Player profile
Ante Budimir
Forward · Osasuna
At 34, Croatia striker Ante Budimir earned a place in Zlatko Dalic's 2026 World Cup squad off the back of a prolific Osasuna season, and scored the winning goal in Croatia's group-stage victory over Panama.
Career
Budimir built his reputation as a prolific La Liga finisher at Mallorca before joining Osasuna, where he has become one of the division's most reliable veteran strikers.
In the 2025-26 La Liga season he scored 17 goals across 37 appearances for Osasuna, form that earned him a recall to Croatia's World Cup squad.
The 2026 tournament is Budimir's second World Cup with Croatia, who qualified by winning UEFA Group L and were drawn alongside England, Ghana and Panama in Group L of the finals.
How they play
A classic aerial target man, Budimir's physical presence and finishing inside the box make him Dalic's preferred option for changing a game from the bench.
Where they are now
Budimir scored the winning goal in the 54th minute of Croatia's 1-0 group-stage win over Panama at the 2026 World Cup, his first minutes of the tournament.
Bio
Club career
- Club Atlético Osasuna2021
- Club Atlético Osasuna2020–2021
- RCD Mallorca2019–2021
- RCD Mallorca2019
- F.C. Crotone2018–2019
- F.C. Crotone2017–2018
- U.C. Sampdoria2016–2018
- F.C. Crotone2015–2016
- FC St. Pauli2014–2016
- NK Lokomotiva2013–2014
- NK Inter Zaprešić2011–2013
International career
- Croatia men's national football teamSince 2020Current
Youth caps: U21 (2012)
Honours
No honours on record yet.
Defining moments
Winning goal against Panama at the 2026 World Cup2026
Introduced from the bench, Budimir scored the only goal of the game in the 54th minute as Croatia beat Panama 1-0 in the group stage.
Latest season stats (ESPN)
In our archive
We haven’t archived a match featuring this player yet — appearances appear here the moment we cover one.
Sources
- ESPN athlete profileJul 18, 2026
- WikidataJul 18, 2026
- Player photo — Bryan BerlinCC BY-SA 4.0
Read for this profile
- Budimir: 'I want to score for Croatia the way I do in Spain' - Croatian Football FederationAugust 15, 2026
Profile written / last reviewed August 15, 2026.
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War of Soccer is not affiliated with FIFA, Osasuna, any federation or Ante Budimir. This page compiles publicly available data (ESPN, Wikidata) descriptively, for identification and commentary only — not an endorsement by or of the player.