Lazar Samardžić

Early life Born in Berlin to Serb immigrant parents, father Mladen and mother Ana, Samardžić grew up a fan of Red Star Belgrade with two younger brothers, Luka and Tadija.

The youngster started pursuing organized football at the age of six, in 2008, in the BSV Grün-Weiss Neukölln 1950 e.V. youth system.

Club career Hertha BSC Youth Samardžić joined Hertha BSC on 9 October 2009. Samardžić played for the U17 and U19 teams of Hertha BSC in the Under 17 and Under 19 Bundesliga, scoring 16 and 14 goals respectively. Samardžić won the bronze award of the Fritz Walter Medal in the U17 group.

First team Samardžić was announced to have signed a professional contract, and first appeared as an unused substitute for the professional team in a 3–3 away draw against Fortuna Düsseldorf on 28 February 2020.

Samardžić made his debut for Hertha BSC in the Bundesliga on 22 May 2020, coming on as a substitute for Per Ciljan Skjelbred in the 81st minute of the Berlin derby against Union Berlin, which finished as a 4–0 win. Samardzic is considered one of Germany's most talented prospects and he has attracted serious interest from elite clubs around the world, such as Chelsea, Barcelona and Juventus.

RB Leipzig On 8 September 2020, Samardžić joined fellow Bundesliga side RB Leipzig on a five-year deal. He made his RB Leipzig debut on 3 October, coming off the bench in a 4–0 win against FC Schalke 04.

Udinese Ahead of the 2021–22 season, 19-year-old Samardžić moved to Serie A club Udinese. He signed a five-year contract.

Atalanta On 18 August 2024, Samardžić joined fellow Serie A side Atalanta on loan, with an obligation to make the transfer permanent under certain conditions. Later that year, on 26 November, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 6–1 away victory over Young Boys.

International career Samardžić played for Berlin at the Under-15 level and Germany at the Under-17 and Under-19 levels. He first appeared internationally and played two matches in the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification against Belarus and Slovenia. He then played in all three matches of the group stage of the tournament, scoring once, but the team failed to progress to the knockout stage. For the U-19 level, he played in the 2020 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification, scoring twice. He subsequently received his first official call-up to the Serbian senior national team the following month, being included in the list for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Lithuania and Montenegro.

On 25 March 2023, Samardžić made his debut for Serbia in a 2–0 win over Lithuania in Belgrade.

Samardžić was selected in Serbia's squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. He played in group stage matches against Slovenia and Denmark. Serbia finished fourth in the group.

Personal life Hailing from the village of Tupković Gornji near Živinice, Samardžić's Bosnian Serb father Mladen, whose family roots are from Krivošije near Kotor in Montenegro, also pursued football in his youth though never rose to professional ranks. Upon immigrating to Germany and settling in Berlin, Mladen Samardžić was active as an administrator in Berlin-based FK Srbija, a community football club for Serb immigrants.

While playing in Hertha, Samardžić began dating Sila Enisa, German-born model of Turkish descent. After getting engaged during a summer 2025 vacation in Ibiza, the couple got married in July 2026 in a Serbian Orthodox Church ceremony in Italy.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Serbia's goal tally first.

+ List of international goals scored by Lazar Samardžić No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 20 March 2025 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 1–1 1–1 2024–25 UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation play-offs

Honours RB Leipzig DFB-Pokal runner up: 2020–21

Individual Fritz Walter Medal U17 Bronze: 2019