Roberto Punčec

Roberto Punčec (; born 27 October 1991) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Varaždin.

Club career A product of NK Varteks youth academy, Punčec joined the first team in the 2008–09 season and had his professional debut on 2 November 2008 in a league match against Hajduk Split.

After filing for arbitration to Croatian Football Federation his contract with the financially troubled Varaždin was terminated due to unpaid wages, and on 31 August 2011, Punčec signed a two-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

In July 2012, Punčec joined Union Berlin on a season-long loan with the option to buy. Following five years with Union Berlin, in June 2017, Punčec joined Rijeka on a three-year deal as a free-agent.

On 4 December 2019, it was announced Punčec would join Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City ahead of the 2020 season. Following the 2021 season, Punčec's contract option was declined by Kansas City. In February 2022, he signed a contract with Bulgarian club Botev Plovdiv.

International career Punčec has been capped at the Croatia national team at every youth level, and was part of the Croatia squad at the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia, playing in all three of their group stage matches.

Career statistics

Honours

Rijeka Croatian Cup: 2019