Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 6 April 1999 | ||
Place of birth | Krško, Slovenia | ||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1] | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Aberdeen | ||
Number | 19 | ||
Youth career | |||
2007–2016 | Krško[2] | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016–2020 | Krško | 55 | (5) |
2020–2021 | Brežice 1919 | 11 | (6) |
2021–2022 | Celje | 44 | (9) |
2022–2023 | Radomlje | 30 | (10) |
2023– | Aberdeen | 14 | (0) |
International career | |||
2016 | Slovenia U17 | 3 | (0) |
2017 | Slovenia U18 | 7 | (1) |
2017 | Slovenia U19 | 2 | (0) |
2019 | Slovenia U21 | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:55, 2 January 2024 (UTC) |
Ester Sokler (born 6 April 1999) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays for Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen as a striker.
Club career
Born in Krško,[3] Sokler started his playing career at the age of six, at the football school Nogobikci, before joining the youth sector of his hometown club Krško.[2] He came through the club's youth ranks, as he won the under-13 and under-15 national championship in 2012 and 2014, respectively.[2]
Having been promoted to the senior squad in 2016, aged 17,[2] Sokler made his Slovenian PrvaLiga debut on 26 November 2016, in a 4–0 defeat against Maribor.[4]
In July 2020, Sokler joined Slovenian Second League side Brežice 1919,[5] where he spent six months,[6] before returning to PrvaLiga in December 2020, having signed a contract with Celje until 2023.[7][8]
After two seasons at Celje,[6] Sokler joined fellow Slovenian top-tier club Radomlje on a permanent deal in July 2022.[3][9] He scored 10 goals in 31 games in his first season with Radomlje,[6] as they finished seventh in the league.[10]
On 16 June 2023, Sokler joined Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year deal.[6][10][11]
International career
Sokler was a Slovenian youth international,[12] and earned one cap for the under-21 national team in 2019.[1]
Personal life
Sokler hails from the small village of Brestanica, near Krško.[2] He cited Wayne Rooney as his football idol while growing up.[2]
In 2023, he claimed that he has often been mistaken for a woman, as Ester is actually a female given name in many countries, including Slovenia itself.[13] According to him, his parents likely chose to name him after Mi2's 1998 song "Moja teta Estera".[13]
Career statistics
Club | Season | League | National cup[lower-alpha 1] | League cup[lower-alpha 2] | Continental | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Krško | 2016–17 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
2017–18 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
2018–19 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | ||||
2019–20 | Slovenian Second League | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 4 | |||
Total | 55 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 5 | ||
Brežice 1919 | 2020–21 | Slovenian Second League | 11 | 6 | 1 | 3 | — | — | 12 | 9 | ||
Celje | 2020–21 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 14 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 3 | ||
2021–22 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 32 | 7 | ||||
Total | 44 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 10 | ||
Radomlje | 2022–23 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 30 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 10 | ||
Aberdeen | 2023–24[16] | Scottish Premiership | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7[lower-alpha 3] | 1 | 25 | 2 |
Career total | 154 | 30 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 176 | 36 |
- ↑ Includes Slovenian Football Cup
- ↑ Includes Scottish League Cup
- ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Europa League, five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
References
- 1 2 Evans, Anthony (13 June 2023). "Ester Sokler profiled as Slovenian striker close to agreeing Aberdeen switch". aberdeenlive.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ester Sokler: Potrkal je na vrata prve lige". Posavski obzornik (in Slovenian). 12 December 2020. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- 1 2 T. J. (14 July 2022). "Sokler iz Celja v Radomlje, Domžale okrepil prvi strelec hrvaške 2. lige" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ↑ "Ester Sokler » PrvaLiga 2016/2017". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ↑ "Naš napadalec Ester Sokler". NK Brežice 1919 (in Slovenian). 5 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 "Ester Sokler: Aberdeen sign striker from Slovenian club Radomlje". BBC Sport. 16 June 2023. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ↑ "Ester Sokler ne gre v Olimpijo, podpisal je pogodbo z drugim klubom" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. 25 December 2020. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ↑ "Ester Sokler je novi nogometaš Celja!". NK Celje (in Slovenian). 25 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ↑ "Radomljani imajo novo okrepitev v konici napada". NK Radomlje (in Slovenian). 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- 1 2 Copeland, Robbie (16 June 2023). "Ester Sokler completes Aberdeen transfer as he pens three year deal". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- ↑ "Dons Bolster Attacking Options with Sokler Signature". Aberdeen FC. 16 June 2023. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ↑ "Ester Sokler". Football Association of Slovenia (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
- 1 2 Nejedly, Gorazd (3 May 2023). "Odlični slovenski strelec dobil ime po znani pesmi". Slovenske novice (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
- ↑ "Slovenia – E. Sokler – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ↑ "Ester Sokler – Nogometna zveza Slovenije". Football Association of Slovenia (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ↑ "Games played by Ester Sokler in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 October 2023.