Mateo Bajamich (Croatian: Bajamić, pronounced [matěo bǎjamitɕ];[2][3] born 3 August 1999) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a winger for Primera División side Atlético Tucumán. He can also play as a striker.[4]

Career

Instituto

Bajamich's career started with Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba, joining in 2016 from his local club Unión de Morrison.[5] Ahead of the 2018–19 Primera B Nacional season, Bajamich was promoted to the Instituto first team.[6][7] He made his Instituto debut on 23 February 2019, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 defeat to Nueva Chicago.[8] Bajamich was a late addition to the match day squad after Facundo Affranchino was injured in the pre-match warm up.[9] He had previously been an unused substitute in 2018 for matches with Villa Dálmine and Arsenal de Sarandí.[10][11] Bajamich made his first start in senior football in a 1–0 loss against Guillermo Brown on 3 March 2019.[12] On 21 April, he scored his first professional goal in the final match of the season in a 1–1 draw against Gimnasia y Esgrima (M).[13] Bajamich and Instituto finished the 2018–19 season 22nd in the league table.[14] After the season, he signed a contract with Instituto lasting until 2022.[15]

Bajamich netted four goals in his first five games to start the 2019–20 season, including a brace in a 3–0 win at Brown de Adrogué on 14 September 2019.[12][16] He scored twice again on 9 November in a 2–0 win against Santamarina.[17] On 15 March Bajamich scored once to help La Gloria defeat Tigre 3–0.[12][18] That would end up being the final game of the season for Instituto as the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] Bajamich ended the season with 9 goals and 3 assists from 21 games, helping Instituto finish 9th in group B.[20][21][22]

Houston Dynamo

On 5 October 2020, Bajamich joined the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer.[21] The transfer fee is reportedly $1,200,000, with Instituto receiving 20% of his next sale.[23][24] The contract with Houston lasts until 2022, with the Dynamo having team options until 2025.[21]

Instituto loan

On 9 November 2020, Bajamich was loaned back to Instituto until 21 January 2021, prior to the start of Houston's pre-season.[25] He scored on his first appearance back, netting the opener in a 2–1 victory over Chacarita Juniors on 28 November.[20] He scored again on 27 December in a 1–1 draw against Gimnasia y Esgrima (J).[20] Bajamich made a total of eight appearances on loan, scoring twice, as Instituto lost in the first round of the promotion play-offs to Defensores de Belgrano.[20]

Return to Houston

Bajamich made his Dynamo debut on 15 May 2021, coming off the bench in a 3–1 loss to the Colorado Rapids.[26] He recorded his first assist for the Dynamo on 29 May in a 3–2 loss to Sporting Kansas City.[26] Bajamich ended the season with 1 assist in 9 appearances, as Houston finished last in the Western Conference, missing out on the playoffs.[26][27]

Loan to Huracán

On 28 January 2022, Bajamich was again loaned out by Houston. He returned to Argentina, joining Huracán on loan for the season with Huracán holding a purchase option.[28] Bajamich made his debut for Huracán on 15 February, coming off the bench in a 3–2 loss to Estudiantes de la Plata in a Copa de la Liga Profesional match.[12][29] Bajamich made 9 appearances while with Huracán, all in the Copa de La Liga Profesional.[12][29]

On 7 November 2022, Houston declined Bajamich's contract option for 2023, making him a free agent.[30]

Estudiantes de Río Cuarto

On 16 January 2023, Bajamich signed with Estudiantes de Río Cuarto in Primera Nacional.[31][32][33] He made his debut for Estudiantes (RC) on 11 February, coming off the bench in a 2–0 loss to CA Temperley.[12] On 17 February, Bajamich scored his first goal for el Celeste in a 2–2 draw with San Telmo.[12] He ended the season with 8 goals in 38 appearances to help Estudiantes finish 4th in the league, plus 3 more appearances in the Copa Argentina where they reached the round of 16.[20] [34]

Atlético Tucumán

On 11 January 2024, Bajamich signed with Atlético Tucumán to return to the Primera División.[35] He made his debut for El Decano on 25 January as a sub during a 1–1 draw with Rosario Central in the Copa de la Liga Profesional.[36] His first goal for the club came on 31 March during a 1–1 draw against Independiente in the Copa de la Liga.[36] He scored his first 2 career Primera División goals on 22 September in a 2–4 loss to Belgrano.[36] Bajamich ended the season with 7 goals in 41 games across all competitions.[36][20]

Personal life

Born in Argentina, Bajamich is of Croatian descent.[37] In 1921, his great-grandfather Mariano Bajamich (Croatian: Marin Bajamić) left Trnbusi, Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia) and moved to Argentina where he married a Spaniard named Carmen. Bajamich expressed his desire to play for the Croatia national team. In 2020, he received the Croatian citizenship.[38]

Career statistics

As of 2 February 2025[20][39][40]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Instituto 2018–19 Primera B Nacional 7 1 0 0 — — 7 1
2019–20 21 9 1 0 — — 22 9
Total 28 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 29 10
Houston Dynamo 2020 Major League Soccer 0 0 — — — 0 0
2021 9 0 — — — 9 0
Total 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0
Instituto (loan) 2020 Primera Nacional 8 2 — — — 8 2
Huracán (loan) 2022 Primera División 0 0 0 0 9 0 — 9 0
Estudiantes (RC) 2023 Primera Nacional 38 8 3 0 — — 41 8
Atlético Tucumán 2024 Primera División 27 3 1 1 13 3 — 41 7
2025 2 0 0 0 — — 2 0
Total 29 3 1 0 13 3 0 0 43 7
Career total 112 23 5 1 22 3 0 0 139 27
  1. ^ Includes Copa Argentina and US Open Cup
  2. ^ Includes MLS Cup Playoffs and Copa de la Liga Profesional

References

  1. ^ a b "Mateo Bajamich". World Football. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Màtej". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Croatian). Retrieved 15 June 2020. Matèo
  3. ^ "bàjam". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Croatian). Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  4. ^ "Dynamo see new signing Mateo Bajamich as "a contributor for down the road"". SBI Soccer. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  5. ^ "Bajamich, el único "pibe" que subió Franco en Instituto". Mundo D - La Voz. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  6. ^ "Cómo le fue a Bajamich, el "9" que debutó en Instituto". Mundo D (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  7. ^ Luna, Juan Pablo. "La ficha técnica del plantel temporada 2018 / 2019". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Instituto vs. Nueva Chicago - 23 February 2019 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  9. ^ Luna, Juan Pablo. "Mateo Bajamich: "Estoy muy feliz"". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  10. ^ Luna, Juan Pablo. "Caída en Campana". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  11. ^ Luna, Juan Pablo. "Los viajeros a Sarandí". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g "Argentina - M. Bajamich - Matches - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  13. ^ Luna, Juan Pablo. "Empate en Alta Córdoba". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Summary - Primera Nacional - Argentina - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Instituto se aseguró a Mateo Bajamich hasta 2022". Mundo D (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  16. ^ "Triunfazo de La Gloria". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  17. ^ "¡Victoria! Instituto le ganó a Santamarina". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  18. ^ "Goleada ante Tigre". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  19. ^ "El comunicado completo de la AFA con las decisiones por el coronavirus - TyC Sports". www.tycsports.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g "Mateo Bajamich". Soccerway.
  21. ^ a b c "Dynamo sign winger Mateo Bajamich on full transfer from Instituto AC". Houston Dynamo. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  22. ^ "Summary - Primera Nacional - Argentina - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  23. ^ "Ya es oficial: Mateo Bajamich jugará en la MLS". Mundo D (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  24. ^ "Gracias Mateo Bajamich". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  25. ^ Bogert, Tom (9 November 2020). "Houston Dynamo loan forward Mateo Bajamich back to Argentina until preseason". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  26. ^ a b c "Mateo Bajamich 2021 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  28. ^ "Houston Dynamo FC loan Mateo Bajamich to Club Atlético Huracán". Houston Dynamo FC. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  29. ^ a b "Mateo Bajamich-Jogos Realizados-Resumo da Temporada-2022". oGol (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  30. ^ "Dynamo roster decisions open as many as 10 roster spots for the 2023 season". Houston Dynamo FC. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  31. ^ @EstudiantesRio4 (17 January 2023). "⚽Plantel Profesional MATEO BAJAMICH es nuevo refuerzo de #AAE! El jugador se sumará a la pretemporada 2023 junto al resto del equipo. Lo que viene será increíble, y nos preparamos para dar pelea #Juntos" (Tweet) (in Spanish) – via Twitter.
  32. ^ "Así juega Mateo Bajamich, el nuevo refuerzo de Estudiantes". Fútbol CBA (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  33. ^ Spontón, Juan Manuel (16 January 2023). "Bajamich es un León mas". Mundo Ascenso (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  34. ^ "Argentina Primera Nacional 2023". Soccerway. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  35. ^ "Bajamich ya es Decano: así juega el nuevo delantero de Atlético Tucumán". El Tucumano (in Spanish). 12 January 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  36. ^ a b c d "Mateo Bajamich 2024 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 2 February 2025.
  37. ^ "Croatia hone in on[sic] talented 20-year-old Argentine-Croat". Croatia Week. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  38. ^ "Sportske novosti - DOMOVNICA JE TU! VELIKI ARGENTINSKI TALENT DOBIO HRVATSKO DRŽAVLJANSTVO, A ZA SN PRVI PUT OTKRIVA NAJLJEPŠU PRIČU 'Od srca želim igrati za Hrvatsku!'". sportske.jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). 1 March 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  39. ^ "Mateo Bajamich". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  40. ^ "Mateo Bajamich Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mateo_Bajamich
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