Ante Erceg

Ante Erceg
Erceg in 2018
Personal information
Date of birth (1989-12-12) 12 December 1989 (age 34)
Place of birth Split, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Forward, Winger
Team information
Current team
 Fortuna Sittard
Number 50
Youth career
2001–2008 RNK Split
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2016 RNK Split 100 (18)
2010 → Junak Sinj (loan) 7 (0)
2016 Balıkesirspor 14 (2)
2016–2018 Hajduk Split 44 (20)
2018 Shabab Al-Ahli 10 (2)
2018–2022 Brøndby 24 (4)
2020 → Esbjerg (loan) 7 (0)
2020–2022 → Osijek (loan) 30 (4)
2022 Debrecen 0 (0)
2022–2024 Istra 1961 42 (18)
2024– Fortuna Sittard 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 March 2024

Ante Erceg (born 12 December 1989) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Dutch Eredivisie club Fortuna Sittard.

Career

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RNK Split

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Erceg went through the youth system at RNK Split, graduating to the senior squad in 2008. In his first senior season, he immediately played a notable role. Erceg quickly became a fan favourite, to such a degree that the fan group, the Crveni đavoli (Red Devils) awarded him the then newly established award for the most combative player, the Splitski dišpet.[1] Also, as a kind of fan recognition to Erceg for his commitment and fighting spirit, an interview with him was featured in the second issue of the Red Devils fan newspaper.[2] He mainly played as a midfielder while at RNK Split. In the second half of the 2009–10 season, Erceg was briefly sent on loan to Junak Sinj, where he made seven appearances. At the beginning of the 2010–11 season, he returned to Stadion Park Mladeži to continue playing for HNK Split.

Hajduk Split

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He spent half a season at Turkish club Balıkesirspor,[3] before returning to Croatia to sign for HNK Split's rivals, Hajduk Split on 18 June 2016.[4] Erceg made his Hajduk debut on 17 July, playing 45 minutes in a 2–0 win over HNK Cibalia in the first day of the Prva HNL.[5] He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 win over FC Oleksandriya in the third qualifying round of the 2016–17 Europa League.[6] The goal was Hajduk's 300th goal in European competition.[7]

Shabab Al-Ahli

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On 8 January 2018, Erceg signed with Dubai club Shabab Al-Ahli, competing in the UAE Pro-League.[8]

Brøndby

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After a half-year spell Shabab Al-Ahli, Erceg signed a four-year contract with Danish Superliga club Brøndby IF on 6 June 2018, where he was seen to be the replacement of Teemu Pukki who had signed with Norwich City.[9] On 16 July 2018, he scored his first goal for Brøndby in a 2–0 win over Randers.[10] He would, however, struggle to make the starting lineup and scored only four goals in 23 appearances in the Superliga for Brøndby.[11]

Esbjerg fB (loan)

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On 22 January 2020, Erceg was loaned out to Esbjerg fB for the rest of the season.[12] Following his loan, he stated that he was happy with the move and that Esbjerg was "a big club".[13] He made his debut on 14 February, starting in a 1–0 win over F.C. Copenhagen.[14] After making seven appearances and scoring no goals, he returned to Brøndby, as Esbjerg suffered relegation from the Superliga.[15][16]

Osijek (loan)

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Erceg joined Croatian First Football League club NK Osijek on 19 August 2020, on a season-long loan with an option to buy.[17][18] The following April, the Croatian club announced they will not be buying Erceg, but that they are looking into options of retaining his services for the future.[19] In May 2021, Erceg ruptured his right knee ligaments during training, requiring knee reconstruction surgery.[20] On 20 May, it was announced that his loan deal with Osijek had been extended by another season.[11]

Debrecen

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On 25 May 2022, Erceg signed a one-year contract with Hungarian Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Debreceni VSC, with an option for one further year.[21] His contract was terminated by mutual consent after two months at the club, on 21 July. He had not made his debut for the club at that point.[22]

Istra 1961

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Erceg joined Croatian Football League club Istra 1961 on 1 August 2022, signing a one-year deal.[23] He made his debut for the club on 6 August against his former club Osijek, replacing Advan Kadušić in the 66th minute in a late 1–0 win.[24] On 26 August, Erceg scored his first goals for Istra, a brace, after coming on as a 66th-minute substitute for Monsef Bakrar to secure a late 2–0 away victory against Gorica at Stadion Radnik.[25] He would also score in three consecutive games in September 2022, against Lokomotiva,[26] Slaven[27] and his former side Hajduk[28] to bring his league goal tally to five in six appearances.[29] He finished his first season at the club with 12 goals in 22 appearances.[15]

Fortuna Sittard

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On 28 May 2024, Erceg signed a two-year contract with Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands.[30]

References

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  1. ^ Navijački list Crveni đavoli no. 1; article "Splitski dišpet Anti Ercegu", page 1.
  2. ^ Navijački list Crveni đavoli no. 2; article "Erca - Splitski dišpet", page 4.
  3. ^ "İlhan Eker ve Ante Erceg Balıkesirspor'da". fotospor.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  4. ^ "Ante Erceg potpisao za Hajduk!". hajduk.hr. HNK Hajduk Split. 18 June 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Cibalia vs. Hajduk Split - 17 July 2016 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Form and head-to-head stats FC Oleksandria vs Hajduk Split". skysports.com. Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  7. ^ "IGRAČI SLOŽNI: IDEMO POTVRDITI PROLAZ PRED PREPUNIM POLJUDOM". hajduk.hr. HNK Hajduk Split. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  8. ^ Blond, Mikael (8 January 2018). "Hajduk sender topscorer til Emiraterne". bold.dk. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  9. ^ "Brøndby IF signs deal with Croatian Ante Erceg" (Press release). Brøndby IF. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  10. ^ "Erceg and Wilczek blitzed, as Brøndby beat Randers". Tipsbladet. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  11. ^ a b Gronemann, Steffen (20 May 2021). "Udskældt angriber: Har spillet sin sidste kamp for Brøndby" (in Danish).
  12. ^ EfB lejer Ante Erceg i Brøndby, efb.dk, 22 January 2020
  13. ^ Glad Erceg: Esbjerg er en stor klub, bold.dk, 23 January 2020
  14. ^ Startopstillinger: EfB og FCK sparker Superliga-foråret i gang, tipsbladet.dk, 15 February 2020
  15. ^ a b "A. Erceg - Profile". int.soccerway.com. Perform Group. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  16. ^ Elgaard, Peter (28 June 2020). "Esbjerg rykker ud af Superligaen". www.tvsyd.dk. TV Syd. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  17. ^ "Ante Erceg udlejes til NK Osijek". brondby.com. Brøndby IF. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  18. ^ "Ante Erceg prvo osječko pojačanje". nk-osijek.hr. NK Osijek. 19 August 2020. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  19. ^ Najskuplji 'lega' u povijesti! Osijek će dati rekordnih 20 milijuna kuna za napadača: S njim nema rizika at Jutarnji List
  20. ^ Nesreća za Ercega: Na treningu je teško ozlijedio desno koljeno at 24 Sata
  21. ^ "Csatárt igazolt a DVSC". DVSC Futball Zrt. (in Hungarian). 25 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  22. ^ Risager, Victor (21 July 2022). "Ante Erceg ophæver efter 75 dage i ny klub". Tipsbladet (in Danish). Archived from the original on 21 July 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  23. ^ "DOBRO DOŠAO ANTE ERCEG". NK Istra 1961 (in Croatian). 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Bakrar al 93' fa esplodere il Drosina: Istra-Osijek 1-0". LaVoce del popolo (in Italian). 6 August 2022. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  25. ^ "GORICA – ISTRA 0:2 Fantastični Erceg zabio dva gola. Golman spašavao Istru". IndexHR (in Croatian). 26 August 2022. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  26. ^ Blažević, Katarina (4 September 2022). "Lokomotiva skočila na peto mjesto ljestvice nakon pobjede u Puli, Ante Erceg samo ublažio poraz Istre". Novi list (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  27. ^ "Istra uvjerljivo slavila na teškom gostovanju u Koprivnici, ponovno zabio Ante Erceg". Gol.hr (in Croatian). 11 September 2022. Archived from the original on 7 November 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  28. ^ Kovačević, Davor (18 September 2022). "Bio je 'hajdučko srce', gol nije slavio, a Torcida ga izviždala: 'Mislio sam da više neću hodati'". 24sata (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  29. ^ "Ante Erceg » 1. HNL 2022/2023". WorldFootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  30. ^ "FORTUNA CONTRACTS ANTE ERCEG ON A FREE TRANSFER". Fortuna Sittard. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
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