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Canadian soccer player (born 1987)

Milan Borjan
Borjan with Red Star Belgrade in 2018
Personal information
Full name Milan Borjan
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)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team Al-Riyadh
Number 82
Youth career
Dinara Knin
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 13 (0)
International career
2011– Canada 80 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's soccer
CONCACAF Nations League
Runner-up 2023
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 December 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 November 2023

Milan Borjan (Serbian Cyrillic: Милан Борјан; born 23 October 1987) is a professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Saudi Pro League club Al-Riyadh. Born in Yugoslavia, he plays for the Canada national team.

Early life

Borjan was born on 23 October 1987 in Knin, former SFR Yugoslavia today Croatia, to ethnic Serb parents Boško and Mirjana. He is also of Croatian descent through his paternal grandmother. Borjan got his first taste of organized soccer in the town, playing with the Dinara Knin youth side. Borjan's family lived in Knin until Operation Storm in 1995, at which point his family fled to Belgrade, and Borjan began playing soccer with FK Radnički Beograd. In 2000, the family emigrated to Canada, first living in Winnipeg, Manitoba for a few months, before settling in Hamilton, Ontario where his parents still reside. He attended Glendale Secondary School. He played youth soccer in Canada with East Hamilton SC for six months, before joining Mount Hamilton SC.

Club career

Early career

Borjan went on trial with Boca Juniors in 2005, but failed to sign a contract with the club. In 2006, following a trial upon the recommendation of former Uruguayan footballer Jorge Armúa, he joined Club Nacional de Football in Montevideo, Uruguay, playing for their youth team, and in July 2007, he went on trial with the Argentine club Club Atlético River Plate. His final South American stint was with Quilmes, with whom he played from January 2008 through the end of the 2007–08 Primera B Nacional season.

Rad

Borjan returned to Serbia in January 2009, signing with the Belgrade Serbian SuperLiga club FK Rad. He initially had difficulty breaking into the team, signed as the third-string goalkeeper. However, due to trouble with the starting keeper's work permits, and an injury from the second string, Borjan soon became the only available goalkeeper on the club roster. He made his debut on 16 August 2009 in a 3–2 victory over FK Smederevo. By fall 2010, he was the starting keeper, with a nine-game winning streak. Under his tenure, FK Rad became fourth in the league, gaining them a berth in the 2011–12 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds.

Sivasspor

Following an appearance in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Borjan joined the Turkish club Sivasspor, and made his debut on 11 September 2011 in a 2–1 loss against Karabükspor.

Loan to Vaslui

Due to a lack of playing time in Turkey, Borjan was loaned to Romanian club SC 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. Borjan joined the club as the starting goalkeeper and played seven clean sheet games in 16 starts, securing Vaslui a spot in the UEFA Champions League.

Return to Sivasspor

Borjan with Sivasspor in 2013

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. In February 2014, following a decrease in playing time under new manager Roberto Carlos, Borjan's contract with Sivasspor was terminated. Speculation arose, after the termination, that a deal had been put in place for Borjan to join Napoli in June, as the Turkish Football Association blocked a January move.

Ludogorets Razgrad

Following reports that he had signed for Bosnian Premier League club Sarajevo as a free agent, Borjan accepted an offer from Bulgarian club PFC Ludogorets Razgrad on 12 September 2014. The club had already qualified for the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage, and four days after signing, Borjan made his club debut in a 2–1 Champions League away defeat to Liverpool F.C. That game marked the first time that a Canadian international played in the group stage since Lars Hirschfeld played with Rosenborg BK in 2007. Razgrad released Borjan shortly thereafter, having secured first-choice goalkeeper Vladislav Stoyanov through the summer of 2015.

Radnički Niš

Spurning interest from Sarajevo, Borjan signed a one-year contract with SuperLiga club FK Radnički Niš on 15 February 2015. Due to his Serbian passport, Borjan did not count as a foreigner while playing at Radnički. He debuted in a 0–0 draw against Red Star Belgrade on 23 February, the first of three clean sheets in a row.

Return to Ludogorets Razgrad

Borjan turned down a contract to return to Radnički, instead returning to the Bulgarian A Football Group of Ludogorets, where he signed a three-year deal on 2 June 2015. Although he was signed as the second-string goalkeeper, Borjan began to start after Stoyanov sustained a major injury.

Loan to Korona Kielce

On 15 February 2017, Borjan was loaned to the Ekstraklasa club Korona Kielce through the end of the season, where he made 14 league appearances and five clean sheets.

Red Star Belgrade

Borjan playing for Red Star Belgrade in 2017

Three years after rumors of a transfer to Red Star Belgrade, Borjan made the transfer official, replacing Filip Manojlović on 24 July 2017. Borjan signed a three-year contract with the club and chose the jersey number 82. He made his debut in the first leg of the third qualifying round for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, keeping a clean sheet in a home victory against Sparta Prague on 27 July 2017. He played his first eternal derby with the club a month later.

In his second season with the club, Borjan would help Red Star qualify for the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, and would earn two clean sheets: once in the group stage opener against Napoli, and again in a 2–0 home win against Liverpool. 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.

On 23 May 2022 Borjan notably scored a penalty for Red Star in their final game of the 2021–22 Serbian SuperLiga against Voždovac, as the club clinched their fifth-straight title. In July 2022, despite earlier talk of retirement after his current deal ended, Borjan signed a contract extension until 2026.

In June 2023, Borjan revealed in an interview with Sportski žurnal that after meeting with new Red Star coach Barak Bakhar, he was told by his coaching staff that he would no longer be the first-choice option at the club going forward.

In June 2024, Borjan and Red Star Belgrade mutually agreed to the termination of his contract.

Loan to Slovan Bratislava

In June 2023, Borjan joined Slovan Bratislava of the Niké Liga on loan.

International career

Borjan with the Canada national team in 2011

Borjan was called to join the Canada national team in 2010, following strong performances with FK Rad. He was called up to the Canadian senior team on 3 February 2011, and made his team debut in an exhibition game against Greece a week later. 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 over Guadeloupe at Raymond James Stadium. He also recorded his first national team game on home soil at BMO Field on 1 June 2011 in an exhibition against Ecuador that ended in a 2–2 draw.

Due to the suspension of first choice goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld, Borjan started in the 0–0 home draw against Honduras in a 2014 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 the 2013, 2017, and 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He earned his first red card for Canada on 11 June 2015 in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match, handling the ball outside the box after a mistake from Julian de Guzman.

Borjan remained Canada's starting goalkeeper for the 2022 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. He also kept a clean sheet against the United States in a 2–0 victory in Hamilton, Ontario, after which he was named by Canada Soccer as Canada's player of the month for January. On November 13, 2022, Borjan was named to Canada's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In Canada's second match against Croatia, Borjan was the target of verbal taunts and abuse from Croatian supporters, with Canada Soccer filing a formal complaint with FIFA post-game.

In June 2023, Borjan was named to Canada's final squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Finals. He played in both the Semi-final and Final as Canada finished runners-up to the United States. On June 19 Borjan was named to the final squad for the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He departed the team prior to their third match of the tournament against Cuba due to injury.

Personal life

Borjan is married to Snežana Filipović, a former marketing director of FK Partizan and sister of Nenad Filipović. He has a younger sister, Nikolija, and a younger brother Nikola, also a goalkeeper. Borjan speaks fluent English, Bulgarian, Spanish and Serbian.

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 6 December 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup 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 0 4 0
2015–16 9 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
2016–17 7 0 2 0 1 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 0 46 0
2018–19 28 0 4 0 14 0 46 0
2019–20 26 0 2 0 14 0 42 0
2020–21 32 0 3 0 12 0 47 0
2021–22 30 1 4 0 13 0 47 1
2022–23 33 0 4 0 10 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 0 42 0
Al-Riyadh 2024–25 Saudi Pro League 13 0 1 0 – 14 0
Career total 360 1 42 0 92 0 495 1
  1. Includes Turkish Cup, Romanian Cup, Bulgarian Cup, Serbian Cup, Slovak Cup, King Cup
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, nine appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, nine appearances in UEFA Europa League
  6. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League
  7. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, two appearances in UEFA Europa League, seven appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

As of match played 21 November 2023
Appearances and goals by national team and year
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

Honours

SC Vaslui

Ludogorets

Red Star Belgrade

Slovan Bratislava

Canada

Individual

References

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External links

Al-Riyadh SC – current squad
Canada squads
Canada squad – 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Canada
Canada squad – 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Canada
Canada squad – 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Canada
Canada squad – 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Canada
Canada squad – 2022 FIFA World Cup
Canada
Canada squad – 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Canada
2018–19 Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season
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