Ester Sokler (born 4 June 1999) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Slovenia national team.
Club career Born in Krško, Sokler started his playing career at the age of six, at the football school Nogobikci, before joining the youth sector of his hometown club Krško. He came through the club's youth ranks, as he won the under-13 and under-15 national championship in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
Having been promoted to the senior squad in 2016, aged 17, Sokler made his Slovenian PrvaLiga debut on 26 November 2016, in a 4–0 defeat against Maribor.
In July 2020, Sokler joined Slovenian Second League side Brežice 1919, where he spent six months, before returning to PrvaLiga in December 2020, having signed a contract with Celje until 2023.
After two seasons at Celje, Sokler joined fellow Slovenian top-tier club Radomlje on a permanent deal in July 2022. He scored 10 goals in 31 games in his first season with Radomlje, as they finished seventh in the league.
On 16 June 2023, Sokler joined Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year deal.
In September 2025, he went on a season-long loan to Serbian SuperLiga club Radnički 1923. After scoring six goals in twelve appearances during the first part of the season, the move was made permanent in January 2026 for an undisclosed sum.
In July 2026, Sokler signed for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Tel Aviv on a two-year contract, with the option to extend for two more years.
International career Sokler was a Slovenian youth international, and earned one cap for the under-21 national team in 2019. He was called up to the senior team for a pair of friendly matches in June 2026 and made his debut in a 1–1 draw against Cyprus, coming on as a second-half substitute in place of Žan Vipotnik.
Personal life Sokler hails from the small village of Brestanica, near Krško. He cited Wayne Rooney as his football idol while growing up.
In 2023, he claimed that he has often been mistaken for a woman, as Ester is actually a female given name in many countries, including Slovenia itself. According to him, his parents likely chose to name him after Mi2's 1998 song "Moja teta Estera".
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsKrško2016–17Slovenian PrvaLiga3000——302017–1812100——1212018–1924020——2602019–20Slovenian Second League16410——174Total555300000585Brežice 19192020–21Slovenian Second League11613——129Celje2020–21Slovenian PrvaLiga14340——1832021–2230621——327Total4496100005010Radomlje2022–23Slovenian PrvaLiga301010——3110Aberdeen2023–24Scottish Premiership2613141714042024–25Scottish Premiership2120075002872025–26Scottish Premiership2000002141Total49331116927212Radnički 1923 (loan)2025–26Serbian SuperLiga12600——126Radnički 19232025–26Serbian SuperLiga17900——179Total29150000002915Career total218481451169225261
References