fastest goal in that season.

International career

Hrgota was eligible to play national team football for Sweden, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Croatia U21 coach Ivo Šušak contacted him during the fall of 2012 in an attempt to bring Hrgota over to his team.{{cite web | url = http://www.fotbolldirekt.se/2012/10/08/kroatien-rykten-dementeras-ber-om-lugn-och-ro/ | title = Kroatien-rykten dementeras – ber om lugn och ro | publisher = fotbolldirekt.se | access-date = 19 May 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131224093056/http://www.fotbolldirekt.se/2012/10/08/kroatien-rykten-dementeras-ber-om-lugn-och-ro/ | archive-date = 24 December 2013 | url-status = dead }} However, in the summer of 2014, prior to Sweden's game against Austria in the UEFA European Championship qualifiers, Hrgota was called up to, and accepted to join, the Sweden national team.{{cite web | url = http://www.aftonbladet.se/senastenytt/ttsport/sport/article19455986.ab | title = Hrgota mållös i ligan på nytt | date = 31 August 2014 | publisher = aftonbladet.se | access-date = 1 September 2014}} On 16 March 2022 Hrgota was selected for the World Cup Qualifier playoff 2022 against the Czech Republic and Poland, but did not get playing time.

Personal life

Hrgota was born in Zenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War. His parents are ethnic Croats. The family moved to Sweden when Branimir was a child, settling in Jönköping.

Career statistics

=Club=

{{updated|match played 14 May 2022}}{{Soccerway|branimir-hrgota/175582|access-date=7 February 2020}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

rowspan="2"|Club

!rowspan="2"|Season

!colspan="3"|League

!colspan="2"|National cup{{efn|Includes Svenska Cupen, DFB-Pokal}}

!colspan="2"|Continental

!colspan="2"|Total

DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
rowspan="3"|Jönköpings Södra IF

|2011

|Superettan

|25

1820colspan="2"|—2718
2012

|Superettan

|14

1000colspan="2"|—1410
colspan="2"|Total

!39

2820004128
Borussia Mönchengladbach II

|2012–13

|Regionalliga West

|8

2colspan="2"|—colspan="2"|—82
rowspan="5"|Borussia Mönchengladbach

|2012–13

|Bundesliga

|13

3004{{efn|One appearance in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League}}0173
2013–14

|Bundesliga

|30

210colspan="2"|—312
2014–15

|Bundesliga

|17

23210{{efn|name=UEL|Appearances in UEFA Europa League}}83012
2015–16

|Bundesliga

|9

01200102
colspan="2"|Total

!69

7541488819
rowspan="4"|Eintracht Frankfurt

|2016–17

|Bundesliga

|28

521colspan="2"|—306
2017–18

|Bundesliga

|6

020colspan="2"|—80
2018–19

|Bundesliga

|1

0000010
colspan="2"|Total

!35

54100396
rowspan="5"|Greuther Fürth

|2019–20

|2. Bundesliga

|32

1000colspan="2"|—3210
2020–21

|2. Bundesliga

|31

1630colspan="2"|—3416
2021–22

|Bundesliga

|34

911colspan="2"|—3510
2022–23

|2. Bundesliga

|33

1110colspan="2"|—3411
colspan="2"|Total

!130

4651colspan="2"|—13547
colspan="3"|Career total

!273

86166148303100

{{notelist}}

= International =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+Appearances and goals by national team and year{{Cite web |title=Branimir Hrgota - Spelarstatistik - Svensk fotboll |url=https://www.svenskfotboll.se/spelarfakta/branimir-hrgota/e56a83eb-0057-44a1-b53c-49a3ebeeb0ee/ |access-date=2022-03-16 |website=www.svenskfotboll.se. |language=sv}}

!National team

!Year

!Apps

!Goals

Sweden

|2014

|3

|0

colspan="2" |Total

!3

!0

:

Honours

Eintracht Frankfurt

Sweden U21

Individual

References

{{Reflist}}