Vanja Drkušić (born 30 October 1999) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Espanyol, on loan from Russian Premier League club Zenit Saint Petersburg, and for the Slovenia national team.
Club career
In December 2015, Drkušić joined Dutch top-flight side Heerenveen, after receiving interest from Maribor, Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta. In August 2019, he signed for Rende in the Italian third division. Before the second half of the 2019–20 season, Drkušić signed for Slovenian team Bravo. He made his debut for the team on 23 February 2020 in a 2–1 win against Tabor Sežana. On 11 July 2020, Drkušić scored his first goal for Bravo in a 1–1 draw with Domžale.
On 24 January 2022, Drkušić signed for Russian Premier League side Sochi for an alleged fee of €100,000. On 27 August 2022, he extended his contract with Sochi until 2025.
On 13 August 2024, Drkušić moved to fellow top-tier side Zenit Saint Petersburg, signing a five-year deal with the six-time defending Russian champions. Three days later, Zenit loaned him to Red Star Belgrade for the first part of the 2024–25 season.
After winning the 2025–26 Russian Premier League title with Zenit, Drkušić went on another season-long loan in August 2026, this time to La Liga side Espanyol.
International career Drkušić represented Slovenia at youth international levels from under-17 to under-21. He made his debut for the senior team on 26 March 2023 in a European Championship qualifier against San Marino.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsHeerenveen2018–19Eredivisie0000——00Rende2019–20Serie C00——1010Bravo2019–20Slovenian PrvaLiga151———1512020–21Slovenian PrvaLiga35110——3612021–22Slovenian PrvaLiga19220——212Total694300000724Sochi2021–22Russian Premier League11000——1102022–23Russian Premier League26151——3122023–24Russian Premier League23210——242Total603610000664Zenit Saint Petersburg2024–25Russian Premier League7030——1002025–26Russian Premier League28050——3302026–27Russian Premier League1010—1030Total360900010460Red Star Belgrade (loan)2024–25Serbian SuperLiga911020—121Career total174819120201979
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSlovenia2023402024130202590202671Total331
Honours Zenit Saint Petersburg Russian Premier League: 2025–26 Russian Super Cup: 2026
References
External links