Martin Erlić (; born 24 January 1998) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for the Danish club Midtjylland and the Croatia national team.
Club career Early career Hailing from the village of , Erlić started training football at NK Raštane in a nearby village. At the age of 12, he was scouted by GNK Dinamo Zagreb and spent two years in its youth team before moving onto NK Rijeka. Erlić moved abroad at the age of 16, to Parma. After Parma's bankruptcy, Erlić went to Sassuolo in 2015.
Loan to Südtirol On 31 August 2017, Erlić moved to Serie C club Südtirol on a season-long loan deal. On 8 October, he made his Serie C debut for Südtirol, as a substitute replacing Filippo Sgarbi in the 70th minute of a 3–1 away defeat against Padova. On 15 October, Erlić played his first entire match for Südtirol, a 5–0 home victory against Santarcangelo. On 8 November, Erlić scored his first professional goal for Südtirol in the 81st minute of a 1–0 away win over Sambenedettese. Erlić ended his season-long loan to Südtirol with 30 appearances as well as one goal and assist each.
Later career On 10 July 2018, Erlić initially was loaned to Serie B club Spezia on a season-long loan deal. After missing most of the 2018–19 season through injury, he rejoined Spezia on a permanent basis on 15 July 2019. Erlić signed for Sassuolo on 16 August 2021, but was returned on loan to Spezia for the 2021–22 season. On 2 August 2024, he signed with Bologna in Serie A.
On 4 August 2025, Erlić signed a five-year contract with Midtjylland in Denmark.
International career On 6 June 2022, Erlić made his debut for the Croatia national team in a 1–1 draw with France in the Nations League. He stated to attend his brother's wedding to play the match. On 9 November 2022, Erlić was named in Zlatko Dalić's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he remained an unused substitute as Croatia finished third.
On 18 May 2026, Erlić was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Personal life Erlić is a fan of Hajduk Split.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsSüdtirol (loan)2017–18Serie C30100——301Spezia (loan)2018–19Serie B0010——10Spezia2019–20Serie B23000—402702020–21Serie A27310——283Total503100040553Spezia (loan)2021–22Serie A30221——323Sassuolo2022–23Serie A28000——2802023–24Serie A32110——331Total601100000611Bologna2024–25Serie A802010—110Midtjylland2025–26Danish Superliga18250114—3462026–27Danish Superliga611040—111Total24360154—457Career total202101311644023515
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsCroatia202240202330202430202511202620Total131
Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first. + List of international goals scored by Kristijan JakićNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 12 October 2025 Stadion Varteks, Varaždin, Croatia 3–0 3–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Bologna Coppa Italia: 2024–25
Midtjylland Danish Cup: 2025–26
Croatia FIFA World Cup third place: 2022 UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2022–23
References
External links Profile at the Bologna FC 1909 website