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David Brekalo

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David Brekalo
Brekalo with Orlando City in 2026
Personal information
Date of birth (1998-12-03) 3 December 1998 (age 27)
Place of birth Ljubljana, Slovenia[1]
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Positions
Team information
Current team
 Orlando City
Number 4
Youth career
2007–2017 Bravo
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017–2021 Bravo 124 (12)
2021–2024 Viking 60 (7)
2024– Orlando City 74 (4)
International career‡
2016 Slovenia U18 6 (0)
2016 Slovenia U19 7 (0)
2018–2021 Slovenia U21 14 (1)
2022– Slovenia 32 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 02:14, 25 October 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 22:58, 6 October 2026 (UTC)

David Brekalo (born 3 December 1998) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for Major League Soccer club Orlando City and the Slovenia national team.

Youth career

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Brekalo is a youth product of Bravo, where he began his football career in 2007.[3] He initially played as a left-back when he was younger, but ultimately transitioned to playing primarily as a centre-back.[4]

Club career

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Bravo

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Brekalo made his senior debut for Bravo during the 2016–17 Slovenian Third League season, making 13 appearances and helping the club gain promotion to the second tier.[2] Two seasons later, in 2018–19, Bravo won the Slovenian Second League title and gained promotion to the top tier of Slovenian football, the Slovenian PrvaLiga, for the first time. Brekalo made his top flight debut on 14 July 2019 in a game against Olimpija Ljubljana, starting the match and playing the full 90 minutes in an eventual 2–0 defeat.[5]

Viking

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In January 2021, he was linked to Swedish club Malmö FF.[6] On 11 August 2021, he instead joined Norwegian club Viking FK, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract.[7] He made his debut only four days later, in a 3–2 win against Molde, where he scored the winning goal in added time.[8] On 28 November 2021, he received a red card for pushing teammate Patrik Gunnarsson in the final minutes of a 3–2 win against Kristiansund.[9]

Orlando City

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On 8 February 2024, Brekalo signed with Major League Soccer (MLS) club Orlando City.[10] The transfer fee was approximately $2.5 million.[11] He made his Orlando City debut on 24 February, against CF Montréal.[12] He scored his first goal for the club on 13 April against D.C. United.[13]

Brekalo began playing as a left-back for Orlando City during their 2025 season after struggling with injuries during his first season in MLS. Orlando City head coach Óscar Pareja said that Brekalo's ability to play both as a centre-back and a left-back made the team better overall.[4] On 15 May 2025, Brekalo was named to the Team of the Matchday for providing two assists in a 3–1 victory over Charlotte FC a day earlier.[14] On 22 July 2026, Brekalo scored the opening goal in a 4–0 win at the San Jose Earthquakes, and his performance throughout the game saw him named to the Team of the Matchday for the second time in his MLS career.[15][16]

International career

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Brekalo made his international debut for Slovenia on 26 March 2022 in a 1–1 draw against Croatia.[17][18]

He was included in Slovenia's 26-man roster for UEFA Euro 2024.[19]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 24 October 2026[2][20]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental[b] Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Bravo 2016–17 Slovenian Third League 13000——130
2017–18 Slovenian Second League 26200——262
2018–19 Slovenian Second League 28410——294
2019–20 Slovenian PrvaLiga 23300——233
2020–21 Slovenian PrvaLiga 31300——313
2021–22 Slovenian PrvaLiga 3000——30
Total 1241210000012512
Viking 2021 Eliteserien 11200——112
2022 Eliteserien 2624160—363
2023 Eliteserien 23340——273
Total 607816000748
Orlando City 2024 Major League Soccer 191—207[c]0281
2025 Major League Soccer 29 1 2 0 — 6[d] 0 37 1
2026 Major League Soccer 26 2 3 1 — 1[e] 0 30 3
Total 74 4 5 1 2 0 14 0 95 5
Career total 258231428014029425
  1. ↑ Includes Slovenian Football Cup, Norwegian Football Cup, U.S. Open Cup
  2. ↑ Includes UEFA Europa Conference League, CONCACAF Champions Cup
  3. ↑ Three appearances in Leagues Cup, four appearances in MLS Cup playoffs
  4. ↑ Five appearances in Leagues Cup, one appearance in MLS Cup playoffs
  5. ↑ Appearances in Leagues Cup

International

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As of match played 6 October 2026[21]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Slovenia 202260
202351
202480
202570
202660
Total321
Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Brekalo goal.
List of international goals scored by David Brekalo
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 23 March 2023 Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan  Kazakhstan 1–1 2–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying

Honours

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Bravo

Individual

References

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  1. 1 2 David Brekalo at WorldFootball.net
  2. 1 2 3 "David Brekalo" (in Slovenian). NK Bravo. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  3. ↑ "Brekalo po 14 letih zapušča Bravo" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 Gramajo, Mike (13 May 2025). "David Brekalo adapting to familiar left back role at Orlando City". WESH. Archived from the original on 14 May 2025. Retrieved 13 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Bravo 0–2 O. Ljubljana". Soccerway. 14 July 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  6. ↑ Kristoffersson, Daniel (31 January 2021). "Malmö på jakt efter U21-landslagsman". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  7. ↑ Svendsen, Dag Atle (11 August 2021). "David Brekalo klar for Viking" (in Norwegian). Viking FK. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  8. ↑ Nilssen, Stig (15 August 2021). "Viking sendte fansen til himmels etter vanvittig snuoperasjon". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  9. ↑ Nilssen, Stig (28 November 2021). "David Brekalo: – Jeg gjorde en feil og vil beklage til alle". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  10. ↑ "Orlando City SC acquires defender David Brekalo from Viking FK". Orlando City SC. 8 February 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Orlando City agrees $2.5 million deal for center back David Brekalo". The Athletic. 1 February 2024.
  12. ↑ Citro, Michael (24 February 2024). "Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Final Score 0–0 as Lions Drop Points, Remain Unbeaten in Opener". themaneland.com.
  13. ↑ "Match report: Orlando City SC rallies at D.C. United to earn first road win of the season". Orlando City SC. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Team of the Matchday: Baribo takes Golden Boot lead, Ojeda stays red-hot". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  15. ↑ "Match report: Orlando City SC routs San Jose Earthquakes 4–0 on the road". Orlando City SC. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Ruderman, Justin (23 July 2026). "Team of the Matchday: Griezmann, Son prove superstar status". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
  17. ↑ David Brekalo at National-Football-Teams.com
  18. ↑ "David Brekalo". 24ur.com (in Slovenian). 14 June 2024. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  19. ↑ "Kek izbral šestindvajseterico za Evropsko prvenstvo" [Kek selected twenty-six players for the European Championship] (in Slovenian). Slovenian Football Association. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  20. 1 2 David Brekalo at Soccerway
  21. ↑ "David Brekalo, international football player". eu-football.info. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  22. ↑ "Det var ingen tvil: Viking Fotballs forsvarsbauta David Brekalo ble kåret til månedens spiller i august måned" (in Norwegian). Eliteserien. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2025 – via Facebook.
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