Senad Lulić

Senad Lulić

Personal information
Full name	Senad Lulić
Date of birth	(1986-01-18) 18 January 1986
Place of birth	Mostar, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Lazio
Number	19
Youth career
	Chur 97
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2006	Chur 97	25	(1)
2006–2008	Bellinzona	63	(13)
2008–2010	Grasshopper	41	(6)
2010–2011	Young Boys	31	(6)
2011–	Lazio	158	(20)
National team‡
2008–	Bosnia and Herzegovina	52	(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 October 2016. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 November 2015

Senad Lulić (born 18 January 1986) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Italian club Lazio and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team.

He began his career in Switzerland, helping Bellinzona to promotion to the Swiss Super League and later appearing in European competitions for Grasshopper. In 2011 he moved to Lazio, for which he scored the winning goal in the 2013 Coppa Italia Final against city rivals Roma.

A full international since 2008, Lulić has over 40 caps for Bosnia and Herzegovina. He represented the nation at their first major tournament, the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Club career

Lulić was born in Mostar, but he spent most of his childhood in Jablanica.^[2] He moved in his childhood to Switzerland due to the Bosnian War and started his football career at Chur 97. He then moved to Bellinzona, where he helped the club gain promotion to the Swiss Super League in his last season at the Ticino-based club. In July 2008, he joined Grasshopper Club Zürich,^[3] playing two seasons for Grasshopper before being transferred to Bernese club BSC Young Boys.^[4] After a successful lone season at Young Boys, where Lulić scored a total of nine goals in 40 matches between the Super League, Swiss Cup, and UEFA competitions, he received offers from German clubs Hertha BSC and Werder Bremen, as well as Serie A side Lazio. He eventually moved to the Rome-based club, Lazio.

On 16 June 2011, it was confirmed that Lulić had signed a five-year contract with Lazio for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around €3 million.^[5] He made his first appearance for the club on 9 September against Milan and went on to score his first goal for the Roman side at Bologna on 23 October. He scored his second goal in a match against Cagliari. His third goal, and his first one at the Stadio Olimpico, came in a 2–2 draw against Udinese on 18 December. Following his successful debut season at Lazio, in June 2012, Lulić was voted third as Bosnia and Herzegovina's player of the year, behind Manchester City's Edin Džeko and Roma's Miralem Pjanić.^[6]

On 26 May 2013, he scored the only goal in the historic Coppa Italia Final against city rivals AS Roma. It was the first ever among the two Roman clubs, his goal gained Lazio its sixth Coppa Italia, an UEFA Europa League spot at the expense of their bitter rivals, and placed him in the Pantheon of Lazio's top players. ^[7][8]

Lulić scored the 79th-minute winner as Lazio defeated holders Napoli on 8 April to reach the 2015 Coppa Italia Final, also making a late goal line clearance to prevent Lorenzo Insigne from equalizing.^[9][10]

On 18 January 2016, his 30th birthday, he extended his contract until June 2020.^[11]

International career

Lulić received his debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina in a match against Azerbaijan, which all of the established players decided to boycott following the dismissal of newly appointed coach Meho Kodro by the already unpopular Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina.^[12] He had to wait for more than two years, until August 2010, to receive his next call-up. After several good performances for his club side, especially in UEFA Champions League qualification, new Bosnia manager Safet Sušić called him up to the matches against Luxembourg and France.^[13] Despite playing as a left winger at that time for Young Boys, Sušić made him play both matches as a left back, the position where he has established himself in the national team.^[14][15] On 15 November 2011, Lulić was dismissed for a second yellow card in the second leg of the UEFA Euro 2012 playoff which his team lost against Portugal.^[16]

On 7 June 2013, he scored his first international goal, opening a 5–0 win away to Latvia in 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification.^[17] Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for their first international tournament, and Lulić assisted Vedad Ibišević for their first goal in a tournament finals, a consolation in a 1–2 defeat to Argentina at the Maracanã Stadium on 15 June 2014 in an eventual group-stage exit.^[18]

Style of play

Lulić has been deployed both as a left winger and as a left wing-back. He possesses great pace and stamina.^[19]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 15 May 2016.^[20][21]

International

As of match played 16 November 2015.^[22]

International goals

Scores and results list Bosnia and Herzegovina's goal tally first.

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	7 June 2013	Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia	Latvia	1–0	5–0	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.	6 September 2015	Bilino Polje, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina	Andorra	3–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying

Honours

Club

Lazio

• Coppa Italia: 2012–13

References

External links

• Senad Lulić at National-Football-Teams.com

Bosnia and Herzegovina squad – 2014 FIFA World Cup
1 Begović 2 Vršajević 3 Bičakčić 4 Spahić (c) 5 Kolašinac 6 Vranješ 7 Bešić 8 Pjanić 9 Ibišević 10 Misimović 11 Džeko 12 Fejzić 13 Mujdža 14 T. Sušić 15 Šunjić 16 Lulić 17 Ibričić 18 Medunjanin 19 Višća 20 Hajrović 21 Hadžić 22 Avdukić 23 Salihović Coach: S. Sušić