Filip Benković, hailing from Croatia and born on the 13th of July in 1997, is best known as a steadfast and competent central defender. Towering at 6ft 4in (1.94m) and weighing in at 12st 3lb (78kg), he has proved an imposing presence in any defensive line.
Benković started his professional football career with Dinamo Zagreb in July 2015. In his debut season of 2015-16, he made 13 appearances, with this increasing to 18 for the 2016-17 season during which he also managed to score twice. Despite not making a single appearance in the 2017-18 season, he still managed to score a goal.
In a move that would bring him to the shores of Great Britain, Benković transferred to Leicester City in August 2018 for a fee in the region of £13m. However, his journey did not end there. In the very same month, he was transferred to Celtic on a season-long loan.
During the 2018-19 season with Celtic, Benković gave a commendable performance, making 20 first team appearances and scoring two goals in league matches. His return to Leicester City in June 2019 on the completion of his loan period was much anticipated.
Benković, however, was back on loan once more in January 2020, this time moving to Bristol City where he made ten appearances and found the net twice in the 2019-20 season. Following this, in July 2020, he returned to Leicester City once again.
In a surprising turn of events, Benković wound up on loan to Cardiff City in October 2020, where he made just a single first team appearance in the 2020-21 season.
After completing a loan spell at Oud-Heverlee Leuven in the Pro League in Belgium, Benković once again returned to Leicester City in June 2021. In January of the following year, he made the move to Italian side Udinese in Serie A where he made two first team appearances in the 2021-22 season.
Continuing his record of loan transfers, Benković moved on loan to Eintracht Braunschweig, playing for the 2. Bundesliga German team in the 2022-23 season, with 19 first-team appearances to his name. Following this, he was loaned to Trabzonspor in Turkey for the 2023-24 season where he made 14 first team appearances, scoring twice.
Seemingly a man of the world, our globetrotting Benković began yet another new chapter in his football career in August 2024, with another transfer rumoured to be in motion.
