| Stipe Perica | |
| Fullname: | Stipe Perica[1] |
| Birth Date: | 7 July 1995 |
| Birth Place: | Zadar, Croatia |
| Height: | 1.93 m |
| Position: | Striker |
| Currentclub: | Standard Liège |
| Clubnumber: | 28 |
| Youthyears1: | 2005–2012 |
| Youthclubs1: | Zadar |
| Years1: | 2012–2013 |
| Clubs1: | Zadar |
| Caps1: | 20 |
| Goals1: | 8 |
| Years2: | 2013–2016 |
| Clubs2: | Chelsea |
| Caps2: | 0 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2013–2015 |
| Clubs3: | → NAC (loan) |
| Caps3: | 35 |
| Goals3: | 9 |
| Years4: | 2015–2016 |
| Clubs4: | → Udinese (loan) |
| Caps4: | 20 |
| Goals4: | 3 |
| Years5: | 2016–2020 |
| Clubs5: | Udinese |
| Caps5: | 49 |
| Goals5: | 7 |
| Years6: | 2018 |
| Clubs6: | → Frosinone (loan) |
| Caps6: | 7 |
| Goals6: | 0 |
| Years7: | 2019 |
| Clubs7: | → Kasımpaşa (loan) |
| Caps7: | 12 |
| Goals7: | 2 |
| Years8: | 2019–2020 |
| Clubs8: | → Mouscron (loan) |
| Caps8: | 15 |
| Goals8: | 7 |
| Years9: | 2020–2021 |
| Clubs9: | Watford |
| Caps9: | 16 |
| Goals9: | 1 |
| Years10: | 2021–2022 |
| Clubs10: | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Caps10: | 35 |
| Goals10: | 17 |
| Years11: | 2022– |
| Clubs11: | Standard Liège |
| Caps11: | 33 |
| Goals11: | 4 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2013 |
| Nationalteam1: | Croatia U19 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2013 |
| Nationalteam2: | Croatia U20 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2013–2016 |
| Nationalteam3: | Croatia U21 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 11 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 8 |
| Pcupdate: | 30 March 2024 |
Stipe Perica (pronounced as /hr/;[2] [3] born 7 July 1995) is a Croatian footballer who plays as a striker for Belgian First Division A club Standard Liège.
Perica started his playing career in his home-country of Croatia with Zadar in 2012. He made his debut for the first team during the month of September 2012.[4] In his first season, he scored 8 goals in 20 league matches, and 10 goals in all competitions.
On 1 August 2013, Perica signed for Chelsea with a transfer fee of €2.5m.[5] After his arrival at Chelsea, the club loaned Perica out to Dutch club NAC Breda.[6]
On his NAC Breda debut he scored his first goal in a 1–5 victory away to Roda JC, having come on as a substitute.[7] A few weeks later he scored the winning goal for 2–1 against Heracles Almelo in his fourth appearance.[8] On 16 February 2014, he was sent-off just 4 minutes after being substituted on in the match against Feyenoord.[9]
In August 2014, his loan deal was extended for the 2014–15 season.[10] However, after the sacking of Breda's manager Nebojša Gudelj, his role was reduced to a bit-part player and he requested a move in search for more game time. On 22 January 2015, his loan with NAC Breda ended and Chelsea loaned him out to Udinese until June 2016.[11] [12]
On 8 February 2015 against Napoli, Perica made his debut for Udinese, coming off the bench in the 78th minute for Bruno Fernandes.[13] On 4 April 2015, Perica made his first start for Udinese in a match against Genoa that ended in a 1–1 draw.[14] On 17 May, Perica scored the opener (his first for Udinese) against A.S. Roma, the match ended in a 1–2 loss for Udinese.[15]
On 3 June 2015, Udinese extended Perica's loan deal for one and a half years.[16] On 20 December 2015, Perica scored his first goal of the 2015–16 Serie A campaign in a 1–0 away victory over Torino, therefore scoring the winning goal in the 41st minute.[17]
On 15 June 2016, Udinese activated a clause in Perica's contract, in which he would join the Italian side on a permanent basis.[18]
On 18 July 2018, Perica was loaned to newly promoted Serie A club Frosinone for a season.[19] In January, he was recalled from Udinese to join Kasımpaşa after falling down the pecking order.[20]
On 23 August 2019, Perica joined Belgian First Division A club Mouscron on loan until 30 June 2020.[21]
On 7 September 2020, Perica joined EFL Championship club Watford from Udinese on a 2-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[22]
He made his Watford debut in an EFL Cup tie against Oxford United on 15 September 2020. The game went to a penalty shootout and Perica converted his effort as Watford won.[23] In the following round against Newport County, Perica was sent off for violent conduct as Watford lost 3–1.[24] He scored his first goal for Watford in a 1–1 draw with Bournemouth on 24 October 2020.[25]
On 14 August 2021, Perica signed for Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.[26] On 14 September 2021, Perica scored the first goal of the new UEFA Europa Conference League.[27]
Perica was acquired by Belgian First Division A club Standard Liège on September 2, 2022, for 900k euros, a few days after he fled Israel in flight without the club's permission.[28] He made his club doubt in a 2-0 home win against K.V. Kortrijk, when he entered the game as a substitute in the 80th minute.
Perica represented Croatia at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2013. He was Croatia's youngest player, aged 17, and scored in a 2–1 win over New Zealand on 29 June.[29]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Zadar | 2012–13 | Prva HNL | 20 | 8 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 24 | 10 | |||
| Chelsea | 2013–14 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| NAC Breda (loan) | 2013–14 | Eredivisie | 25 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 6 | |||
| 2014–15 | Eredivisie | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 35 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 9 | |||||
| Udinese | 2014–15 | Serie A | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 1 | |||
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 13 | 3 | ||||
| 2016–17 | Serie A | 27 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 6 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 1 | ||||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 69 | 10 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 71 | 11 | |||||
| Frosinone (loan) | 2018–19 | Serie A | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| Kasımpaşa (loan) | 2018–19 | Süper Lig | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 2 | |||
| Royal Excel Mouscron (loan) | 2019–20 | Belgian First Division A | 15 | 7 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 16 | 8 | |||
| Watford | 2020–21 | EFL Championship | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| Maccabi Tel Aviv | 2021–22 | Israeli Premier League | 34 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 46 | 17 | |
| 2022–23 | Israeli Premier League | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3 | ||
| Total | 35 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 52 | 20 | |||
| Standard Liège | 2022–23 | Belgian First Division A | 27 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Career total | 235 | 58 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 269 | 65 | |||