Haris Medunjanin

Haris Medunjanin
Personal information
Full name Haris Medunjanin
Date of birth 8 March 1985 (1985-03-08) (age 26)
Place of birth Sarajevo, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Maccabi Tel Aviv
Number 10
Youth career
Swift Atletiek
AFC'34
AZ
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2004–2008 AZ 25 (4)
2006–2007 → Sparta Rotterdam (loan) 32 (7)
2008–2010 Valladolid 42 (6)
2010– Maccabi Tel Aviv 37 (9)
National team‡
2005–2008 Netherlands U21 2 (3)
2009– Bosnia and Herzegovina 16 (4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 October 2011.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2011

Haris Medunjanin (born 8 March 1985) is a Bosnian footballer who plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. in Israel. Mainly a attacking midfielder, he can also appear as an left midfielder.

He has dual citizenship, Bosnian and Dutch.

Contents

Early years

Medunjanin was born in Sarajevo. Due to the Bosnian War in 1992, he moved to the Netherlands at the age of seven, with his mother and sister. [1][2]

Club career

Medunjanin made his Eredivisie debut on February 20, 2005, with AZ Alkmaar, but opportunities were scarce during his three-year spell at the club. In 2006–07, he was loaned to Sparta Rotterdam, being essential as the modest outfit finished 13th in the season, with seven league goals.

After another unassuming season with AZ, Medunjanin was snapped by Spain's Real Valladolid in August 2008, being relatively used in his debut season (mainly from the bench).

In June 2010, after Valladolid's relegation – during the season, he scored all of his five La Liga goals as a late substitute – Medunjanin signed for Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. of Israel for €1.800.000, penning a four-year contract.[3] On July 15, he made his official debut for the club, in a UEFA Europa League second qualifying round against FK Mogren, and scored in a 2–0 home win.[4]

International career

Medunjanin was part of the Dutch U-21 team that won the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. In 2007, he was called up by coach Foppe de Haan to be part of his squad for the 2007 edition, held in the Netherlands.

The Dutch went on to retain their 2006 title by beating Serbia 4–1 in the final, and in the process qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

In a 2009 interview, Medunjanin expressed strong desire to play for his native Bosnia, as new FIFA rules would allow.[5] In August of the same year, his paperwork for change of footballing citizenship was submitted to FIFA. On October 31, 2009, national coach Miroslav Blažević invited Medunjanin for the 2010 FIFA World Cup playoff games against Portugal.[1] He made his debut – as a starter – in the decisive second leg, a 0–1 loss in Zenica (0–2 aggregate).

On 2 September 2011, Medunjanin scored his third international goal against Belarus, in a 2–0 away win,[6] and added another the following month against Luxembourg (5–0, home),[7] helping his native country to the second place in its group in the Euro 2012 qualifiers and the subsequent playoffs.

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 17 November 2010 Bratislava  Slovakia 3–2 Win Friendly
2. 7 June 2011 Zenica  Albania 2–0 Win Euro 2012 qualifying
3. 2 September 2011 Minsk  Belarus 2-0 Win Euro 2012 qualifying
4. 7 October 2011 Zenica  Luxembourg 5-0 Win Euro 2012 qualifying

Club statistics

Club Season League Cup Europe International Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
AZ 2005–06 10 3 - - 2 0 - - 12 3
Sparta 2006–07 32 7 - - - - - - 32 7
AZ 2007–08 12 1 - - 2 0 - - 14 1
Valladolid 2008–09 18 1 3 1 - - - - 21 2
2009–10 24 5 1 0 - - 3 0 28 5
Total 42 6 4 1 - - 3 0 49 7
Maccabi Tel Aviv 2010–11 32 8 4 1 6 4 4 1 46 14
2011–12 5 1 1 0 5 1 0 0 11 2
Total 37 9 5 1 11 5 4 1 57 16
Total 133 26 6 2 13 4 7 1 164 33

References

  1. ^ a b Ostvareni san Harisa Medunjanina; Sarajevo-X.com, 1 November 2009 (Bosnian)
  2. ^ Bosnia wait on FIFA approval for Haris Medunjanin; ESPN Soccernet, 4 November 2009
  3. ^ Visit of two foreign players; Maccabi Tel Aviv's website, 14 June 2010
  4. ^ M. Tel-Aviv 2–0 Mogren; UEFA.com, 15 July 2010
  5. ^ Haris Medunjanin – intervju (Haris Medunjanin – Interview) (Bosnian)
  6. ^ Bosnia and Herzegovina buoyed by win in Belarus; UEFA.com, 2 September 2011
  7. ^ Bosnia and Herzegovina bowl over Luxembourg; UEFA.com, 7 October 2011
Netherlands squad – 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Winners (1st Title)
Netherlands squad – 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Winners (2nd Title)
Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. – current squad