// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs David Brekalo a baker? He kneads the ball.
 Brekalo with Orlando City in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 December 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Ljubljana, Slovenia[1] | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[2] | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Orlando City | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2017 | Bravo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2021 | Bravo | 124 | (12) |
| 2021–2024 | Viking | 60 | (7) |
| 2024– | Orlando City | 62 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016 | Slovenia U18 | 6 | (0) |
| 2016 | Slovenia U19 | 7 | (0) |
| 2018–2021 | Slovenia U21 | 14 | (1) |
| 2022– | Slovenia | 28 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 01:49, 2 August 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:31, 7 June 2026 (UTC) | |||
David Brekalo (born 3 December 1998) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for Major League Soccer club Orlando City and the Slovenia national team.
Club career
[edit]Bravo
[edit]Brekalo is a youth product of Bravo, where he began his football career in 2007.[3] He made his Slovenian PrvaLiga debut for the club on 14 July 2019, in a game against Olimpija Ljubljana.[4]
Viking
[edit]In January 2021, he was linked to Swedish club Malmö FF.[5] On 11 August 2021, he instead joined Norwegian club Viking FK, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract.[6] He made his debut only four days later, in a 3–2 win against Molde, where he scored the winning goal in added time.[7] On 28 November 2021, he received a red card for pushing teammate Patrik Gunnarsson in the final minutes of a 3–2 win against Kristiansund.[8]
Orlando City
[edit]On 8 February 2024, Brekalo signed with Major League Soccer (MLS) club Orlando City.[9] The transfer fee was approximately $2.5 million.[10] He made his Orlando City debut on 24 February, against CF Montréal.[11] He scored his first goal for the club on 13 April against D.C. United.[12]
On 15 May 2025, Brekalo was named to the Team of the Matchday for providing two assists in a 3–1 victory over Charlotte FC a day earlier.[13] On 22 July 2026, Brekalo scored the opening goal in a 4–0 win at the San Jose Earthquakes, and his performance throughout the game saw him named to the Team of the Matchday for the second time in his MLS career.[14][15]
International career
[edit]Brekalo made his international debut for Slovenia on 26 March 2022 in a 1–1 draw against Croatia.[16][17]
He was included in Slovenia's 26-man roster for UEFA Euro 2024.[18]
Career statistics
[edit]Club
[edit]| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bravo | 2016–17 | Slovenian Third League | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Slovenian Second League | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 2 | |||
| 2018–19 | Slovenian Second League | 28 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 4 | |||
| 2019–20 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 3 | |||
| 2020–21 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 3 | |||
| 2021–22 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 124 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 12 | ||
| Viking | 2021 | Eliteserien | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 2 | ||
| 2022 | Eliteserien | 26 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 36 | 3 | ||
| 2023 | Eliteserien | 23 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 3 | |||
| Total | 60 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 74 | 8 | ||
| Orlando City | 2024 | Major League Soccer | 19 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 7[c] | 0 | 28 | 1 | |
| 2025 | Major League Soccer | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 6[d] | 0 | 37 | 1 | ||
| 2026 | Major League Soccer | 14 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 1[e] | 17 | 2 | |||
| Total | 62 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 82 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 246 | 22 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 281 | 24 | ||
- ↑ Includes Slovenian Football Cup, Norwegian Football Cup, U.S. Open Cup
- ↑ Includes UEFA Europa Conference League, CONCACAF Champions Cup
- ↑ Three appearances in Leagues Cup, four appearances in MLS Cup playoffs
- ↑ Five appearances in Leagues Cup, one appearance in MLS Cup playoffs
- ↑ Appearances in Leagues Cup
International
[edit]- As of match played 7 June 2026[20]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | 2022 | 6 | 0 |
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Brekalo goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 March 2023 | Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan |  Kazakhstan |
1–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
Honours
[edit]Bravo
Individual
- Eliteserien Player of the Month: August 2023[21]
References
[edit]- 1 2 David Brekalo at WorldFootball.net
- 1 2 "David Brekalo" (in Slovenian). NK Bravo. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ↑ "Brekalo po 14 letih zapušča Bravo" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ↑ "Bravo v Olimpija game report". Soccerway. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ↑ Kristoffersson, Daniel (31 January 2021). "Malmö på jakt efter U21-landslagsman". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ↑ Svendsen, Dag Atle (11 August 2021). "David Brekalo klar for Viking" (in Norwegian). Viking FK. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
- ↑ Nilssen, Stig (15 August 2021). "Viking sendte fansen til himmels etter vanvittig snuoperasjon". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ↑ Nilssen, Stig (28 November 2021). "David Brekalo: – Jeg gjorde en feil og vil beklage til alle". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 28 November 2021.
- ↑ "Orlando City SC acquires defender David Brekalo from Viking FK | Orlando City". orlandocitysc.
- ↑ "Orlando City agrees $2.5 million deal for center back David Brekalo". The Athletic. 1 February 2024.
- ↑ Citro, Michael (24 February 2024). "Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Final Score 0–0 as Lions Drop Points, Remain Unbeaten in Opener". themaneland.com.
- ↑ "Match report: Orlando City SC rallies at D.C. United to earn first road win of the season | Orlando City". orlandocitysc.
- ↑ "Team of the Matchday: Baribo takes Golden Boot lead, Ojeda stays red-hot". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
- ↑ "Match report: Orlando City SC routs San Jose Earthquakes 4-0 on the road". Orlando City. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ Ruderman, Justin (23 July 2026). "Team of the Matchday: Griezmann, Son prove superstar status". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ David Brekalo at National-Football-Teams.com
- ↑ "David Brekalo". 24ur.com (in Slovenian). 14 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ↑ "Kek izbral šestindvajseterico za Evropsko prvenstvo" [Kek selected twenty-six players for the European Championship] (in Slovenian). Slovenian Football Association. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- 1 2 David Brekalo at Soccerway
- ↑ "David Brekalo, international football player". eu-football.info. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- ↑ "Det var ingen tvil: Viking Fotballs forsvarsbauta David Brekalo ble kåret til månedens spiller i august måned" (in Norwegian). Eliteserien. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2025 – via Facebook.
External links
[edit]- David Brekalo national team profile at NZS (in Slovene)
- David Brekalo club profile at NZS (in Slovene)
- David Brekalo at Soccerway.com
- David Brekalo at WorldFootball.net
- David Brekalo at National-Football-Teams.com
- David Brekalo at FBref.com
- David Brekalo at Kicker (in German)
 | ||
- 1998 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Ljubljana
- Men's association football central defenders
- Slovenian men's footballers
- 21st-century Slovenian sportsmen
- Slovenia men's youth international footballers
- Slovenia men's under-21 international footballers
- Slovenia men's international footballers
- NK Bravo players
- Viking FK players
- Orlando City SC players
- Slovenian Second League players
- Slovenian PrvaLiga players
- Eliteserien players
- Major League Soccer players
- UEFA Euro 2024 players
- Slovenian expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Norway
- Slovenian expatriate sportspeople in Norway
- Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
- Slovenian expatriate sportspeople in the United States