Who is Ante Budimir? Croatia’s oldest FIFA World Cup goalscorer
(Courtesy : Getty)
Ante Budimir scored in the second half of the Panama vs Croatia match tonight.
Croatia secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory in their second Group L match in the FIFA World Cup 2026 on June 23, with Ante Budimir scoring in the 54th minute for the Vatreni. After a really eventful first half at BMO Field in Toronto, the first goal in the second half put the European side in control of the fixture.
The move started with Atalanta’s Mario Pasalic, who played a brilliant flick to Josip Stanisic on the right flank. The Bayern Munich man made a darting run down the wing before playing an accurate ball into the box. Orlando Mosquera failed to get anything on the ball, and Budimir was in the right place at the right time to tap it into an empty net.
Budimir, aged 34 years and 336 days, became the oldest Croatian player to score at a FIFA World Cup. He surpassed the previous record held by the legendary Ivica Olic, who scored against Cameroon in 2014 at the age of 34 years and 277 days.
It was a wonderful moment for the striker, who was introduced to the match at half-time by Zlatko Dalic. It marked his first goal in national team colours in over a year and was crucial for the team’s qualification hopes.
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Ante Budimir Profile
- Age: 34
- Position: Striker
- Club: CA Osasuna (Spain)
Born in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Budimir began his youth career at Radnik Velika Gorica in Croatia. He made his senior debut with HNK Gorica in 2009, but left for Inter Zapresic in 2011. After two seasons with them, he moved to NK Lokomotiva Zagreb, where he stayed for a year.
He made a move abroad in 2014, joining German second-division side FC St. Pauli in a deal worth one million euros. He made 19 appearances for them and spent the next season on loan at Crotone, scoring 16 goals in 40 appearances.
His loan move was made permanent, but he was on the move again immediately, as Serie A side Sampdoria bought him for 1.8 million euros. He made 11 appearances for I Blucerchiati but failed to find the net and was loaned back to Crotone.
He scored six goals at his old club, and the Pythagoreans once again signed him permanently. After three goals in 17 appearances in his first season back, he was loaned to Spanish side Mallorca.
He enjoyed success at Los Piratas, scoring five goals on loan. The move was made permanent for 2.2 million euros, and he scored 13 more goals across two seasons. However, following Mallorca’s relegation, Budimir departed for Osasuna, initially on loan.
He scored 11 goals at Los Rojillos, who signed him permanently for eight million euros. Since then, he has made 167 appearances for the Spanish side, scoring 71 goals. He scored 13 goals in La Liga last season, finishing as the third-highest scorer in the league behind Kylian Mbappe and Vedat Muriqi.
Budimir’s good form in Spain prompted Zlatko Dalic to give him his national team bow in 2020. In his first match, which came against Switzerland, he registered an assist. He represented his nation in the 2022 World Cup, featuring twice from the bench.
He has earned 39 caps for his national side, scoring seven goals and registering six assists.
Who is Ante Budimir?
He is a 34‑year‑old striker who plays for CA Osasuna in Spanish La Liga and represents the Croatian national team.
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Sushruta has spent over two years covering football, with a particular focus on Indian and international competitions. Alongside football, he has reported on a variety of sports, bringing curiosity and perspective to every story. When he’s not following the action, he can usually be found binge-watching movies or getting lost in a good book.