Marko Grujić (Serbian Cyrillic: Марко Грујић, pronounced [mâːrko ɡrûːjitɕ]; born 13 April 1996) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primeira Liga club Porto and the Serbia national team.

Marko Grujić
Grujić with Hertha BSC in 2019
Personal information
Full name Marko Grujić[1]
Date of birth (1996-04-13) 13 April 1996 (age 28)[2]
Place of birth Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)[3]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Porto
Number 8
Youth career
2005–2013 Red Star Belgrade
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2016 Red Star Belgrade 39 (6)
2014Kolubara (loan) 5 (2)
2016–2020 Liverpool 8 (0)
2018Cardiff City (loan) 13 (1)
2018–2020Hertha BSC (loan) 51 (9)
2020– Porto 80 (4)
International career
2011–2012 Serbia U16 4 (2)
2012 Serbia U17 1 (1)
2014–2015 Serbia U19 3 (0)
2015 Serbia U20 7 (0)
2015–2017 Serbia U21 13 (0)
2016– Serbia 28 (0)
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Serbia
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2015 New Zealand U-20 Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 00:54, 10 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 October 2024

A native of Belgrade, Grujić started his career with his hometown club Red Star Belgrade, progressing through their youth system to the first team squad. He made his professional debut in 2013, and won the SuperLiga title in his final season with Red Star before completing a £5.1 million move to Liverpool. After five years with the Premier League club, he moved to Portuguese club Porto for just over £10 million in 2021.

Grujić is a Serbian international, and represented Serbia at every youth level from under-16 upwards before making his full international debut in May 2016. He was part of the Serbian side which won the 2015 U-20 World Cup.

Club career

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Red Star Belgrade

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Grujić was born in Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia (now Serbia) and is a product of Red Star Belgrade, where he went through the youth program, passed all categories and was the captain of his generation. He made his professional debut for Red Star on 26 May 2013, in a Serbian SuperLiga match versus Vojvodina.[4]

On 17 May 2015, Grujić signed a three-year contract with Red Star to last until 2018.[5] Grujić scored his first senior goal on 26 September 2015 against Novi Pazar in a 2–0 victory; he also assisted Aleksandar Katai for the second goal.[6] Grujić was a part of an unprecedented run of Red Star victories, as the club set a new record for the number of consecutive victories (19), ending the first half of the season without defeat.[7]

Liverpool

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Throughout autumn, Grujić was scouted by a number of high-profile European teams, including Liverpool, Internazionale, Juventus, Chelsea, and Milan. Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp called Grujić personally to convince him to switch to Anfield, but initially Grujić's father was against his son moving to Liverpool.[8] Klopp's assistant, Željko Buvač, flew to Belgrade to speak with Grujić and on 6 January 2016, it was confirmed that Grujić completed his move to Premier League side Liverpool, signing a five-year deal for a reported fee of £5.1 million.[9][10] Upon joining, Grujić hailed Klopp for convincing him to join and told the press, "I would choose Liverpool over Real Madrid and Barcelona."[11]

He was immediately loaned back to Red Star until the end of the season for a fee of £740,000, and won the SuperLiga with Red Star while on loan. Grujić finished the season with 29 appearances, 6 goals, 7 assists and was voted into the SuperLiga Team of the Year for his contribution to Red Star's unbeaten season.

On 20 August 2016, Grujić made his Premier League debut for Liverpool in a 2–0 loss against Burnley, coming on in the place of Adam Lallana in the 78th minute.[12]

Loan to Cardiff City

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On 17 January 2018, Grujić joined Championship side Cardiff City on loan for the remainder of the 2017–18 season.[13] He made his debut for the club three days later, playing in a 0–0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday.[14] Grujić's first goal for Cardiff came in a 2–1 home victory over Barnsley on 6 March 2018, scoring from range just after the start of the second half.[15][16]

Loan to Hertha BSC

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On 19 August 2018, Grujić joined Bundesliga club Hertha BSC on a one-year loan.[17] He scored his first goal for the club on 8 December, netting the only goal in a 1–0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.[18] Hertha coach Pal Dardai hailed Grujić as "by far the best midfielder at Hertha Berlin in 20 years".[19]

On 1 July 2019, his loan deal was extended for a second season, with a reported loan fee of £2 million.[20]

Return to Liverpool

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On 25 September 2020, Grujić started in the EFL Cup tie against Lincoln winning 7–2 and scored a goal.[21]

Porto

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On 6 October 2020, Grujić joined Portuguese club Porto on a season-long loan.[22]

On 20 July 2021, Porto made his deal permanent for a transfer worth £10,5 million and a 10% sell-on clause.[23]

International career

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Grujić represented Serbia at all youth levels from under-16 to under-21, and was a member of the Serbia squad that won the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.[24]

In May 2016, Grujić made his full international debut for the Serbia national team after coming on in place of Nemanja Matić in a 2–1 win against Cyprus.[25]

In June 2018, he was selected in Serbia's squad for the 2018 World Cup,[26] but he failed to make any appearances in the competition.

In November 2022, he was selected in Serbia's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[27] He played in a group stage match against Cameroon.[28] Serbia finished fourth in the group.[29]

Style of play

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Standing at 6-foot-3-inches (1.91 m), Grujić has been described as "tall, rangy, comfortable on the ball and with a good range of passing" and dubbed the "new Matić" because of his likeness in both appearance and position to fellow Serbian defensive midfielder Nemanja Matić.[24]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 10 October 2024[30][31]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Red Star Belgrade 2012–13[32] Serbian SuperLiga 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2014–15[33] 9 0 1 0 0 0 10 0
2015–16[34] 29 6 1 0 0 0 30 6
Total 39 6 2 0 0 0 41 6
Kolubara (loan) 2014–15[33] Serbian First League 5 2 0 0 5 2
Liverpool 2016–17[35] Premier League 5 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 8 0
2017–18[36] 3 0 0 0 1 0 2[c] 0 6 0
2020–21[37] 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 1
Total 8 0 0 0 6 1 2 0 0 0 16 1
Cardiff City (loan) 2017–18[36] Championship 13 1 1 0 0 0 14 1
Hertha BSC (loan) 2018–19[38] Bundesliga 22 5 1 0 23 5
2019–20[39] 29 4 2 0 31 4
Total 51 9 3 0 54 9
Porto 2020–21[37] Primeira Liga 23 2 5 0 2 0 8[c] 0 1[d] 0 39 2
2021–22[40] 21 1 5 0 1 0 9[e] 0 36 1
2022–23[41] 24 1 7 0 3 0 4[c] 0 1[d] 0 39 1
2023–24[42] 10 0 5 0 2 0 3[c] 0 1[d] 0 21 0
2024–25[43] 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1[d] 0 3 0
Total 80 4 22 0 8 0 24 0 4 0 138 4
Career total 196 22 28 0 14 1 26 0 4 0 268 23
  1. ^ Includes Serbian Cup, FA Cup, DFB-Pokal, Taça de Portugal
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup, Taça da Liga
  3. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ a b c d Appearance in Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira
  5. ^ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, three appearances in UEFA Europa League

International

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As of match played 15 October 2024[44]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Serbia 2016 3 0
2017 1 0
2018 4 0
2019 0 0
2020 1 0
2021 5 0
2022 5 0
2023 5 0
2024 4 0
Total 28 0

Honours

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Red Star Belgrade

Porto

Serbia U20

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Squads for 2016/17 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  2. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup: List of players" (PDF). FIFA. 21 June 2018. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
  3. ^ "Marko Grujić: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  4. ^ Војводина – Црвена звезда 3:0 (1:0). Red Star Belgrade official website (in Serbian). 26 May 2013. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  5. ^ Grujić and Jovic by 2018 in Zvezda Radio Televizija Vojvodine: Grujić i Jović do 2018. u Zvezdi (in Serbian) 17 May 2015
  6. ^ "Red Star vs Novi Pazar report". onefootball.com.
  7. ^ Michael Yokhin (15 December 2015). "ESPN: Miodrag 'The Count' Bozovic breaking records at Red Star Belgrade". Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  8. ^ Aleksandar Radonić (23 December 2015). "OTAC MARKA GRUJIĆA EKSKLUZIVNO ZA KURIR: Terziću, ne diraj mi sina" (in Serbian). Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  9. ^ Bell, Tom (6 January 2016). "Marko Grujic confirmed as Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp's first signing". ESPN FC. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  10. ^ "Marko Grujic: Liverpool sign Red Star Belgrade midfielder". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  11. ^ Lusby, Jack (24 February 2016). "Marko Grujic reveals his Liverpool role, hints at Lazar Markovic's future – This Is Anfield". This Is Anfield. Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  12. ^ Bevan, Chris (20 August 2016). "Burnley 2–0 Liverpool". BBC.com. BBC. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  13. ^ Tom Coleman (17 January 2018). "Liverpool FC star Marko Grujic signs for Cardiff City and describes it as 'breakthrough moment' of his career". WalesOnline. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  14. ^ "Sheffield Wednesday 0–0 Cardiff City". BBC Sport. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  15. ^ Dafydd Pritchard (6 March 2018). "Cardiff City 2–1 Barnsley". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  16. ^ "Marko Grujic". Premier League. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  17. ^ "Marko Grujic kommt aus Liverpool" [Marko Grujić joins from Liverpool]. Hertha BSC. 19 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  18. ^ "Marko Grujic wins Hertha Berlin all three points against Eintracht Frankfurt". Bundesliga. 8 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Marko Grujic "by far the best midfielder at Hertha Berlin in 20 years" – Pal Dardai". Bundesliga. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  20. ^ "Liverpool secure £2 million fee to loan Marko Grujic to Hertha Berlin". Telegraph. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  21. ^ Rabinowitz, Joel (25 September 2020). "Marko Grujic's impressive Liverpool comeback serves timely reminder". Liverpool.com. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Marko Grujic reforça o FC Porto" [Marko Grujic strengthens FC Porto]. fcporto.pt (in Portuguese). 6 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  23. ^ Shaw, Chris (20 July 2021). "Marko Grujic seals permanent transfer to FC Porto". Liverpool FC. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
  24. ^ a b "Who is Marko Grujic? We profile Liverpool signing". Sky Sports. skysports.com.
  25. ^ "Фудбалски савез Србије – званична веб презентација". www.fss.rs.
  26. ^ "World Cup 2018: All the confirmed squads for this summer's finals in Russia". BBC Sport. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  27. ^ "Head-coach Dragan Stojković announces the list of players for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar". Football Association of Serbia. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  28. ^ Sky Sports (28 November 2022). "World Cup 2022 - Cameroon 3-3 Serbia: Vincent Aboubakar and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting goals complete stunning comeback". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
  29. ^ Mendola, Nicholas (2 December 2022). "World Cup 2022 Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Cameroon, Switzerland schedule, fixtures, rankings". NBC Sports. Lusail. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  30. ^ "M. Grujić". Soccerway.
  31. ^ "Marko Grujić". Soccerbase.
  32. ^ "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  33. ^ a b "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  34. ^ "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  35. ^ "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  36. ^ a b "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  37. ^ a b "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  38. ^ "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  39. ^ "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  40. ^ "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  41. ^ "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  42. ^ "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  43. ^ "Games played by Marko Grujić in 2024/2025". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  44. ^ "Marko Grujić". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
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  NODES
Association 1
INTERN 9
Note 1