Robert Berić Explained

Robert Berić
Birth Place:Krško, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia
Birth Date:17 June 1991
Height:1.88 m
Position:Striker
Currentclub:Changchun Yatai
Clubnumber:9
Youthyears1:1997–2008
Youthclubs1:Krško
Youthyears2:2007
Youthclubs2:Krka
Youthyears3:2008
Youthclubs3:Interblock
Years1:2007–2008
Clubs1:Krško
Caps1:23
Goals1:4
Years2:2008–2010
Clubs2:Interblock
Caps2:34
Goals2:12
Years3:2010–2013
Clubs3:Maribor
Caps3:90
Goals3:27
Years4:2013–2014
Clubs4:Sturm Graz
Caps4:35
Goals4:10
Years5:2014–2015
Clubs5:Rapid Wien
Caps5:38
Goals5:30
Years6:2015–2020
Clubs6:Saint-Étienne
Caps6:81
Goals6:26
Years7:2016
Clubs7:Saint-Étienne II
Caps7:1
Goals7:1
Years8:2017
Clubs8:Anderlecht (loan)
Caps8:6
Goals8:0
Years9:2020–2021
Clubs9:Chicago Fire
Caps9:56
Goals9:20
Years10:2022–2023
Clubs10:Tianjin Jinmen Tiger
Caps10:54
Goals10:14
Years11:2024–
Clubs11:Changchun Yatai
Caps11:16
Goals11:7
Nationalyears1:2006–2007
Nationalteam1:Slovenia U16
Nationalcaps1:7
Nationalgoals1:2
Nationalyears2:2007–2008
Nationalteam2:Slovenia U17
Nationalcaps2:11
Nationalgoals2:4
Nationalyears3:2008–2009
Nationalteam3:Slovenia U19
Nationalcaps3:7
Nationalgoals3:1
Nationalyears4:2010–2012
Nationalteam4:Slovenia U21
Nationalcaps4:13
Nationalgoals4:4
Nationalyears5:2012–2019
Nationalteam5:Slovenia
Nationalcaps5:25
Nationalgoals5:2
Club-Update:6 July 2024

Robert Berić (born 17 June 1991) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai. In the 2014–15 season, he ranked 11th in the European Golden Shoe award.

Club career

Berić began his career at the age of five[1] in Krško youth teams before being promoted to their main squad in the 2007–08 season. In 2008, he signed for Interblock. He made his debut at Interblock as a substitute in a 2–1 away victory over Drava Ptuj. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 win over Primorje on 7 December 2008. In total, he played 34 games for Interblock in the Slovenian first division, scoring 12 goals.

In August 2010, Berić joined Maribor together with his teammate Josip Iličić, signing a four-year contract.[2]

In June 2013, he moved to Sturm Graz for a reported fee of €1 million. In the 2013–14 season, he amassed 10 goals and 11 assists.

In 2014, he left Sturm Graz for league rivals Rapid Wien. The transfer fee was estimated at between €700,000 and 800,000.[3] In his first season, he became the league's second best goalscorer with 27 goals in 33 appearances,[4] which earned him 11th place in the European Golden Shoe award.[5]

Saint-Étienne

On 31 August 2015, Berić joined Saint-Étienne on a four-year deal[6] while the transfer fee paid to Rapid Wien was reported as €6 or 7.5 million.[7] He quickly established himself in the starting lineup and began scoring goals for the club in both the Ligue 1 and the UEFA Europa League campaigns. However, on 8 November 2015 during an away Ligue 1 match against Lyon, Berić suffered a knee injury which sidelined him for the rest of the season.[8] During his time at Saint-Étienne, Berić received the nickname "Terminator".[9]

On 30 August 2017, Berić joined Anderlecht on a one-year loan.[10]

Saint-Étienne recalled Berić from his loan spell at Anderlecht on 1 January 2018.

On 22 April 2018, Berić came off the bench at the start of the second half and scored twice as Saint-Étienne came from behind to beat Troyes 2–1 in a home Ligue 1 match.[11]

On 18 May 2019, Berić scored twice as Saint-Étienne defeated Nice 3–0 in a home Ligue 1 match to secure a top-four finish and qualification for the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League.[12]

Chicago Fire

On 18 January 2020, Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire announced that it had acquired Berić via a transfer deal from Saint-Étienne, and that he had signed for the club as a Designated Player.[13] Berić scored in his debut against Seattle Sounders FC, but Chicago lost 2–1.[14]

Following the 2021 season, Berić had his contract option declined by Chicago and left the club.[15]

Tianjin Jinmen Tiger

In April 2022, Berić signed with Chinese Super League club Tianjin Jinmen Tiger.[16]

Changchun Yatai

In February 2024, Berić joined fellow Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai.[17] On 1 March, he made his debut and scored his first goal for Yatai in a 4–2 away defeat against Shandong Taishan.[18]

International career

Berić made his debut for Slovenia in a November 2012 friendly match away against Macedonia and earned a total of 25 caps, scoring 2 goals.[19] His final international was an October 2019 European Championship qualification match against Austria.[20]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Krško2007–08Slovenian Second League15312165
2008–09Slovenian Second League811192
Total234230000257
Interblock2008–09Slovenian PrvaLiga20842002410
2009–10Slovenian PrvaLiga144202[21] 0184
Total34126200204214
Maribor2010–11Slovenian PrvaLiga308411[22] 0359
2011–12Slovenian PrvaLiga2864112[23] 1448
2012–13Slovenian PrvaLiga32136113[24] 65120
Total90271430026713037
Sturm Graz2013–14Austrian Bundesliga351052204212
Rapid Wien2014–15Austrian Bundesliga332740203927
2015–16Austrian Bundesliga53114[25] 2106
Total38305100624933
Saint-Étienne2015–16Ligue 1103000032135
2016–17Ligue 1226001093329
2017–18Ligue 11571100168
2018–19Ligue 123911112511
2019–20Ligue 1111001060181
Total8126223118510434
Saint-Étienne II2015–16Championnat de France Amateur 21111
Anderlecht (loan)2017–18Belgian First Division A60000060
Chicago Fire2020Major League Soccer23122312
2021Major League Soccer338338
Total56200000005620
Tianjin Jinmen Tiger2022Chinese Super League26400264
2023Chinese Super League2810203010
Total54142000005614
Career total4181443613315414511172

International

Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Berić goal.[26]

List of international goals scored by Robert Berić
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1 8 September 2015 Ljudski vrt, Maribor, Slovenia 1–0 1–0 UEFA Euro 2016 qualification
2 9 September 2018 GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus 1–0 1–2 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Časopis za pokrajino Posavje, leto XVIII, št. 13, četrtek, 19. junij 2014 . Posavski obzornik . 26 April 2021 . 3 . sl .
  2. News: Iličić in Berić v Maribor! . Ilicic and Beric to Maribor! . . 8 July 2010 . 26 April 2021 . sl .
  3. News: Huber. Alexander. Der 23-jährige Slowene kommt aus Graz und unterschreibt in Wien bis 2018.. 22 April 2017. Kurier. 4 July 2014. de.
  4. https://www.rapidarchiv.at/spieler/beric_robert.html Robert Beric
  5. News: Berends. Sander. Esm: Cristiano Ronaldo winnaar Gouden Schoen 2014/'15. 23 April 2017. ELF Voetbal. 1 June 2015. nl.
  6. Web site: Beric à Saint-Etienne (officiel). Eurosport France. fr. 31 August 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150902050357/http://mercato.eurosport.fr/football/transferts/2014-2015/beric-a-saint-etienne-officiel_sto4887143/story.shtml. 2 September 2015.
  7. Web site: Wie viel Rapid mit Beric wirklich verdiente. Spox. 23 April 2017. 16 March 2017.
  8. News: Rodden. Mark. St Etienne striker Robert Beric ruled out for rest of season with knee injury. 22 April 2017. ESPN FC.
  9. Web site: ASSE – Le nouveau look de Robert Beric (photo) . madeinsaint-etienne.com . 26 April 2021 . fr . 8 July 2019.
  10. News: Robert Beric débarque à Anderlecht en prêt. 30 August 2017. fr. 30 August 2017. L'Équipe.
  11. Web site: Berić brace takes Saint-Étienne sixth. ligue1.com. 22 April 2018.
  12. Web site: Les Verts clinch return to Europe. ligue1.com. 18 May 2019.
  13. Web site: Chicago Fire FC Acquires Slovenia National Team Forward Robert Berić as Designated Player. chicagofirefc.com. Chicago Fire FC. 18 January 2020. 26 March 2020.
  14. Web site: Seattle Sounders FC 2, Chicago Fire FC 1 2020 MLS Match Recap. Mood. Abbie. 1 March 2020. MLSsoccer.com. 14 July 2020.
  15. Web site: Robert Berić zapušča Chicago . . 10 November 2021 . sl . 8 November 2021.
  16. Web site: 官方:外援贝里奇、安杜哈尔、罗萨、拉多尼奇加盟天津津门虎. dongqiudi.com. 29 April 2022. 21 January 2024. zh.
  17. Web site: 亚泰官方:贝里奇、吉列尔梅、罗西奇等6人加盟球队. dongqiudi.com . 7 February 2024 . zh . 7 February 2024.
  18. Web site: Robert Berić je v dresu novega kluba debitiral z zadetkom: Changchun Yatai kljub temu izgubil na gostovanju pri Shandong Taishanu . Planet Nogomet . 6 March 2024 . sl-SI . 1 March 2024.
  19. Web site: Appearances for Slovenia National Team. 5 August 2023. RSSSF.
  20. Web site: Robert Berić, international football player . eu-football.info . 5 August 2023 . en.
  21. Appearance(s) in Slovenian PrvaLiga relegation play-offs
  22. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  23. Four appearances and a goal in UEFA Champions League, seven appearances in UEFA Europa League, and one appearance in Slovenian Supercup
  24. Six appearances and three goals in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and three goals in UEFA Europa League, and one appearance in Slovenian Supercup
  25. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  26. Web site: Berič, Robert. National Football Teams. 20 March 2017.