Marko Grujić (, ; born 13 April 1996) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bulgarian First League club Levski Sofia.
A native of Belgrade, Grujić started his career with his hometown club Red Star Belgrade, progressing through their youth system to the first team squad. He made his professional debut in 2013, and won the SuperLiga title in his final season with Red Star before completing a £5.1 million move to Liverpool. After five years with the Premier League club, he moved to Portuguese club Porto for just over £10 million in 2021.
Grujić is a Serbian international, and represented Serbia at every youth level from under-16 upwards before making his full international debut in May 2016. He was part of the Serbian side which won the 2015 U-20 World Cup.
Club career Red Star Belgrade Grujić was born in Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia (now Serbia) and is a product of Red Star Belgrade, where he went through the youth program, passed all categories and was the captain of his generation. He made his professional debut for Red Star on 26 May 2013, in a Serbian SuperLiga match versus Vojvodina.
On 17 May 2015, Grujić signed a three-year contract with Red Star to last until 2018.Grujić and Jovic by 2018 in Zvezda Radio Televizija Vojvodine: Grujić i Jović do 2018. u Zvezdi 17 May 2015 Grujić scored his first senior goal on 26 September 2015 against Novi Pazar in a 2–0 victory; he also assisted Aleksandar Katai for the second goal. Grujić was a part of an unprecedented run of Red Star victories, as the club set a new record for the number of consecutive victories (19), ending the first half of the season without defeat.
Liverpool Throughout autumn, Grujić was scouted by a number of high-profile European teams, including Liverpool, Internazionale, Juventus, Chelsea, and Milan. Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp called Grujić personally to convince him to switch to Anfield, but initially Grujić's father was against his son moving to Liverpool. Klopp's assistant, Željko Buvač, flew to Belgrade to speak with Grujić and on 6 January 2016, it was confirmed that Grujić completed his move to Premier League side Liverpool, signing a five-year deal for a reported fee of £5.1 million. Upon joining, Grujić hailed Klopp for convincing him to join and told the press, "I would choose Liverpool over Real Madrid and Barcelona."
He was immediately loaned back to Red Star until the end of the season for a fee of £740,000, and won the SuperLiga with Red Star while on loan. Grujić finished the season with 29 appearances, 6 goals, 7 assists and was voted into the SuperLiga Team of the Year for his contribution to Red Star's unbeaten season.
On 20 August 2016, Grujić made his Premier League debut for Liverpool in a 2–0 loss against Burnley, coming on in the place of Adam Lallana in the 78th minute.
Loan to Cardiff City On 17 January 2018, Grujić joined Championship side Cardiff City on loan for the remainder of the 2017–18 season. He made his debut for the club three days later, playing in a 0–0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday. Grujić's first goal for Cardiff came in a 2–1 home victory over Barnsley on 6 March 2018, scoring from range just after the start of the second half.
Loan to Hertha BSC On 19 August 2018, Grujić joined Bundesliga club Hertha BSC on a one-year loan. He scored his first goal for the club on 8 December, netting the only goal in a 1–0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. Hertha coach Pal Dardai hailed Grujić as "by far the best midfielder at Hertha Berlin in 20 years".
On 1 July 2019, his loan deal was extended for a second season, with a reported loan fee of £2 million.
Return to Liverpool On 25 September 2020, Grujić started in the EFL Cup tie against Lincoln winning 7–2 and scored a goal.
Porto On 6 October 2020, Grujić joined Portuguese club Porto on a season-long loan. On 20 July 2021, Porto made his deal permanent for a transfer worth £10,5 million and a 10% sell-on clause.
AEK Athens On 2 September 2025, Grujić moved to Super League Greece club AEK Athens. He was part of the team which achieved the league title in the 2025–26 season.
Levski Sofia On 15 August 2026, Grujić signed a one-year contract, with an option for another year, with Bulgarian First League club Levski Sofia.
International career Grujić represented Serbia at all youth levels from under-16 to under-21, and was a member of the Serbia squad that won the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
In May 2016, Grujić made his full international debut for the Serbia national team after coming on in place of Nemanja Matić in a 2–1 win against Cyprus.
In June 2018, he was selected in Serbia's squad for the 2018 World Cup, but he failed to make any appearances in the competition.
In November 2022, he was selected in Serbia's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He played in a group stage match against Cameroon. Serbia finished fourth in the group.
Style of play Standing at 6-foot-3-inches (1.91 m), Grujić has been described as "tall, rangy, comfortable on the ball and with a good range of passing" and dubbed the "new Matić" because of his likeness in both appearance and position to fellow Serbian defensive midfielder Nemanja Matić.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsRed Star Belgrade2012–13Serbian SuperLiga1000—00—102014–15Serbian SuperLiga9010—00—1002015–16Serbian SuperLiga29610—00—306Total39620—00—416Kolubara (loan)2014–15Serbian First League5200———52Liverpool2016–17Premier League50003000—802017–18Premier League30001020—602020–21Premier League000021000021Total8000612000161Cardiff City (loan)2017–18Championship1311000——141Hertha BSC (loan)2018–19Bundesliga22510———2352019–20Bundesliga29420———314Total51930———549Porto (loan)2020–21Primeira Liga23250208010392Porto2021–22Primeira Liga211501090—3612022–23Primeira Liga241703040103912023–24Primeira Liga100502030102102024–25Primeira Liga200000201050Total57217060180301012AEK Athens2025–26Super League Greece10140—50—191Total10140—50—191Career total206233201413304028924
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSerbia201630201710201840201900202010202150202250202350202440202520Total300
Honours Red Star Belgrade Serbian SuperLiga: 2015–16
Porto Primeira Liga: 2021–22 Taça de Portugal: 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24 Taça da Liga: 2022–23 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2020, 2022, 2024
AEK Athens Super League Greece: 2025–26
Serbia U20 FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2015
Individual Serbian SuperLiga Team of the Season: 2015–16
References
External links