Pjanić started his professional career atMetz, playing there for one season. He signed for fellow French sideLyon in 2008, before joiningRoma in 2011. During his time in Rome, Pjanić came to be recognized as one of the best midfielders inSerie A. In 2016, Pjanić joinedJuventus, and was considered an integral player for the team, winning four league titles, twoCoppa Italias, and being named in theSerie A Team of the Year for2015–16,2016–17,2017–18 and2018–19 seasons.[9][10] He was also named in the2016–17 UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season, for his role in Juventus's run to thefinal.[11] Pjanić joinedBarcelona in September 2020, also spending a year on loan atBeşiktaş. He signed withUAE Pro League clubSharjah in 2022. In 2024, he joined Russian side CSKA Moscow, following his departure from Sharjah.
A former Luxembourg youth international, Pjanić made his senior international debut forBosnia and Herzegovina in 2008, earning 115caps and scoring eighteen goals until his retirement from international football in 2024. He represented the nation at their first major tournament, the2014 FIFA World Cup.
In 2015, Pjanić was ranked 55th inThe Guardian's list of "The 100 best footballers in the world".[4] In 2019, he was ranked 50th in the same list.[5]
Pjanić was born on 2 April 1990 inTuzla,SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, in what was thenSFR Yugoslavia (modern-dayBosnia and Herzegovina); to father Fahrudin Pjanić and mother Fatima. He developed an interest in footballing through his father, a former third division footballer in Yugoslavia,[12] and began his football career in Luxembourg following his family's arrival to the country shortly before the outbreak of theBosnian War.[13] While in Luxembourg, Pjanić often attended training sessions and matches with his father.[14] At the age of seven, his father discovered that he had talent and an interest in football and allowed his son to join local clubFC Schifflange 95 inSchifflange. While at Schifflange, Pjanić drew interest from several Belgian, Dutch and German clubs, but agreed to joinMetz in France in 2004. Pjanić was recommended by former Metz player andLuxembourg internationalGuy Hellers.[15]
Pjanić joined Metz at age 14 on a youth contract and spent approximately three years in the club's academy. In the 2005–06 season, he played on the under-16 team that won theChampionnat National des 16 ans and, following the season, signed a five-yearélite contract with the club.[16] After spending the 2006–07 season with the club's under-18 team, Pjanić was promoted to the club's amateur team in theChampionnat de France Amateur for the2007–08 season. He appeared in the first two matches of the campaign before earning a call up to the senior team by manager Francis De Taddeo. Pjanić made his professional football debut, at the age of 17, on 18 August 2007 in a league match againstParis Saint-Germain. He appeared as a substitute in a 0–0 draw.[17] The following week, he earned his first start in a 2–0 defeat toRennes.[18]
After a string of respectable appearances, on 30 November 2007, Pjanić signed his first professional contract agreeing to a three-year deal, tying him to Metz until 2010.[19] After becoming professional, he was assigned thenumber 15 shirt. Pjanić scored his first professional goal for Metz on 15 December 2007 in a 2–1 defeat againstSochaux converting on a penalty in the 88th minute, thus becoming one of the youngest players to score a goal inLigue 1 history.[20] Among his other positive performances included converting another penalty in a 2–1 loss toNice and scoring on the final day of the season againstLe Mans in a thrilling 4–3 victory.[21][22]
Pjanić's play in theCoupe de France was with distinction as well appearing in and starting all four matches the club contested. He assisted on several goals in the club's 6–1 demolition ofVesoul Haute-Saône.[23] In the ensuing round, Pjanić scored the final goal in Metz's 3–0 triumph overStrasbourg and played the full 90 minutes in the club's 1–0 win overLorient in the Round of 16 helping the club who were, at the time, struggling in domestic play, reach thequarterfinals of the Coupe de France. Metz were eventually eliminated by the eventual champions Lyon.[24][25] In total, Pjanić made 38 appearances and scored 5 goals with Metz. For his efforts, he was nominated for theLigue 1 Young Player of the Year award, won byHatem Ben Arfa.
Though Pjanić was in great form throughout the season, Metz still suffered relegation back toLigue 2, prompting speculation that the young star would move to any of a host of clubs, with English clubsArsenal andChelsea, Spanish clubsBarcelona andReal Madrid, Italian clubsMilan andInter, and French clubLyon vying for his services.[26][27]
After Metz received numerous offers for the player's services, on 6 June 2008, Pjanić and Metz both reached an agreement withOlympique Lyonnais for the transfer of the player.[28] Pjanić agreed to a five-year contract, while the transfer fee was priced at €7.5 million plus future incentives.[29]
Labeled as the future replacement for the ageingJuninho, Pjanić was initially given the number 12 shirt, but switched to the number 18 forpre-season and made his club debut in the team'sTrophée des Champions defeat toBordeaux.[30][31] He made his league debut in the opening league match of the season againstToulouse playing the entire match in a 3–0 victory.[32] Pjanić's debut season with Lyon was cut in half after fracturing hisfibula in a match against Sochaux in October 2008, as a result of a bad tackle byStéphane Dalmat.[33] Despite initially being diagnosed as missing a month, he missed two months and made his return on 3 January 2009 in the club's 6–0 thrashing of amateur clubUS Concarneau in theCoupe de France playing 66 minutes.[34]
For the2009–10 season, Pjanić switched to the number 8 shirt, formerly worn by his predecessor and Lyon great Juninho. He started the season strong scoring his first career goal for Lyon on afree kick in Lyon's playoff round match against Belgian clubAnderlecht in theUEFA Champions League. Lyon won the match 5–1.[35] A couple of days later, he scored his first career league goal for the club, in which his side won 3–0 atAuxerre.[36] Pjanić continued his stellar play in the Champions League scoring the only goal in the club's opening group stage match against Italian clubFiorentina.[37] In the club's second group stage match against Hungarian clubDebreceni, he scored again, via free kick, and also assisted on two other goals in the club's 4–0 victory.[38] On 10 March 2010, Pjanić scored the equalizing goal in Lyon's 1–1 draw with Spanish clubReal Madrid in the second leg of their first knockout round tie in the UEFA Champions League. The draw sent Lyon through to the quarter-finals due to their 1–0 win in the first leg at theStade Gerland.[39]
Pjanić began the2010–11 season as a starter and featured in the team's first three games. However, following the arrival ofYoann Gourcuff, he began appearing as a substitute and, subsequently, appeared as a substitute in the team's next seven league matches. On 29 September 2010, Pjanić scored his first goal of the season in the team's 3–1 win over Israeli clubHapoel Tel Aviv in theUEFA Champions League.[40] As a result of his good form,Claude Puel began experimenting playing both Gourcuff and Pjanić in the midfield, but after playing the two in a 2–0 win over Portuguese clubBenfica in the Champions League and a 1–1 draw withRennes in the league, this tactic was abandoned.[41][42]
On 31 August 2011, Pjanić agreed a four-year deal with Italian clubRoma, for an €11 million transfer fee.[43][44][45] He scored his first goal for Roma againstLecce.[46]
Pjanić started the2012–13 season mostly on the bench. He got his chance in aDerby della Capitale and scored a goal.[47] From that game, he started playing regularly and scored one more goal in 2–0 win overTorino and one in theCoppa Italia againstAtalanta. In the2013–14 season, under new Roma coachRudi Garcia, he was a starter in the 4–3–3 midfield, playing a key role to the team's Serie A record of ten wins in the first ten-season matches.[48]
Pjanić scored 6 goals and provided 6 assists in the2013–14 Serie A season. On 25 April 2014, he scored the first goal in Roma's 2–0 victory overMilan; the goal was a wonderful individual display from Pjanić, as he dribbled pastSulley Muntari,Riccardo Montolivo, andAdil Rami before putting the ball in the net.[49]
On 11 May 2014, Pjanić signed a new contract which will last until 30 June 2018.[50] In a friendly tournament inDenver in July, he scored from inside his own half, but Roma lost 3–2 toManchester United.[51] In the2014–15 season, he became considered as a rising star in Italian football, scoring 5 times and assisting 10 goals.
In the2015–16 season, Pjanić emerged as one of the world's finest free-kick takers, netting a brilliant goal againstJuventus on 30 August and scoring several more, including in theChampions League againstBayer Leverkusen. By the January break, he had scored 7 goals and assisted another 5, being linked with a transfer toBarcelona and Real Madrid in the winter transfer window.[52] Towards the end of the season, rumours spread in the media of Pjanić's possible departure from Roma, as he was linked with Juventus.[53] He finished the season with ten league goals, and 12 in all competitions, while also finishing the league season as the top assist provider in Serie A for the second consecutive season, alongside Juventus'Paul Pogba, with 12 assists.[54]
Pjanić (right) playing forJuventus against Real Madrid'sGareth Bale in a 2018–19 preseason friendly game
On 13 June 2016, Pjanić joinedJuventus on a five-year contract for a fee of €32 million, ending a five-year stint with Roma.[55] He chose the number 5 shirt to start the new season.[56] On 10 September, Pjanić scored on his debut in a 3–1 home win overSassuolo.[57] After winningCoppa Italia andSerie A in his first season, he missed out on a potentialtreble, having lost in theChampions League final to Real Madrid.[58]
Pjanić's second season at Juventus began with a 2–3 loss againstLazio in the2017 Supercoppa Italiana.[59] He scored his first goal of the season incity derby against Torino on 23 September 2017. Juventus won the game 4–0.[60] On 28 February, Pjanić scored a crucial penalty againstAtalanta to send Juventus through to the2018 Coppa Italia final.[61] Juventus won that final, with Pjanić contributing by assisting for one of the goals in a convincing triumph over Milan on 9 May 2018.[62] Four days later, Pjanić once again became Serie A champion in a game against his old club Roma, which sealed his second domesticdouble in two seasons.[63] On 19 May, the final match of the season, he scored his fifth league goal of the season, netting a trademark free kick, which sealed Juventus's 2–1 home win overHellas Verona.[64]
At the beginning of histhird campaign with the club, Pjanić put pen to paper on a new five-year contract.[65] He scored his first goal of the season in a 2–0 home win over Lazio on 25 August 2018.[66] On 19 September, in his firstUEFA Champions League game of the season, Pjanić helped his team to a win by converting two penalties againstValencia in an eventual 2–0 victory.[67] On 6 October, in a game againstUdinese, he made his 100th appearance for Juventus.[68]
On 21 September 2019, Pjanić won his 100th match with Juventus in all competitions in a 2–1 home win over Verona in Serie A.[69]
On 26 July 2020, he won his fourth league title with the club after defeatingSampdoria 2–0 at home.[70] He made his final appearance for the club on 7 August, in a 2–1 home win over his former club Lyon in the second leg of the round of 16 of theUEFA Champions League; however, despite the victory, the result saw Juventus eliminated from the competition onaway goals following a 2–2 aggregate draw.[71]
On 29 June 2020, Juventus announced that they had reached an agreement withBarcelona for the transfer of Pjanić on a deal worth €60 million, plus a maximum of €5 million in bonuses, to be effective following the conclusion of the 2019–20 season. The deal was also coordinated with a swap ofArthur, whom Juve signed for €72 million, plus a maximum of €10 million in bonuses.[72] Pjanić signed a contract with the Spanish side for the next four seasons, until the end of the 2023–24 campaign, with a buy-out clause of €400 million.[73] He made his debut on 27 September, coming on as a substitute in a 4–0 home win overVillarreal in La Liga.[74]
However, Pjanić's stint at Barcelona was unsuccessful, as he made 30 appearances for the club (being named 13 times in the starting XI) and spent an average of 43 minutes on the pitch but did not score or assist any goals.[75]
Due to spending his childhood in Luxembourg, Pjanić became eligible fortheir national team and begun representing the nation's youth sides. He represented Luxembourg in the2006 European Under-17 Championship, for which Luxembourg qualified automatically as hosts. He scored Luxembourg's only goal of the tournament. In that same year, he scored 4 goals in a match against Belgium, which ended in a 5–5 draw.[81] Before making his decision regarding his national team status, Pjanić was eligible to represent Luxembourg and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He debuted for Bosnia and Herzegovina on 20 August 2008 in the team's 1–2 loss toBulgaria.[84] On 3 March 2010, he scored his first senior international goal in Bosnia and Herzegovina's 2–1 win overGhana inSarajevo.[85]
Pjanić was instrumental in Bosnia and Herzegovina'squalification for2014 FIFA World Cup, their first major competition, and he was named in23-man squad for the tournament.[86] He debuted in the team's opening group match, a narrow defeat toArgentina at theMaracanã Stadium.[87] On 25 June, during the final group match againstIran, Pjanić scored a goal, leading to a 3–1 victory to help Bosnia and Herzegovina to their first everFIFA World Cup win.[88]
On 4 May 2024, Pjanić retired from international football after the team's unsuccessfulUEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.[90] He collected 115 caps between 2008 and 2024 for theDragons and scored 18 goals, making him the country's second most capped player.[91] On 7 June 2025, the official farewell ceremony was held for him before the national's team game against San Marino inZenica.[92]
Nicknamed"il Piccolo Principe"("the Little Prince") during his time with Roma,[93] Pjanić was regarded as one of the most promising young midfielders of his generation in his youth,[94] and was included inDon Balón's list of the 100 best young players in the world in 2010;[95] however, he was also thought to lack composure at times in the media.[96] His Juventus managerMassimiliano Allegri touted him as a potentially world class midfielder in 2016,[97] later also adding that, although he was extremely talented, he needed to stay more "calm and focused" in order to fulfil his potential;[98] subsequently, the 2016–17 season saw him establish himself as one of the best, most skillful, and most versatile midfielders in Europe.[99][100] Although he is neither particularly quick, nor gifted with athleticism or physical strength,[101][102] Pjanić has been described as an efficient "old-fashionedplaymaker with huge technical qualities".[103][104]
Pjanić attempts a free kick for Juventus in the 2019–20 preseason
Pjanić's main attributes are his range of passing,dribbling skills, and vision, which make him an excellentassist provider, and also enable him to dictate the tempo of his team's play in midfield and orchestrate goalscoring opportunities for his teammates.[103][105][6][112][109][118] Known for his eye for goal from midfield and striking ability from distance,[6][119] Pjanić is also known for having the capacity to get into good scoring positions by making late attacking runs into the penalty area from behind.[109][110][112] A renownedset-piece specialist, he is highly regarded for his accurate,bending free-kicks, as well as his delivery from dead-ball situations; in 2015, he was described as the best free-kick taker in the world by renowned set-piece specialist and former Lyon teammateJuninho.[6][7][8][120] Pjanić's precocious talent, playmaking skills, and ability to score many goals from free kicks saw him labelled as a potential heir to Juninho at Lyon.[121] However, despite his ability and the praise he has garnered from pundits, due to his elegant and creative playing style, Pjanić has also drawn criticism on occasion in the media for being inconsistent,[122] while Livio Caferoglu ofFootball Italia accused him of being "too slight to impose himself as a defensive midfielder," and "too slow to release the ball."[123]
In 2009, while playing forLyon, he stated: "I have followedReal Madrid since the days ofZidane andRonaldo, when I fell in love. Since then, it is my preferred club and it always will be."[129] Later, when he was aRoma player, he confirmed that he had been a fan of Real Madrid since his childhood.[130]
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