Sead Kolašinac

Sead Kolašinac (Bosnian pronunciation: [kolaˈʃiˌnats]; born 20 June 1993) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for and captains German club Schalke 04, on loan from English club Arsenal, and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.

Sead Kolašinac
Kolašinac playing for Arsenal in 2018
Personal information
Full name Sead Kolašinac[1]
Date of birth (1993-06-20) 20 June 1993[2]
Place of birth Karlsruhe, Germany
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[3]
Position(s) Left-back
Club information
Current team
 Schalke 04
(on loan from Arsenal)
Number 20
Youth career
2001–2009 Karlsruher SC
2009–2010 1899 Hoffenheim
2010 VfB Stuttgart
2011–2012 Schalke 04
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2015 Schalke 04 II 8 (2)
2012–2017 Schalke 04 94 (4)
2017– Arsenal 78 (2)
2021– → Schalke 04 (loan) 5 (0)
National team‡
2011 Germany U18 1 (0)
2011–2012 Germany U19 11 (1)
2012–2013 Germany U20 2 (1)
2013– Bosnia and Herzegovina 35 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 February 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2020

Born in Germany, Kolašinac represented them at youth international level, before making his senior international debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013.

Club career

Early career

Kolašinac began his career in his hometown club, Karlsruher SC. After eight years of playing for Karlsruhe, Kolašinac joined 1899 Hoffenheim, where he played a season before transferring to VfB Stuttgart. A season later, he joined Schalke 04.[4]

Schalke 04
Kolašinac warming up for Schalke 04 in 2015

After one season with the youth team, Kolašinac was promoted to the second team, Schalke 04 II, in one of the German lower leagues, Regionalliga West. After scoring two goals in seven matches, he was promoted to the first team. On 15 September 2012, he made his Bundesliga debut in a 2–0 win over Greuther Fürth.[5] In December 2012, he played in his first game in European competitions, a 1–1 draw against Montpellier, in the UEFA Champions League.[6]

In June 2013 Kolašinac extended his contract with Schalke to June 2017,[7] but at the beginning of the following season Kolašinac tore the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee and was out for approximately six months.[8] He scored his first goal for Schalke 04 on 13 December 2015, in a 1–1 draw against FC Augsburg.[9] In May 2017, Kolašinac made the decision not to renew his contract with Schalke 04, thus ending his six-year spell at German club.[10] At the end of the 2016–17 season, he was voted in the Bundesliga Team of the Season.[11]

Arsenal

On 6 June 2017, Premier League club Arsenal confirmed the signing of Kolašinac on a free transfer, pending the "completion of all regulatory processes."[12] Kolašinac scored on his debut against Chelsea in the 2017 FA Community Shield, which Arsenal won on penalties.[13][14] He made his Premier League debut on the opening day, providing an assist in a 4–3 win over Leicester City.[15] For his performances in August, he was voted as Arsenal's Player of the Month, earning more than half of the votes.[16] On 14 September, Kolašinac scored on his UEFA Europa League debut against 1. FC Köln, which Arsenal won 3–1.[17] He scored his first goal in the Premier League on 28 October against Swansea City, and also provided an assist for his team's other goal in a 2–1 victory.[18] Kolašinac was once again voted as Arsenal's Player of the Month, in October, earning half of the votes.[19]

On 1 August 2020, Kolašinac played as a late substitute in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea, as Arsenal won their 14th FA Cup.[20]

Return to Schalke 04 (loan)

On 31 December 2020, it was announced that Kolašinac would return to Schalke 04 on loan for the remainder of the season.[21][22] Then, he was appointed the team's captain under the head coach Christian Gross.[23]

International career

Kolašinac has German nationality. After playing on various youth levels for Germany, he switched allegiance to his parents' homeland Bosnia and Herzegovina and received a call-up for the country's senior national team in 2013. Kolašinac's father stated in an interview that Kolašinac always intended to opt for the Bosnian national team.[24]

On 18 November 2013, Kolašinac made his debut for Bosnia in a 2–0 friendly loss against Argentina.[25] He was named in Bosnia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[26] In the third minute of the team's opening group match, Kolašinac scored an unfortunate own goal, the fastest in World Cup history, as Argentina ran out 2–1 winners at the Maracanã Stadium.[27]

Style of play

Kolašinac is regarded as a versatile defender who can slot into all defensive positions as needed. At Schalke 04 II, he was deployed mostly as a centre-back or defensive midfielder. Schalke 04 head coach Jens Keller used Kolašinac mainly as a left-back, a position in which Kolašinac has distinguished himself. Physically strong and tactically clever, he consistently wins one-on-one duels against his opponents.[28]

Personal life

Kolašinac was born in Karlsruhe, in Germany, to Bosniak parents.[29] He attended the Gesamtschule Berger Feld.[30] His father, Faik, who works at a Mercedes-Benz factory, was born in Nikšić, Montenegro, to parents from Plav. The family moved to Čapljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1969, where Faik met his wife. Kolašinac and his family practice Islam.[29]

As well as having a German passport, Kolašinac was given a Bosnian passport in 2013 so that he could play for the Bosnian national team.[29]

Kolašinac is often referred to by fans as "The Tank" or "The Bosnian Hulk", due to his robust, muscular frame and aggressive playing style.[31][32]

In July 2019 Kolašinac and Former Arsenal teammate Mesut Özil were the victims of an attempted carjacking.[33]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 30 January 2021[34][35]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Schalke 04 II 2011–12 Regionalliga West 20————20
2012–13 Regionalliga West 52————52
2014–15 Regionalliga West 10————10
Total 82————82
Schalke 04 2012–13 Bundesliga 16010—3[lower-alpha 3]0—200
2013–14 Bundesliga 24000—6[lower-alpha 3]0—300
2014–15 Bundesliga 6010—00—70
2015–16 Bundesliga 23110—6[lower-alpha 4]0—301
2016–17 Bundesliga 25330—8[lower-alpha 4]0—353
Total 94460—230—1234
Arsenal 2017–18 Premier League 27200305[lower-alpha 4]21[lower-alpha 5]1365
2018–19 Premier League 240200010[lower-alpha 4]0—360
2019–20 Premier League 26040101[lower-alpha 4]0—320
2020–21 Premier League 1000304[lower-alpha 4]01[lower-alpha 5]090
Total 7826070202211135
Schalke 04 (loan) 2020–21 Bundesliga 4000———40
Career total 1848120704322124811
  1. Includes DFB-Pokal, FA Cup
  2. Includes EFL Cup
  3. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  5. Appearance in FA Community Shield

International
As of match played 15 November 2020[36]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Bosnia and Herzegovina 201310
201450
201540
201670
201750
201820
201960
202050
Total350

Honours

Arsenal

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Individual

References
  1. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players: Bosnia and Herzegovina" (PDF). FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2019.
  2. "Sead Kolašinac". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  3. "Sead Kolasinac: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
  4. "Meet the Bosnian defender hoping to stop Messi and Aguero". FourFourTwo. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  5. "Holtby nimmt Fürth endgültig den Mut". Kicker (in German). 15 September 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  6. "UEFA Champions League 2012/13 – History – Montpellier-Schalke Lineups". UEFA. 4 December 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  7. "FC Schalke 04 extend Sead Kolasinac's contract through 2017". SB Nation. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  8. "Sead Kolasinac sidelined for six months". BHDragons. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  9. "Prvijenac Kolašinca u Bundesligi!". SportSport.ba (in Bosnian). 13 December 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  10. "Kolasinac verlässt Schalke ablösefrei". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Munich. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  11. "Team of the Season 16/17 Results". Bundesliga. Archived from the original on 29 May 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  12. "Sead Kolasinac to sign for Arsenal". Arsenal F.C. 5 June 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  13. "Arsenal lift Community Shield". The Football Association. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  14. "Arsenal 1–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  15. "Arsenal 4–3 Leicester City". BBC Sport. 11 August 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  16. "Kolasinac voted August Player of the Month". Arsenal F.C. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  17. "Arsenal beat Cologne in delayed Europa League match". The Guardian. London. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  18. "Arsenal 2–1 Swansea City". BBC Sport. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  19. "Kolasinac tops October Player of the Month poll". Arsenal F.C. 13 November 2017. Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  20. McNulty, Phil (1 August 2020). "Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  21. "Sead Kolasinac returns to FC Schalke 04". Schalke 04. 31 December 2020.
  22. "Kolasinac exits as Arteta trims squad" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  23. "Schalke: Sead Kolasinac löst Omar Mascarell als Kapitän ab". WAZ (in German). 30 January 2021.
  24. "Otac Seada Kolašinca: On je uvijek želio igrati za BiH". Klix.ba (in Bosnian). 4 July 2013. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  25. "Argentina Bosnia 2–0". Goal.com. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  26. "Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014 World Cup squad". The Daily Telegraph. London. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  27. "Argentina 2–1 BiH". BBC Sport. 16 June 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
  28. "Schalke-Talent Kolasinac verteidigte in Istanbul knallhart und clever". Derwesten.de (in German). 21 February 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  29. "Sead Kolašinac je bježao iz škole kako bi išao u mekteb". SportSport.ba (in Bosnian). 11 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
  30. Sarigul, Emre (27 March 2018). "Photo: Arsenal Star Invites Former School Students To Spain Match, Former Pupils Include Julian Draxler & Manuel Neuer". Turkish-Football. Retrieved 25 July 2018. The school boasts an impressive alumni including Manuel Neuer, Julian Draxler, Benedikt Höwedes, Leroy Sané, Max Meyer, Ralf Ferryman, Joel Matip and Sead Kolasinac.
  31. "'The Bosnian Hulk' Sead Kolasinac reveals preferred nickname to new Arsenal team-mates". Squawka.com. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  32. "The Bosnian Hulk". Arsenal F.C. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  33. "Arsenal stars 'chase off' armed carjackers". BBC News. 26 July 2019.
  34. Sead Kolašinac at Soccerway
  35. Sead Kolašinac at Soccerbase
  36. "Kolašinac, Sead". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  37. McNulty, Phil (1 August 2020). "Arsenal 2–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  38. Rostance, Tom (6 August 2017). "Arsenal 1–1 Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  39. Sanders, Emma (29 August 2020). "Arsenal 1–1 Liverpool". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  40. McNulty, Phil (25 February 2018). "Arsenal 0–3 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  41. Bevan, Chris (29 May 2019). "Chelsea 4–1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  42. "Bosnia Herzegovina National Team squad, schedule - KIRIN CUP SOCCER 2016". JFA｜公益財団法人日本サッカー協会.
  43. "UEFA Europa League Squad of the 2018/19 Season". UEFA. 30 May 2019.
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