Ivan Ljubic

Ivan Ljubić (born 7 July 1996) is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Cypriot First Division club Apollon Limassol.

Club career

Ljubić began his career at First Vienna FC before joining the academy of Austria Wien in 2010. In October 2014, he made his first appearance for the club's reserve team in the Regionalliga.

Ahead of the 2015–16 season, Ljubić signed for SV Horn. He helped the club win the Regionalliga East title that season and secure promotion to professional football. He made his debut in the second tier on matchday five of the 2016–17 season against Floridsdorfer AC, coming on in the 71st minute for Tomislav Jurić.

After Horn were relegated, Ljubić joined Austrian Bundesliga side Sturm Graz ahead of the 2017–18 season, signing a contract until June 2019. He was immediately loaned to second-tier club SC Wiener Neustadt.

For the 2018–19 season, he was loaned to TSV Hartberg. He made his debut in the Austrian Bundesliga in July 2018 against his parent club Sturm Graz, and scored his first top-flight goal in September 2018 in a 2–1 win over SCR Altach. During the winter break of that season, Ljubić was recalled by Sturm. Over the following four and a half years, he made 151 competitive appearances for the club, including 117 in the Bundesliga, and won the ÖFB-Cup in 2023. After the 2022–23 season, he left Graz and joined league rivals LASK on a contract until June 2025. He made 26 Bundesliga appearances for LASK.

Ahead of the 2025–26 season, Ljubić joined Cypriot First Division club Apollon Limassol.

International career Ljubić made his debut for the Austria national under-21 team in September 2018, when he was named in the starting line-up for a UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Armenia.

Personal life Ljubić was born in Vienna, Austria, and is of Croatian descent.

Career statistics

Honours Sturm Graz Austrian Cup: 2022–23