 Borjan withRed Star Belgrade in 2018 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Milan Borjan[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1987-10-23)23 October 1987 (age 37) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Knin,SR Croatia,Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Al-Riyadh | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 82 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Dinara Knin[3] | |||||||||||||||||
| Radnički Jugopetrol | |||||||||||||||||
| East Hamilton SC | |||||||||||||||||
| Mount Hamilton SC | |||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Nacional Montevideo | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Quilmes | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Rad | 36 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Sivasspor | 43 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012 | →Vaslui (loan) | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | Ludogorets Razgrad | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Radnički Niš | 15 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Ludogorets Razgrad | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | →Korona Kielce (loan) | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2024 | Red Star Belgrade | 180 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | →Slovan Bratislava (loan) | 25 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Al-Riyadh | 25 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2023 | Canada | 80 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 March 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 November 2023 | |||||||||||||||||
Milan Borjan (Serbian Cyrillic:Милан Борјан; born 23 October 1987) is a professionalsoccer player who plays as agoalkeeper forSaudi Pro League clubAl-Riyadh. Born in Yugoslavia, he plays for theCanada national team.
Borjan was born on 23 October 1987 inKnin, formerSFR Yugoslavia today Croatia, toethnic Serb parents Boško and Mirjana.[4] He is also ofCroatian descent through his paternal grandmother.[5] Borjan got his first taste of organized soccer in the town, playing with theDinara Knin youth side.[3] Borjan's family lived in Knin untilOperation Storm in 1995,[6] at which point his family fled toBelgrade, and Borjan began playing soccer withFK Radnički Beograd. In 2000, the family emigrated to Canada, first living inWinnipeg, Manitoba for a few months,[7] before settling inHamilton, Ontario where his parents still reside.[6] He attendedGlendale Secondary School. He played youth soccer in Canada with East Hamilton SC for six months, before joining Mount Hamilton SC.[7][8]
Borjan went on trial withBoca Juniors in 2005, but failed to sign a contract with the club.[9] In 2006, following a trial upon the recommendation of former Uruguayan footballerJorge Armúa,[10] he joinedClub Nacional de Football inMontevideo, Uruguay, playing for their youth team,[9] and in July 2007, he went on trial with the Argentine clubClub Atlético River Plate.[11] His final South American stint was withQuilmes, with whom he played from January 2008[12] through the end of the2007–08 Primera B Nacional season.[13]
Borjan returned to Serbia in January 2009, signing with the BelgradeSerbian SuperLiga clubFK Rad.[14] He initially had difficulty breaking into the team, signed as the third-string goalkeeper.[citation needed] However, due to trouble with the starting keeper's work permits,[citation needed] and an injury from the second string,[citation needed] Borjan soon became the only available goalkeeper on the club roster. He made his debut on 16 August 2009 in a 3–2 victory overFK Smederevo. By fall 2010, he was the starting keeper, with a nine-game winning streak.[15] Under his tenure, FK Rad became fourth in the league, gaining them a berth in the2011–12 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds.[16]
Following an appearance in the2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Borjan joined the Turkish clubSivasspor,[17] and made his debut on 11 September 2011 in a 2–1 loss againstKarabükspor.[18]
Due to a lack of playing time in Turkey, Borjan was loaned to Romanian clubSC Vaslui in a deal that would keep him in Romania through the end of the season, with an option to purchase the player for an undisclosed transfer fee.[19] Borjan joined the club as the starting goalkeeper and played sevenclean sheet games in 16 starts, securing Vaslui a spot in theUEFA Champions League.[20]
After returning from a successful stint in Romania, Borjan returned to the starting lineup in the third match of the 2012–13 season in a 0–0 draw against Fenerbahçe on 2 September 2012.[21] In February 2014, following a decrease in playing time under new managerRoberto Carlos, Borjan's contract with Sivasspor was terminated.[22] Speculation arose, after the termination, that a deal had been put in place for Borjan to joinNapoli in June, as theTurkish Football Association blocked a January move.[22][23]
Following reports that he had signed forBosnian Premier League clubSarajevo as a free agent, Borjan accepted an offer from Bulgarian clubPFC Ludogorets Razgrad on 12 September 2014.[24] The club had already qualified for the2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage, and four days after signing, Borjan made his club debut in a 2–1 Champions League away defeat toLiverpool F.C.[25] That game marked the first time that a Canadian international played in the group stage sinceLars Hirschfeld played withRosenborg BK in 2007.[26] Razgrad released Borjan shortly thereafter, having secured first-choice goalkeeperVladislav Stoyanov through the summer of 2015.[27]
Spurning interest from Sarajevo,[28] Borjan signed a one-year contract with SuperLiga clubFK Radnički Niš on 15 February 2015.[29] Due to his Serbian passport, Borjan did not count as a foreigner while playing at Radnički.[30] He debuted in a 0–0 draw againstRed Star Belgrade on 23 February,[31] the first of three clean sheets in a row.
Borjan turned down a contract to return to Radnički, instead returning to theBulgarian A Football Group of Ludogorets, where he signed a three-year deal on 2 June 2015.[32] Although he was signed as the second-string goalkeeper, Borjan began to start after Stoyanov sustained a major injury.[citation needed]
On 15 February 2017, Borjan was loaned to theEkstraklasa clubKorona Kielce through the end of the season,[33] where he made 14 league appearances and five clean sheets.[34]
Three years after rumors of a transfer to Red Star Belgrade,[35] Borjan made the transfer official, replacingFilip Manojlović on 24 July 2017. Borjan signed a three-year contract with the club and chose the jersey number 82.[36] He made his debut in the first leg of the third qualifying round for the2017–18 UEFA Europa League, keeping a clean sheet in a home victory againstSparta Prague on 27 July 2017.[37] He played his firsteternal derby with the club a month later.[38]
In his second season with the club, Borjan would help Red Star qualify for the2018–19 UEFA Champions League, and would earn two clean sheets: once in the group stage opener against Napoli,[39] and again in a 2–0 home win against Liverpool.[40] In February 2019,Zvezdan Terzić announced that Borjan would sign a contract extension until 2023, and would finish his career after that. He was honoured by Red Star shortly after as the club athlete of the year.[41]
On 23 May 2022 Borjan notably scored a penalty for Red Star in their final game of the2021–22 Serbian SuperLiga againstVoždovac, as the club clinched their fifth-straight title.[42] In July 2022, despite earlier talk of retirement after his current deal ended, Borjan signed a contract extension until 2026.[43]
In June 2023, Borjan revealed in an interview withSportski žurnal that after meeting with new Red Star coachBarak Bakhar, he was told by his coaching staff that he would no longer be the first-choice option at the club going forward.[44]
In June 2024, Borjan and Red Star Belgrade mutually agreed to the termination of his contract.[45]
In June 2023, Borjan joinedSlovan Bratislava of theNiké Liga on loan.[46]
He joinedSaudi Premier League clubAl-Riyadh on August 21, 2024.[47] He made his debut three days later in a 3-3 draw withAl Wedah.[48]
Borjan was called to join theCanada national team in 2010, following strong performances withFK Rad.[49] He was called up to the Canadian senior team on 3 February 2011, and made his team debut in anexhibition game against Greece a week later.[50] That summer, Borjan was called up to the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup roster, making his Gold Cup debut on 11 June 2011 in a 1–0 victory overGuadeloupe atRaymond James Stadium.[51] He also recorded his first national team game on home soil atBMO Field on 1 June 2011 in an exhibition againstEcuador that ended in a 2–2 draw.
Due to the suspension of first choice goalkeeperLars Hirschfeld, Borjan started in the 0–0 home draw againstHonduras in a2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier on 12 June 2012. Since the end of 2012, Borjan has been Canada's starting goalkeeper, named to the final squad in the2013,[52]2017,[53] and2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[54] He earned his first red card for Canada on 11 June 2015 in a2018 World Cup qualifying match, handling the ball outside the box after a mistake fromJulian de Guzman.[55]
Borjan remained Canada's starting goalkeeper for the2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. During this campaign, he played a crucial role in one of Canada's best ever results, making a goal-line save to keep Canada in the lead during stoppage time in a 2–1 victory over Mexico in Edmonton, Canada's first win against Mexico in 21 years.[56] He also kept a clean sheet against the United States in a 2–0 victory inHamilton, Ontario, after which he was named byCanada Soccer as Canada's player of the month for January.[57] On November 13, 2022, Borjan was named to Canada's squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup.[58] In Canada's second match againstCroatia, Borjan was the target of verbal taunts and abuse from Croatian supporters, withCanada Soccer filing a formal complaint withFIFA post-game.[59]
In June 2023, Borjan was named to Canada's final squad for the2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals.[60] He played in both the Semi-final and Final as Canada finished runners-up to theUnited States.[61] On June 19 Borjan was named to the final squad for the2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.[62] He departed the team prior to their third match of the tournament againstCuba due to injury.[63]
Borjan is married to Snežana Filipović, a former marketing director ofFK Partizan and sister ofNenad Filipović.[64][65] He has a younger sister, Nikolija, and a younger brother Nikola, also a goalkeeper.[66] Borjan speaks fluent English, Bulgarian, Spanish and Serbian.
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Rad | 2009–10 | Serbian SuperLiga | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 23 | 0 | |||
| Total | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 36 | 0 | |||
| Sivasspor | 2011–12 | Süper Lig | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | 29 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 37 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 43 | 0 | 13 | 0 | – | 56 | 0 | |||
| Vaslui (loan) | 2011–12 | Liga I | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 19 | 0 | |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 2014–15 | Bulgarian First League | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2015–16 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| Total | 18 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Radnički Niš (loan) | 2014–15 | Serbian SuperLiga | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 0 | |
| Korona Kielce (loan) | 2016–17 | Ekstraklasa | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 | 0 | |
| Red Star Belgrade | 2017–18 | Serbian SuperLiga | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12[c] | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | 28 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 14[b] | 0 | 46 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14[b] | 0 | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12[d] | 0 | 47 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | 30 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 13[e] | 0 | 47 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10[f] | 0 | 47 | 0 | ||
| Total | 180 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 75 | 0 | 275 | 1 | ||
| Slovan Bratislava (loan) | 2023–24 | Slovak First League | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15[g] | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Al-Riyadh | 2024–25 | Saudi Pro League | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 26 | 0 | |
| Career total | 372 | 1 | 42 | 0 | 92 | 0 | 507 | 1 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2011 | 5 | 0 |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | 0 | |
Ludogorets Razgrad
Red Star Belgrade
Slovan Bratislava
Canada
Individual
Canada squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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