Benjamin Verbič

Benjamin Verbič
Personal information
Full nameBenjamin Verbič
Date of birth27 November 1993
Place of birthCelje, Slovenia
Playing positionLeft Wing
Club information
Current team
Celje
Number7
Youth career
–2011Celje
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2011–Celje96(26)
2012→ Šampion (loan)23(0)
National team‡
2013–2014Slovenia U214(1)
2015–Slovenia1(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 31 March 2015

Benjamin Verbič (born 27 November 1993) is a football player from Slovenia. He plays for Celje as a winger, and helped them reach the Slovenian Football Cup Final in 2012 and 2013. Verbič made his senior debut for the Slovenian national football team against Qatar on 30 March 2015.

Club career

Born in Celje, Verbič made his debut for hometwon club NK Celje on 29 May 2011 in a 2–3 Slovenian PrvaLiga home defeat to Primorje at the Arena Petrol, replacing Iztok Močivnik for the last 24 minutes in his only appearance of the season.[1]

He made 12 league appearances the following season (8 starts), contributing a first career goal on 3 April 2012, a consolation goal in a 1–2 home defeat against Olimpija Ljubljana.[2] Eight days later, he scored an 86th-minute equaliser in a 1–1 away draw with Šenčur in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Slovenian Football Cup.[3] Celje advanced via a penalty shootout to the final against already-crowned league winners Maribor at Stožice Stadium in Ljubljana on 23 May. Verbič scored in extra time in a 2–2 draw but missed the first penalty as his team lost in a shootout.[4]

Verbič made 26 league appearances for Celje in the 2012–13 season, scoring 3 goals.[5] On 24 August he was loaned to NK Šampion of the Slovenian Second League, making his first appearance for the team four days later, replacing Tilen Kompran at half time in a 1–2 home defeat against Šenčur;[6] he started his other two games for the club.[5] Celje again reached the cup final, losing 0–1 to Maribor at the Bonifika Stadium in Koper on 29 May, with Verbič playing the entire match.[7] In the quarter-final first leg on 24 October, he scored both of the team's goals to defeat Dravinja, netting in the second minute and in added time.[8]

On 25 October 2014, Verbič scored a first career hat-trick in a 5–0 home win against NK Radomlje.[9]

On 27 April 2015, he signed a four-year contract at FC Copenhagen, to join at the end of the season.[10]

International career

On 30 March 2015 he made his debut for the Slovenia national football team, starting in an eventual 0–1 friendly defeat to Qatar at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, making way for Andraž Kirm after 77 minutes.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Celje 2-3 Primorje". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "Celje 1-2 Olimpija". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  3. ↑ "Sencur 1-1 Celje". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  4. ↑ "Mariborčani po 11-metrovkah do dvojne krone" [Maribor are double champions via penalties] (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "B. VERBIČ". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Sampion 1-2 Sencur". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  7. ↑ "POKAL SlOVENIJE 12/13" [SLOVENIAN CUP 12/13] (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  8. ↑ "POKAL SLOVENIJE 12/13" [SLOVENIAN CUP 12/13] (in Slovenian). Football Association of Slovenia. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  9. ↑ "Celje 5-0 Radomlje". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  10. ↑ "F.C. København henter Benjamin Verbic" [FC Copenhagen sign Benjamin Verbič] (in Danish). FC Copenhagen. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  11. ↑ "Qatar 1-0 Slovenia". European Football. Retrieved 1 April 2015.

External links