Timi Max Elšnik (born 29 April 1998) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serbian SuperLiga club Red Star Belgrade and the Slovenia national team.
Club career Derby County Elšnik joined the Derby County academy in 2015 at the age of 17. During his first season, he initially played for the under-18 team before progressing to the under-21 squad. At the end of the 2015–16 season, he was named the club's Scholar of the Year. Shortly after signing a new three-year contract with the club in August 2016, he made his first team debut as a substitute against Carlisle United in the EFL Cup, scoring twice in Derby's penalty shoot-out win. He was released by Derby in July 2019.
Loans to Swindon Town, Mansfield Town and Northampton Town On 31 August 2017, Elšnik signed on a season-long loan for Swindon Town along with Derby teammate Kellan Gordon. Two days later, Elšnik made his Swindon debut during their 4–1 home defeat against Barnet, featuring for the entire 90 minutes.
On 31 August 2018, Elšnik signed on a season-long loan for Mansfield Town. Four days later, Elšnik made his Mansfield debut during their 2–1 away win against Lincoln City in the EFL Trophy, featuring for the entire 90 minutes. On 30 October 2018, Elšnik was brought back into the Mansfield side, starting the game against Crewe Alexandra. He scored two goals ensuring a 3–0 win for Mansfield.
In January 2019, Mansfield activated a clause to terminate the loan spell during the winter transfer window. Shortly after his return to Derby, he was loaned to Northampton Town until the end of the season.
Olimpija Ljubljana In January 2020, Elšnik returned to his home country and signed with Olimpija Ljubljana. In December 2020, after extending his contract with the club, president Milan Mandarić appointed him as the team captain at only 22 years of age. With Olimpija, Elšnik won the Slovenian league title in the 2022–23 season and the Slovenian Cup in the 2020–21 and 2022–23 seasons.
International career Elšnik has represented Slovenia at the under-17, under-18, under-19, and under-21 levels. He was the captain of the under-21 team at the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
He made his senior debut on 8 October 2021 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Malta, replacing Jasmin Kurtić late in the game. In June 2024, Elšnik was called up to the squad for UEFA Euro 2024 by Slovenian coach Matjaž Kek. He appeared as a starter in all four Slovenia matches at the tournament.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsDerby County2015–16Championship0000—00002016–17Championship0000—20202017–18Championship0000—10102018–19Championship0000—0000Total0000003030Swindon Town (loan)2017–18League Two22312—20255Mansfield Town (loan)2018–19League Two19310—41244Northampton Town (loan)2018–19League Two9100—0091Olimpija Ljubljana2019–20Slovenian PrvaLiga113———1132020–21Slovenian PrvaLiga3132120—3542021–22Slovenian PrvaLiga2111040—2612022–23Slovenian PrvaLiga3374230—4092023–24Slovenian PrvaLiga810093—174Total10415731830012921Career total15422951839119031
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and year National teamYearAppsGoalsSlovenia2021102022102023802024151202591202640Total382
Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Elšnik goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Timi Max ElšnikNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition126 March 2024Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia2–02–0Friendly218 November 2025Strawberry Arena, Solna, Sweden1–01–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Olimpija Ljubljana Slovenian PrvaLiga: 2022–23 Slovenian Cup: 2020–21, 2022–23
Red Star Belgrade Serbian SuperLiga: 2024–25, 2025–26 Serbian Cup: 2024–25, 2025–26
References
External links