.jpg) Pašalić withOrlando City in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (2000-09-14)14 September 2000 (age 25) | ||
| Place of birth | Karlsruhe, Germany[1] | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Right winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Orlando City | ||
| Number | 87 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| SV Sandhausen | |||
| Karlsruher SC | |||
| SG Siemens Karlsruhe | |||
| –2016 | TSG Hoffenheim | ||
| 2016–2019 | Karlsruher SC | ||
| 2019–2021 | VfB Stuttgart | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2020–2021 | VfB Stuttgart II | 35 | (8) |
| 2021–2023 | Borussia Dortmund II | 35 | (6) |
| 2021–2023 | Borussia Dortmund | 1 | (0) |
| 2023–2025 | HNK Rijeka | 49 | (10) |
| 2025– | Orlando City | 33 | (12) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Croatia U17 | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | Croatia U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2023– | Croatia | 11 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18 October 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 November 2025 | |||
Marco Pašalić (Croatian pronunciation:[mâːrkopǎʃalitɕ];[2][3] born 14 September 2000) is a professionalfootballer who plays as aright winger forMajor League Soccer clubOrlando City. Born in Germany, he plays for theCroatia national team.[4]
Pašalić received his early training in his hometown withKarlsruher SC and SG Siemens Karlsruhe, as well as in the youth teams ofSV Sandhausen andTSG 1899 Hoffenheim. In 2016, he returned to Karlsruher, where he played for three years. Following trial training sessions atBayern Munich andNK Osijek, he joinedVfB Stuttgart II, the reserve team ofVfB Stuttgart, in 2019.[5]
On 5 September 2020, Pašalić made his senior debut for VfB Stuttgart II in theRegionalliga Südwest division when he played the full match of a 2–0 loss at home toHessen Kassel.[6] On 24 October, Pašalić scored his first senior goal, the reserve team's second in a 2–2 draw withKickers Offenbach.[7] Pašalić would go on to score eight goals across 24 appearances.[8]
On 21 May 2021, Pašalić announced on hisInstagram that he would join3. Liga clubBorussia Dortmund II, the reserve team ofBundesliga clubBorussia Dortmund.[5] On 24 July, Pašalić made his debut for the club when he started atFSV Zwickau on the opening matchweek of the2021–22 3. Liga season. The game would end 2–1 in Borussia Dortmund II's favor, with Pašalić coming off in the 78th-minute forCebrail Makreckis.[9][10] In the following matchweek, Pašalić scored his first goal for the club, the first goal of a 1–1 draw withWaldhof Mannheim on 31 July.[11] Pašalić would finish the season with two goals and one assist across 13 appearances.[12]
In the following season, Pašalić's playing time would more than double and he would increase his output to four goals across 22 appearances.[13]
After Pašalić scored two goals in three games for the reserve team, Borussia Dortmund coachMarco Rose called him into the squad for the2021 DFL-Supercup on 17 August. Pašalić entered as a 78th-minute substitute forGiovanni Reyna in the final phase of the 3–1 defeat againstBayern Munich.[14]
In the following season on 8 November 2022, he made hisBundesliga debut for Borussia Dortmund under coachEdin Terzić in a 2–0 away defeat againstVfL Wolfsburg.[15][16]
On 22 June 2023, Pašalić moved toCroatian Football League clubHNK Rijeka on a four-year contract.[17] On 27 June, Pašalić made his debut for the club and international debut in thequalifying rounds of theUEFA Europa Conference League when he came on as a 69th-minute substitute forAlen Grgić in a 1–0 win overKF Dukagjini.[18] In the following leg on 3 August, Pašalić scored his first goal for the club when he scored the first goal of a 6–1 win.[19] Pašalić scored his first league goal for the club in the following match when he scored the third goal of a 6–0 rout of rivalsIstra 1961 on 6 August.[20] Pašalić would score six goals and make two assists across 30 league appearances in his first season with the club.[21]
On 25 June 2024, Pašalić made hisUEFA Europa League debut in thequalifying rounds of the tournament in goalless draw withCorvinul Hunedoara.[22] On 18 September, Pašalić scored his firstCroatian Cup goal when he scored the second goal of a 3–1 victory overNeretvanac.[23] On 22 October, Pašalić scored his first senior brace in a 3–0 win at NK Bednja Beletinec in the Croatian Football Cup.[24][8] Pašalić ended his time with the club with four goals and three assists across 19 league appearances in his second season.[25]
On 5 February 2025,Major League Soccer clubOrlando City announced the signing of Pašalić as aDesignated Player on a three-year contract with a club option to extend into 2028.[26] Pašalić made his debut in the opening match of the season againstPhiladelphia Union, scoring a brace in a 4–2 loss.[27] Pašalić's opening goal of the match which was scored in the 8th-minute was the fastest in any of Orlando City's home openers in MLS and the fastest goal for a club debut, beatingDaryl Dike's previous record in which he scored in the 17th-minute in 2020 againstInter Miami.[28] On 22 March, Pašalić scored the fourth goal of a 4–1 victory overD.C. United.[29] Pašalić's goal was votedGoal of the Matchday by fans four days later with 64.7% of the vote share.[30] On 15 July, Pašalić was selected by head coachNico Estévez to represent the league in the2025 MLS All-Star Game against theLiga MX All-Stars on July 23 atQ2 Stadium inAustin, Texas.[31] The MLS All-Stars would defeat the Liga MX All-Stars 3–1 with Pašalić coming on as a 34th-minute substitute forHirving Lozano before being substituted off in the second half for Orlando City teammateAlex Freeman.[32][33] In Pašalić's debut season in Major League Soccer, he contributed 16 goals and nine assists across all competitions for a total of 25 goal contributions, his most prolific season in his career thus far.[34] League writer Joseph Lowery described Pašalić as the ninth most impactful signing of the 2025 season.[35]
Pašalić made appearances for the Croatian youth national teams ofU17, andU21.
On 18 November 2023, Pašalić made his senior debut forCroatia in a 2–0 away win againstLatvia during theEuro 2024 qualifying.[36] On 20 May 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for theUEFA Euro 2024.[37] A few weeks later, on 3 June, he scored his first international goal in a 3–0 friendly victory overNorth Macedonia prior to the tournament.[38]
On 26 May 2025, Pašalić was called up by Croatia managerZlatko Dalić forWorld Cup qualifiers matches againstGibraltar andCzech Republic.[39]
Pašalić was born inKarlsruhe to a Croatian refugee family who fled to Germany to escape theYugoslav Wars in the early 1990s. Pašalić stated that he was "grateful to grow up in Germany", but that he is "fully Croatian" and that he had always opted to play for Croatia internationally.[40] Pašalić has two brothers, one of whom owns a construction company. As a teenager, Pašalić worked for the construction company after training sessions and would often work into the early morning hours, but his brother would allow him time to rest before the next training session.[41]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| VfB Stuttgart II | 2020–21 | Regionalliga Südwest | 35 | 8 | — | — | — | 35 | 8 | |||
| Borussia Dortmund II | 2021–22 | 3. Liga | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | 13 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | 3. Liga | 22 | 4 | — | — | — | 22 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 35 | 6 | — | — | — | 35 | 6 | |||||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| HNK Rijeka | 2023–24 | HNL | 30 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 6[c] | 2 | — | 41 | 8 | |
| 2024–25 | HNL | 19 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 6[d] | 0 | — | 27 | 7 | ||
| Total | 49 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 2 | — | 68 | 15 | |||
| Orlando City | 2025 | Major League Soccer | 33 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | 7[e] | 2 | 41 | 15 | |
| Career total | 153 | 35 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 181 | 44 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 June 2024 | Stadion Rujevica, Rijeka, Croatia | 5 |  North Macedonia | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
Individual
Mȃrko
Pašàlīć
 | ||