| Nejc Pečnik | |
| Upright: | 1.3 |
| Birth Date: | 1986 1, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Dravograd, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia[1] |
| Height: | 1.89 m |
| Position: | Attacking midfielder, winger |
| Currentclub: | ASC St. Paul |
| Youthyears1: | 1991–2003 |
| Youthclubs1: | Dravograd |
| Youthyears2: | 2003–2005 |
| Youthclubs2: | Celje |
| Years1: | 2003–2009 |
| Caps1: | 120 |
| Goals1: | 21 |
| Years2: | 2004–2005 |
| Clubs2: | → Dravograd (loan) |
| Caps2: | 7 |
| Goals2: | 2 |
| Years3: | 2008–2009 |
| Clubs3: | → Sparta Prague (loan) |
| Caps3: | 4 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2009–2012 |
| Caps4: | 37 |
| Goals4: | 2 |
| Years5: | 2011 |
| Clubs5: | → Krylia Sovetov (loan) |
| Caps5: | 21 |
| Goals5: | 1 |
| Years6: | 2012–2013 |
| Caps6: | 10 |
| Goals6: | 0 |
| Years7: | 2013–2014 |
| Caps7: | 43 |
| Goals7: | 9 |
| Years8: | 2015 |
| Caps8: | 39 |
| Goals8: | 14 |
| Years9: | 2016–2017 |
| Caps9: | 27 |
| Goals9: | 1 |
| Years10: | 2017–2018 |
| Caps10: | 34 |
| Goals10: | 8 |
| Years11: | 2018–2020 |
| Caps11: | 49 |
| Goals11: | 24 |
| Years12: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs12: | SC Eibiswald |
| Caps12: | 7 |
| Goals12: | 4 |
| Years13: | 2022–2023 |
| Caps13: | 27 |
| Goals13: | 8 |
| Years14: | 2024– |
| Clubs14: | ASC St. Paul |
| Caps14: | 13 |
| Goals14: | 8 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2001 |
| Nationalteam1: | Slovenia U15 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 5 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2006–2007 |
| Nationalteam2: | Slovenia U20 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2005–2008 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 20 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 2 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2009–2015 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 32 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 6 |
| Pcupdate: | 25 July 2024 |
Nejc Pečnik (born 3 January 1986) is a Slovenian footballer who plays for Austrian club ASC St. Paul.[2] [3] Primarily an attacking midfielder, he also plays as a winger or forward.
He represented Slovenia at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He was instrumental in Slovenia's successful qualification to the tournament by scoring an away goal against Russia in the 2010 World Cup qualification play-offs.
Born in Dravograd, Slovenia (then part of Yugoslavia), Pečnik started his career at hometown club Dravograd. After showing promise in its youth teams he was signed by Celje, making his first division debut on 24 April 2004 against Ljubljana.[4]
The following year Pečnik played in only seven league matches, adding a few cup appearances including the final against Gorica.[5] In the 2005–06 season he managed to gain a regular place in the first team, eventually establishing himself as a key offensive player.
In 2007–08, Pečnik was Celje's top scorer with 14 league goals.[6] After five seasons he was loaned out in June 2008 to Sparta Prague,[7] but appeared rarely with the Czech first division outfit during his six-month stay, spending most of his time with the reserve squad.[8]
After a further 15 league games with Celje, Pečnik signed with Nacional of Portugal.[9] [10] On 16 July 2012, after three seasons of irregular playing time, also being loaned to Russian club Krylia Sovetov Samara for five months,[11] he signed a two-year deal with Sheffield Wednesday in the Football League Championship.[12]
In his official debut with the Owls, on 12 August 2012, Pečnik missed a penalty and was booked before half-time, as his team trailed at Oldham Athletic 2–0. He played the full 90 minutes in an eventual 4–2 win for the season's Football League Cup.[13]
Pečnik was released by Wednesday at the end of his only campaign.
On 1 July 2013, Pečnik agreed a two-year contract with Serbian side Red Star Belgrade.[14] He scored his first goal for Red Star against ÍBV in the second qualifying round of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.
Pečnik made his debut for the Slovenia national team on 1 April 2009, in a 2010 World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland.[15] He scored his first goal for Slovenia on 10 October 2009, during the same qualifying campaign, in a 2–0 win over Slovakia.[16] On 14 November 2009, he scored a decisive away goal in the 2010 World Cup qualification play-offs, as Slovenia lost 2–1 against Russia at the Luzhniki Stadium,[17] only to win 1–0 in the second leg, taking the tie on the away goals and qualifying for a World Cup for the second time in the nation's history;[18] in the final stages, he appeared twice as a late substitute, having to be however stretchered off in the match against the United States.[19] Overall, Pečnik earned a total of 32 caps, scoring 6 goals.[20]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Celje | 2003–04 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2004–05 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |||
| 2005–06 | 30 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 2 | |||
| 2006–07 | 31 | 2 | 3 | 3 | — | 34 | 5 | ||||
| 2007–08 | 35 | 14 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 14 | ||||
| 2008–09 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 3 | ||||
| Sparta Prague (loan) | 2008–09 | Czech First League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Sparta Prague B (loan) | 2008–09 | Czech 2. Liga | 9 | 2 | — | — | 9 | 2 | |||
| Nacional | 2009–10 | Primeira Liga | 24 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 38 | 2 | |
| 2010–11 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | ||||
| 2011–12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Krylia Sovetov (loan) | 2011–12 | Russian Premier League | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | ||
| Sheffield Wednesday | 2012–13 | Championship | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Red Star Belgrade | 2013–14 | Serbian SuperLiga | 28 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 35 | 9 | |
| 2014–15 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 16 | 2 | ||||
| JEF United Chiba | 2015 | J2 League | 39 | 14 | 0 | 0 | — | 39 | 14 | ||
| Omiya Ardija | 2016 | J1 League | 21 | 1 | 10 | 4 | — | 31 | 5 | ||
| 2017 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| Tochigi SC | 2017 | J3 League | 12 | 6 | — | — | 12 | 6 | |||
| 2018 | J2 League | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 344 | 58 | 45 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 405 | 68 | |||
Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pečnik goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 October 2009 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 World Cup qualification | ||
| 2 | 14 November 2009 | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow, Russia | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2010 World Cup qualification playoffs | ||
| 3 | 14 November 2012 | Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia | 1–2 | 2–3 | Friendly | ||
| 4 | 2–3 | ||||||
| 5 | 14 June 2015 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 2–2 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification | ||
| 6 | 12 October 2015 | San Marino Stadium, Serravalle, San Marino | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
Celje
2004–05Red Star