Captain Jan Oblak ahead of jubilee game: 60 to play in Belfast, former Slovenia captain Robert Koren almost caught
Idol. Star. Leader. Captain. And a damn good goalkeeper; one of the best in the world. All this and more is Jan Oblak, who will wear the Slovenian national team jersey for the 60th time in his career on Tuesday night in Belfast. The Škofja Loka man is therefore facing a jubilee performance, which is – clearly – one of his most important so far. Slovenia will try to get a little closer to the Euro 2024 in Northern Ireland and, if successful, Jan Oblak will experience the first major competition of his career.
Jan Oblak, who has been defending Atletico Madrid for many years, has conceded 50 goals in 59 games for Slovenia, keeping the net intact 27 times. He made his debut in Oslo in 2012, when he was thrown into the fire by then-selector Slaviša Stojanović in a qualifying match for the 2014 World Cup. First goalkeeper Samir Handanović was injured and Jan Oblak debuted when he was just 19. Slovenia lost unluckily 1:2, but the youngster gave a performance that was the talk of the town.
Jan Oblak is now the third goalie in the number of games
11 years later, Jan Oblak is about to catch another great Slovenian captain from the past. With his 60th national team appearance, he will be even closer to Robert Koren, who ended his career in the national crest after 62 games. Koren played a key role in Slovenia’s breakthrough at its last major competition, World World Championships 2010, where he also scored the goal that gave the national team its first ever victory in the final tournaments.
When Jan Oblak overtakes Robert Koren, he will also overtake Marko Simeunović and become the second goalkeeper in the number of appearances for the national team. Samir Handanović (81) has the most, although he ended his career in the Slovenian national team much too early.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Euro2024
National Team
#euro2024
#janoblak
#robertkoren
Share