Sulejman Krpić

Sulejman Krpić
Born	(1991-01-01) January 1, 1991 Brčko, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Occupation	Professional footballer
Years active	2009–present
Known for	Striker for Željezničar and Bosnia and Herzegovina national team

Overview

Sulejman Krpić (born 1 January 1991) is a professional football player from Bosnia who currently serves as a striker for Željezničar, a club competing in the Bosnian Premier League.

In addition to his club career, Krpić has represented the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Early career

Hailing from Brčko, located in the SR Bosnia and Herzegovina during the era of the SFR Yugoslavia, Krpić began his football journey with the youth squad of Orašje. There, he distinguished himself as the team's leading goal scorer and notably found the net in the Bosnian Youth Cup final against Bosna Visoko, a match that concluded with Orašje triumphing 4–1. In 2008, he transitioned to the youth ranks of Dinamo Zagreb. By April 2009, at just 18 years old, Krpić committed to a decade-long contract with Dinamo. Over two years, he developed within their youth and reserve sides. The following year saw him transfer to Austria, where he joined the LASK junior squad competing in the 2010–11 Austrian Regional League Central (Regionalliga), Austria’s third-tier league.

During the summer of 2011, Krpić returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina. After spending half a season back at Orašje, he secured a one-year deal with Sarajevo during the winter transfer window. He made his debut in the latter part of the 2011–12 season. Approximately one year later, Krpić departed Sarajevo to play in neighboring Serbia’s second division, the Serbian First League, representing Metalac Gornji Milanovac.

Sloboda Tuzla

Following the conclusion of the 2012–13 campaign, Krpić exited Metalac and signed with Sloboda Tuzla, then competing in the second tier but aiming for promotion back to the top flight. Under new head coach Miroslav Blažević, whose initial acquisitions included both Krpić and Edin Husić, Sloboda succeeded in clinching promotion by winning the 2013–14 First League of FBiH title.

Krpić remained an integral part of Sloboda for subsequent seasons, including their campaign in the 2015–16 season—just two years after promotion—during which they secured a second-place league finish and reached the cup final. At that season’s outset, he inked a three-year contract with Croatian top-tier outfit Istra 1961. Nevertheless, Krpić departed Istra shortly thereafter without making any official appearances and returned to Sloboda during the winter break.

Midway through the 2016–17 season, Krpić topped the scoring charts in Bosnia’s premier division, drawing attention from international clubs. On 3 March 2017, he signed a three-year deal with Swedish top-flight team AIK, reportedly for a transfer fee around €150,000, facilitated by a recommendation from AIK’s assistant coach Nebojša Novaković. However, within that same year, Krpić left AIK and rejoined Sloboda once more. After completing another season there, he transferred to Iranian side Tractor.

Željezničar

After the season concluded, Krpić departed from Tractor and returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he inked a two-year deal with Željezničar. During the 2018–19 campaign, he emerged as the top scorer of the league, netting 16 goals across 32 league appearances for Željezničar.

On 31 August 2019, Krpić contributed two goals in Željezničar's commanding 5–2 victory over his former team FK Sarajevo in the Sarajevo derby. Later that year, on 30 November 2019, he once again found the net against Sarajevo during the city derby, helping Željezničar secure a 3–1 away triumph in the league.

Later career

On 3 January 2020, Krpić transferred to South Korea's K League 1 side Suwon Samsung Bluewings for a fee of €230,000. He made his first official appearance on 19 February 2020 in an AFC Champions League fixture facing Vissel Kobe. His tenure with Suwon concluded on 7 November 2020 when his contract expired.

In December 2020, Krpić signed with Romanian Liga I club Astra Giurgiu. He debuted in a league match against Argeș Pitești on 6 February 2021 and scored his inaugural goal for Astra in a league encounter versus Academica Clinceni on 27 February 2021.

Krpić committed to a three-year contract with Tuzla City on 28 June 2021. He made his debut and scored his first goal for Tuzla City in a league match against Sarajevo on 19 July 2021. Subsequent to his spell at Tuzla City, he joined Australian club Western Sydney Wanderers.

Return to Željezničar

In February 2023, Krpić made his return to Željezničar by agreeing to a contract lasting two years. He reappeared for the club in a Bosnian Cup match against Leotar on 18 February. Shortly after, on 25 February, he netted his first goal since rejoining Željezničar during a league encounter with Igman Konjic.

During the Sarajevo derby on 12 May 2023, Krpić scored a crucial equalizer in the sixth minute of stoppage time, securing a 2–2 draw for his team against their fierce rivals Sarajevo. He celebrated his milestone 100th appearance for Željezničar in another derby match on 14 April 2024. Later that year, in August, he extended his contract by one year, committing to the club through at least July 2025.

On 9 December 2024, Krpić marked his 50th goal for Željezničar by scoring a hat-trick in a convincing 4–1 victory over GOŠK Gabela at home. In January 2025, he further prolonged his stay by signing an additional contract extension valid until July 2026. Notably, on 28 March 2025, he contributed two goals in a tight 3–2 home win against Posušje.

International career

Krpić featured in the Bosnia and Herzegovina U19 national squad during the years 2009 and 2011. Throughout his tenure with the youth team, he participated in 4 matches but did not register any goals.

His inaugural call-up to the senior national team occurred in December 2021 for a friendly encounter against the United States. Krpić made his senior debut on 18 December in that match.

International

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
LASK Linz II	2010–11	Regionalliga	11	5	0	0	—		11	5
Orašje	2011–12	First League of FBiH	6	4	—		—		6	4
Sarajevo	2011–12	Bosnian Premier League	14	2	0	0	0	0	14	2
	2012–13	Bosnian Premier League	8	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
	Total		22	2	0	0	0	0	22	2
Metalac Gornji Milanovac	2012–13	Serbian First League	13	3	0	0	—		13	3
Sloboda Tuzla	2013–14	First League of FBiH	14	10	—		—		14	10
	2014–15	Bosnian Premier League	13	3	0	0	—		13	3
	2015–16	Bosnian Premier League	25	4	6	3	—		31	7
	2016–17	Bosnian Premier League	18	11	1	0	1	0	20	11
	Total		70	28	7	3	1	0	78	31
AIK	2017	Allsvenskan	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
Sloboda Tuzla	2017–18	Bosnian Premier League	13	4	2	1	—		15	5
Tractor	2017–18	Persian Gulf Pro League	5	0	0	0	5	0	10	0
Željezničar	2018–19	Bosnian Premier League	32	16	0	0	4	3	36	19
	2019–20	Bosnian Premier League	18	12	0	0	—		18	12
	Total		50	28	0	0	4	3	54	31
Suwon Samsung Bluewings	2020	K League 1	13	2	2	0	1	0	16	2
Astra Giurgiu	2020–21	Liga I	17	2	5	2	—		22	4	-	Tuzla City	2021–22	Bosnian Premier League	30	14	4	1	—		34	15	-	Western Sydney Wanderers	2022–23	A-League Men	13	2	0	0	—		13	2	-	Željezničar	2022–23	Bosnian Premier League	15	2	4	0	—		19	2	-	2023–24	Bosnian Premier League	28	8	1	0	4	1	33	9	-	2024–25	Bosnian Premier League	29	11	6	3	—		35	14
2025–26	Bosnian Premier League	2	0	0	0	2	1	4	1

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Appearances	Goals
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2021	1	0
Overall		1	0

Honours

Sloboda Tuzla

• First League of FBiH champions: 2013–14
• Runner-up in the Bosnian Premier League: 2015–16
• Finalist in the Bosnian Cup: 2015–16

Individual

• Top scorer in the Bosnian Premier League during the 2018–19 season

External links

• Sulejman Krpić on Sofascore
• Template:K League player