Benjamin Šeško (pronounced [ˈbeːnjamin ˈʃɛːʃkɔ], born 31 May 2003) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig and the Slovenia national team.
_21_(cropped).jpg) Šeško with Red Bull Salzburg in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 31 May 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Radeče, Slovenia[1] | ||
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | RB Leipzig | ||
| Number | 30 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2013 | Radeče | ||
| 2013–2014 | Rudar Trbovlje | ||
| 2014–2016 | Radeče | ||
| 2016–2018 | Krško | ||
| 2018–2019 | Domžale | ||
| 2019–2020 | Red Bull Salzburg | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | Red Bull Salzburg | 55 | (21) |
| 2019–2021 | → FC Liefering (loan) | 44 | (22) |
| 2023– | RB Leipzig | 28 | (11) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2017–2018 | Slovenia U15 | 6 | (4) |
| 2018 | Slovenia U16 | 4 | (4) |
| 2018–2019 | Slovenia U17 | 14 | (5) |
| 2020 | Slovenia U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2021– | Slovenia | 28 | (11) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:43, 27 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13:10, 27 March 2024 (UTC) | |||
Šeško joined Red Bull Salzburg aged 16 in 2019 from Domžale. He was loaned to the Salzburg's reserve team FC Liefering for two seasons, where he scored 22 goals in 44 games in the second tier of Austrian football. He made his first-team debut for Red Bull Salzburg in January 2021 and went on to win three Austrian Bundesliga titles and one Austrian Cup.
Šeško represented Slovenia at youth international level from under-15 to under-19, before becoming the youngest player to appear for the senior national team in June 2021 when he made his debut aged 18 years and 1 day. He scored his first goal for the national team in October 2021, which made him Slovenia's youngest ever goalscorer.
Club career
Early career
Šeško began his career at his hometown club Radeče when he was in the first grade.[3][4] He then spent one year with Rudar Trbovlje in the under-11 selection,[3][5] before returning to Radeče.[3] In 2016 he transferred to Krško, where he played for the under-15s and under-17s.[6] In the 2017–18 season, he scored 59 goals in 23 matches for the under-15s.[6] In 2018, Šeško joined Domžale, where he stayed for one season.[6]
Red Bull Salzburg
At the age of 16, on 3 June 2019, Šeško signed a three-year professional contract with Red Bull Salzburg.[7] He debuted with Red Bull Salzburg in a 3–0 Austrian Football Bundesliga win over TSV Hartberg on 30 January 2021.[8]
Loan to FC Liefering
Immediately after signing with Red Bull Salzburg, he was moved to their farm club FC Liefering, competing in the Austrian Second League. In the 2020–21 season, he scored 21 goals in 29 appearances and became the league's second-best goalscorer.[9] He scored most of his goals in the final part of the season, scoring 13 goals in the last 7 rounds.[10]
RB Leipzig
On 9 August 2022, RB Leipzig announced that Šeško would join them on 1 July 2023, on a five-year contract until 2028, for a reported transfer fee of around €24 million.[11][12]
On 3 September 2023, Šeško scored his first goals for RB Leipzig by netting a brace in a 3–0 away win over Union Berlin, which ended their 24-match streak without loss at home.[13][14] On 19 September, he scored his first UEFA Champions League goal (excluding qualifying rounds) as RB Leipzig defeated Young Boys 3–1 away from home in the matchday 1 of the 2023–24 edition.[15]
International career
Eligible for Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (due to his mother hailing from Doboj),[16] Šeško opted for the former, having represented the country at the under-15, under-16, under-17, and under-19 levels. He made his under-19 debut in a friendly game against Austria in September 2020.[17]
In May 2021, Šeško was called up by the senior team manager Matjaž Kek for a pair of friendlies in June 2021.[18] He debuted for Slovenia in a 1–1 friendly tie with North Macedonia on 1 June 2021. At the time he was 18 years and 1 day old and became the youngest debutant in the national team, surpassing the previous record set by Petar Stojanović seven years earlier.[19] On 8 October 2021, Šeško scored his first goal for Slovenia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Malta, becoming Slovenia's youngest ever goalscorer at the age of 18 years, 4 months and 8 days.[20]
"I have no doubt whatsoever that Šeško will surpass me. I look at my record like it's gone. It's the past. He will definitely correct those numbers."
Slovenia's all-time top goalscorer Zlatko Zahovič (35 goals) in September 2022 about the then 19-year-old Šeško, who at the time scored four national team goals.[21]
During the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B campaign, Šeško helped Slovenia avoid relegation to League C with two decisive goals. He provided an assist and scored the winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Norway on 24 September 2022,[22] and also scored in a 1–1 draw against Sweden three days later. The goal against Sweden was described as a "wonder goal" by the media,[23][24] and was nominated as one of the best goals of the matchday by UEFA.[25]
Šeško was Slovenia's top scorer in the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers, netting five goals from nine appearances in Group H[26] as Slovenia qualified for its first European Championship since 2000.[27]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Liefering (loan) | 2019–20 | Austrian 2. Liga | 15 | 1 | — | — | — | 15 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | Austrian 2. Liga | 29 | 21 | — | — | — | 29 | 21 | ||||
| Total | 44 | 22 | — | — | — | 44 | 22 | |||||
| Red Bull Salzburg | 2020–21 | Austrian Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Austrian Bundesliga | 24 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8[b] | 1 | — | 37 | 11 | ||
| 2022–23 | Austrian Bundesliga | 30 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 7[c] | 0 | — | 41 | 18 | ||
| Total | 55 | 21 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 1 | — | 79 | 29 | |||
| RB Leipzig | 2023–24 | Bundesliga | 28 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 8[b] | 2 | 1[d] | 0 | 39 | 15 |
| Career total | 127 | 54 | 11 | 9 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 162 | 66 | ||
International
- As of match played 26 March 2024[29]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | 2021 | 7 | 1 |
| 2022 | 10 | 4 | |
| 2023 | 9 | 5 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 28 | 11 | |
- Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Šeško goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 October 2021 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta | 6 |  Malta | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 12 June 2022 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 13 |  Serbia | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B |
| 3 | 24 September 2022 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 14 |  Norway | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B |
| 4 | 27 September 2022 | Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden | 15 |  Sweden | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League B |
| 5 | 17 November 2022 | Cluj Arena, Cluj-Napoca, Romania | 16 |  Romania | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 26 March 2023 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 19 |  San Marino | 1–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 7 | 7 September 2023 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 22 |  Northern Ireland | 3–1 | 4–2 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 8 | 14 October 2023 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 23 |  Finland | 1–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 9 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 10 | 20 November 2023 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 26 |  Kazakhstan | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
| 11 | 21 March 2024 | National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta | 27 | Malta | 2–2 | 2–2 | Friendly |
Honours
Red Bull Salzburg
RB Leipzig
Individual
- Slovenian Footballer of the Year: 2022[31]
- Slovenian Youth Footballer of the Year: 2021, 2022,[31] 2023[32]
References
External links
- Benjamin Šeško at NZS (in Slovene)
- Benjamin Šeško – UEFA competition record (archive)
