Erik Janža (born 21 June 1993) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze, which he captains, and the Slovenia national team.
Club career Janža started his senior career with Mura 05 in 2010. With Mura 05, he reached the play-off round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, where the club were eliminated by Lazio. In January 2013, he joined Domžale, followed by Maribor in January 2015, with whom he won both the Slovenian League and Slovenian Cup titles.
In January 2017, Janža moved abroad to join Czech side Viktoria Plzeň, and was subsequently loaned out to Cypriot club Pafos. In July 2018, he transferred to Croatian side Osijek.
On 28 June 2019, he signed a two-year contract with Polish Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze. On 21 November 2021, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 win over Legia Warszawa. He became the club's captain ahead of the 2022–23 season. On 15 June 2024, Janža extended his contract with Górnik Zabrze until 2026.
International career Janža represented Slovenia at youth international levels from under-16 to under-21.
He made his debut for the senior national team on 18 November 2014, in a 1–0 friendly defeat against Colombia. On 14 October 2023, he scored his first international goal in a 3–0 victory over Finland during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying.
On 7 June 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. In the opening match, Janža scored the equalizer in a 1–1 draw against Denmark, which was Slovenia's first goal at the European Championship since their last participation 24 years ago.
Career statistics Club
+Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsMura 05 2010–11Slovenian Second League25110——2612011–12Slovenian PrvaLiga31000——3102012–13Slovenian PrvaLiga2001080—290Total7612080—861Domžale2012–13Slovenian PrvaLiga12000——1202013–14Slovenian PrvaLiga3543020—4042014–15Slovenian PrvaLiga19010——200Total6644020—724Maribor2014–15Slovenian PrvaLiga6020——802015–16Slovenian PrvaLiga1103000—1402016–17Slovenian PrvaLiga1602060—240Total3307060—460Viktoria Plzeň2016–17Czech First League3000——30Pafos (loan)2017–18Cypriot First Division33251——383Osijek2018–19Croatian First League1902000—210Górnik Zabrze2019–20Ekstraklasa36000——3602020–21Ekstraklasa28030——3102021–22Ekstraklasa32120——3412022–23Ekstraklasa32230——3522023–24Ekstraklasa23010——2402024–25Ekstraklasa28200——2822025–26Ekstraklasa32450——3742026–27Ekstraklasa70005010130Total218914050102389Career total448163412101050417
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsSlovenia20141020236220241212025100202670Total363
Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Janža goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Erik JanžaNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition114 October 2023Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia3–0 3–0UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying217 November 2023Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark1–11–2UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying316 June 2024MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany1–11–1UEFA Euro 2024
Honours Maribor Slovenian PrvaLiga: 2014–15 Slovenian Cup: 2015–16
Górnik Zabrze Polish Cup: 2025–26
References
External links