Vanja Drkušić

Vanja Drkušić (born 30 October 1999) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Russian Premier League club Zenit Saint Petersburg and the Slovenia national team.

Vanja Drkušić

Drkušić with Zenit in 2025
Personal information
Date of birth	(1999-10-30) 30 October 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth	Novo Mesto, Slovenia[1]
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Zenit Saint Petersburg
Number	6
Youth career
0000–2013	Krka
2014–2015	Krško
2016–2018	Heerenveen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2019	Heerenveen	0	(0)
2019–2020	Rende	0	(0)
2020–2022	Bravo	69	(4)
2022–2024	Sochi	60	(3)
2024–	Zenit Saint Petersburg	11	(0)
2024–2025	→ Red Star Belgrade (loan)	9	(1)
International career‡
2015–2016	Slovenia U17	17	(0)
2017	Slovenia U18	3	(0)
2017	Slovenia U19	5	(1)
2019	Slovenia U21	1	(0)
2023–	Slovenia	20	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 August 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 10 June 2025

Club career

In December 2015, Drkušić joined Dutch top-flight side Heerenveen, after receiving interest from Maribor, Dinamo Zagreb and Atalanta.^[3] In August 2019, he signed for Rende in the Italian third division.^[4] Before the second half of the 2019–20 season, Drkušić signed for Slovenian team Bravo. He made his debut for the team on 23 February 2020 in a 2–1 win against Tabor Sežana.^[5] On 11 July 2020, Drkušić scored his first goal for Bravo in a 1–1 draw with Domžale.^[5]

On 24 January 2022, Drkušić signed for Russian Premier League side Sochi for an alleged fee of €100,000.^[6][7] On 27 August 2022, he extended his contract with Sochi until 2025.^[8]

On 13 August 2024, Drkušić moved to fellow top-tier side Zenit Saint Petersburg, signing a five-year deal with the six-time defending Russian champions.^[9][10] Three days later, Zenit loaned him to Red Star Belgrade for the first part of the 2024–25 season.^[11][12]

International career

Drkušić represented Slovenia at youth international levels from under-17 to under-21. He made his debut for the senior team on 26 March 2023 in a European Championship qualifier against San Marino.^[13]

Career statistics

As of match played 9 August 2025^[5]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Heerenveen	2018–19	Eredivisie	0	0	0	0	—		—		0	0
Rende	2019–20	Serie C	0	0	—		—		1[b]	0	1	0
Bravo	2019–20	Slovenian PrvaLiga	15	1	—		—		—		15	1
	2020–21	Slovenian PrvaLiga	35	1	1	0	—		—		36	1
	2021–22	Slovenian PrvaLiga	19	2	2	0	—		—		21	2
	Total		69	4	3	0	0	0	0	0	72	4
Sochi	2021–22	Russian Premier League	11	0	0	0	—		—		11	0
	2022–23	Russian Premier League	26	1	5	1	—		—		31	2
	2023–24	Russian Premier League	23	2	1	0	—		—		24	2
	Total		60	3	6	1	0	0	0	0	66	4
Zenit Saint Petersburg	2024–25	Russian Premier League	7	0	3	0	—		—		10	0
	2025–26	Russian Premier League	4	0	0	0	—		—		4	0
	Total		11	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	14	0
Red Star Belgrade (loan)	2024–25	Serbian SuperLiga	9	1	1	0	2[c]	0	—		12	1
Career total			149	8	13	1	2	0	1	0	165	9

1. Includes Slovenian Cup, Russian Cup, Serbian Cup
2. Appearance in Coppa Italia Serie C
3. Appearances in UEFA Champions League