The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Slovenia

This page contains a list of the greatest Slovene Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 72 of which were born in Slovenia. This makes Slovenia the birth place of the 46th most number of Soccer Players behind Costa Rica, and Senegal.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Slovene Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Slovene Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Slovene Soccer Players.

1. Branko Oblak (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 58.56, Branko Oblak is the most famous Slovene Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages on wikipedia.

Branko Oblak (born 27 May 1947) is a Slovenian football coach and former international player. He usually played as an attacking midfielder or deep-lying playmaker.

2. Zlatko Zahovič (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 52.70, Zlatko Zahovič is the 2nd most famous Slovene Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Zlatko Zahovič (Slovene pronunciation: [ˈzlaːtkɔ ˈzaːxɔʋitʃ] ; born 1 February 1971) is a Slovenian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. After making a name for himself in Portugal, most notably with Porto and Benfica where he amassed Primeira Liga totals of 246 matches and 54 goals over one full decade, he went on to have brief stints in Spain and Greece. He was known for dribbling and goal-scoring ability alike. Although primarily a midfielder, he scored 11 goals in 32 Champions League appearances and 35 in 80 for the Slovenian national team. The all-time record holder in goals for Slovenia, Zahovič was an essential member of the squad as they qualified for the first time ever to a European Championship and a World Cup, in the early 2000s.

3. Jan Oblak (b. 1993)

With an HPI of 52.00, Jan Oblak is the 3rd most famous Slovene Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 55 different languages.

Jan Oblak (born 7 January 1993) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and captains the Slovenia national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Oblak signed for Portuguese club Benfica at the age of 17, and was part of the team that won the domestic treble in the 2013–14 season. In 2014 he moved to Atlético Madrid for a fee of €16 million, becoming La Liga's most expensive goalkeeper at the time. In 2015–16 he won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for best goalkeeper, conceding an all-time record low of 18 goals. He won the award again in the following three seasons, and for a fifth time in 2021. Oblak was also nominated for the 2017 and 2018 Ballon d'Or awards, following his consistent performances with his club. With over 450 appearances for Atlético Madrid, Oblak has won four trophies with the club, including the 2020–21 edition of La Liga. Oblak made his senior international debut for Slovenia in 2012, and has been named Slovenian Footballer of the Year on seven occasions. He was also part of Slovenia's national youth teams, from the under-15 to under-21 sides. He represented the senior side at UEFA Euro 2024.

4. Samir Handanović (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 50.49, Samir Handanović is the 4th most famous Slovene Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 52 different languages.

Samir Handanović (born 14 July 1984) is a Slovenian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Since August 2024, he is the head coach of Inter Milan's under-17 team. Before moving to Italy, Handanović played in his home country of Slovenia. In 2004, he was acquired by Udinese but spent the next few years on loan, playing for teams such as Treviso, Lazio and Rimini. Handanović returned to Udinese ahead of the 2007–08 season, where he played as a starter for the next five years. In the next season, he also played European football for the first time, making his debut in UEFA Cup. After five years as a starter and more than 200 appearances, Handanović joined Inter Milan in July 2012. In February 2019, he was named club captain, while in September, he made his 300th appearance for the club and subsequently went on to reach the 2020 UEFA Europa League final that season. He made his 500th Serie A appearance in February 2021, and won his first trophy that May by winning the title. Having previously represented the Slovenia under-21 team, Handanović made his senior international debut for Slovenia in 2004. He went on to earn 81 caps for his country, the most by a goalkeeper and played for them at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Nicknamed Batman, due to his acrobatic saves, he is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, and is one of only four non-Italian keepers to be named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year, winning the honour three times. A penalty saving specialist, during the 2010–11 Serie A season he saved a total of six penalty kicks, equalling an all-time league record set in the 1948–49 season. During the 2019–20 season, he equalled Gianluca Pagliuca's record of most penalties saved in Serie A with his 24th stop. He broke the record the following season on 17 October 2020.

5. Milivoje Novaković (b. 1979)

With an HPI of 46.24, Milivoje Novaković is the 5th most famous Slovene Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 51 different languages.

Milivoje Novaković (Slovene pronunciation: [ˈmiːliʋɔjɛ nɔˈʋaːkɔʋitʃ]; Serbian Cyrillic: Миливоје Новаковић, pronounced [noʋǎːkoʋitɕ]; born 18 May 1979) is a Slovenian retired footballer who played as a forward.

6. Marko Elsner (1960 - 2020)

With an HPI of 45.73, Marko Elsner is the 6th most famous Slovene Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Marko Elsner (11 April 1960 – 18 May 2020) was a Slovenian professional footballer who played as a defender.

7. Fredi Bobic (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 45.50, Fredi Bobic is the 7th most famous Slovene Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Fredi Bobic (Slovene: Fredi Bobič, born 30 October 1971) is a German football executive and former player who played as a striker. He was most recently the sporting director of Bundesliga club Hertha BSC.

8. Željko Milinovič (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 45.34, Željko Milinovič is the 8th most famous Slovene Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 44 different languages.

Željko Milinovič (born 12 October 1969) is a Slovenian former professional footballer who played as a defender. He represented his country at the two major tournaments for which they qualified, the Euro 2000 and the World Cup 2002.

9. Milenko Ačimovič (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 44.70, Milenko Ačimovič is the 9th most famous Slovene Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Milenko "Mile" Ačimovič (pronounced [miˈleːŋkɔ aˈtʃiːmɔʋitʃ]; Serbian: Aćimović [atɕǐːmoʋitɕ]; born 15 February 1977) is a Slovenian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Besides Slovenia, he has played in FR Yugoslavia, England, France, Saudi Arabia, and Austria.

10. Maksimilijan Mihelčič (1905 - 1958)

With an HPI of 44.51, Maksimilijan Mihelčič is the 10th most famous Slovene Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Maksimilijan "Maks" Mihelčič (Serbian spelling - Максимилијан Михелчић; 29 July 1905 – 25 March 1958) was a Slovenian football goalkeeper who represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia national team at the 1928 Summer Olympics.

People

Pantheon has 81 people classified as Slovene soccer players born between 1905 and 2003. Of these 81, 78 (96.30%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Slovene soccer players include Branko Oblak, Zlatko Zahovič, and Jan Oblak. The most famous deceased Slovene soccer players include Marko Elsner, Maksimilijan Mihelčič, and Goran Sankovič. As of April 2024, 10 new Slovene soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Maksimilijan Mihelčič, Benjamin Šeško, and Miloš Rus.