Darko Churlinov (Macedonian: Дарко Чурлинов; born 11 July 2000) is a Macedonian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Süper Lig club Kocaelispor and the North Macedonia national team.
 Churlinov in 2025 with Jagiellonia Białystok | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name |
Darko Churlinov Дарко Чурлинов | ||
| Date of birth | 11 July 2000 | ||
| Place of birth | Skopje, Macedonia | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Kocaelispor | ||
| Number | 17 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2010 | FK Forca | ||
| 2010–2012 | FK Rabotnički | ||
| 2012–2014 | FK Vardar | ||
| 2014–2015 | Hansa Rostock | ||
| 2015–2016 | 1. FC Magdeburg | ||
| 2016–2018 | 1. FC Köln | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2019 | 1. FC Köln II | 10 | (7) |
| 2019 | 1. FC Köln | 1 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | VfB Stuttgart | 21 | (1) |
| 2020 | VfB Stuttgart II | 1 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | → Schalke 04 (loan) | 22 | (2) |
| 2022–2025 | Burnley | 7 | (0) |
| 2024 | → Schalke 04 (loan) | 10 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | → Jagiellonia Białystok (loan) | 26 | (5) |
| 2025– | Kocaelispor | 12 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015 | Macedonia U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Macedonia U19 | 14 | (3) |
| 2018–2021 | North Macedonia U21 | 16 | (5) |
| 2017– | North Macedonia | 33 | (4) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22:53, 18 January 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19:57, 11 June 2025 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editEarly career
editChurlinov was born and raised in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, where he also started playing football with local FK Forca. Subsequently, he went through the youth ranks of FK Rabotnički and FK Vardar until he was 14 years old. He moved to Germany and joined the youth setup of Hansa Rostock, where his friend and fellow Macedonian footballer Dimitar Mitrovski was already playing in the youth teams. Mitrovski had asked the club officials to sign Churlinov as he would like to have a fellow Macedonian as a teammate.[1] He finished his youth career at 1. FC Köln.
1. FC Köln
editChurlinov started to play for the second team of 1. FC Köln before being promoted to the first team, where he made his debut on 17 August 2019 against VfL Wolfsburg, being subbed on in replacement of Florian Kainz in the 70th minute.[2] He remained on the bench for the rest of his stint with Köln.
VfB Stuttgart
editOn 8 January 2020, Churlinov joined VfB Stuttgart on a four-year deal.[3] He made his debut with Stuttgart on 22 February 2020 against SSV Jahn Regensburg, being subbed on in replacement of Silas Katompa in the 71st minute, creating a goal-scoring opportunity.[4] He featured primarily as a substitute throughout the rest of his career with Stuttgart.
Loan to Schalke 04
editOn 18 August 2021, Churlinov joined Schalke 04 on a loan deal until the end of the season.[5] He made his debut with Schalke 04 on 21 August 2021 against SSV Jahn Regensburg, being subbed on for Reinhold Ranftl in the 62nd minute, providing an assist to Simon Terodde's goal in the 81st minute.[6]
Burnley
editOn 19 August 2022, Churlinov joined Burnley on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[7] He made his debut with Burnley the next day against Blackpool F.C., where he was subbed on for Vitinho in the 71st minute.[8] On June 1, 2023, he was hospitalized with suspected blood poisoning in Serbia, causing him to miss play for a month in domestic and international play.[9]
Loan to Schalke 04
editOn 23 January 2024, Churlinov returned to Schalke 04 again on loan until the end of the season, with the club having an option to make the move permanent.[10]
On 21 May 2024, Burnley said the player would return after the loan ended.[11]
Loan to Jagiellonia
editOn 7 August 2024, Churlinov joined Polish Ekstraklasa champions Jagiellonia Białystok on a season-long loan.[12]
Kocaelispor
editOn 1 September 2025, Churlinov moved to Süper Lig club Kocaelispor.[13]
International career
editOn 28 March 2017, at the age of 16 years and 8 months, Churlinov made his debut for the Macedonia national team in a friendly match against Belarus, becoming the youngest player who has ever played for Macedonia's national team.[14] Churlinov scored his first international goal on 4 June 2021, in a friendly match against Kazakhstan.[15]
Career statistics
editClub
edit- As of match played 24 May 2025[16]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| 1. FC Köln II | 2018–19 | Regionalliga West | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2019–20 | Regionalliga West | 9 | 7 | — | — | — | 9 | 7 | ||||
| Total | 10 | 7 | — | — | — | 10 | 7 | |||||
| 1. FC Köln | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| VfB Stuttgart II | 2019–20 | Oberliga Baden-Württ. | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| VfB Stuttgart | 2019–20 | 2. Bundesliga | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | |||
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 1 | |||
| Total | 21 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 25 | 3 | ||||
| Schalke 04 (loan) | 2021–22 | 2. Bundesliga | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 2 | ||
| Burnley | 2022–23 | Championship | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |
| Schalke 04 (loan) | 2023–24 | 2. Bundesliga | 10 | 1 | — | — | — | 10 | 1 | |||
| Jagiellonia Białystok (loan) | 2024–25 | Ekstraklasa | 26 | 5 | 2 | 0 | — | 15[c] | 2 | 43 | 7 | |
| Career total | 98 | 16 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 126 | 20 | ||
- ↑ Includes DFB-Pokal, FA Cup, Polish Cup
- ↑ Includes EFL Cup
- ↑ Two appearances in UEFA Europa League, twelve appearances and two goals in UEFA Conference League, one appearance in Polish Super Cup
International
edit| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Macedonia | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 4 | |
Scores and results list North Macedonia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Čurlinov goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 June 2021 | Toše Proeski Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia |  Kazakhstan | 4–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 8 October 2021 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein |  Liechtenstein | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 12 June 2022 | Toše Proeski Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia |  Gibraltar | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C |
| 4 | 23 March 2023 |  Malta | 2–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | |
| 5 | 7 September 2025 | Liechtenstein | 3–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
editSchalke 04
Burnley
Jagiellonia Białystok
References
edit- ↑ "Talent mit Kämpferherz" [A Talent With a Fighter`s Heart] (in German). vfb.de. 11 July 2020. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021.
- ↑ "Macedonian internationals performances (16-19.08.2019)". macedonianfootball.com. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ↑ "VfB sign Darko Churlinov". vfb.de. VfB Stuttgart. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ↑ Hinrichsen, Heiko (23 February 2020). "Darko Churlinov und Lilian Egloff schnuppern Zweitligaluft". stuttgarter-nachrichten.de (in German). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ↑ "Darko Churlinov joins FC Schalke 04 on a season-long loan". Schalke 04. 18 August 2021.
- ↑ "Macedonian internationals performances (20.08-23.08.2021)". macedonianfootball.com. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ↑ "Churlinov is a Claret". Burnley Football Club. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
- ↑ K., F. (20 August 2022). "Churlinov made his debut for Burnley in a tense game with six goals". Sloboden Pečat. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ↑ Scrafton, Matt (19 June 2023). "'Toughest month in my life': Burnley's Darko Churlinov provides positive update on his health scare". Burnley Express. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ↑ "Darko Churlinov returns to FC Schalke 04". Schalke 04. 23 January 2024.
- ↑ "CLUB CONFIRM RETAINED LIST | BurnleyFC". www.burnleyfootballclub.com. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ↑ "Darko Churlinov piłkarzem Jagiellonii" (in Polish). Jagiellonia Białystok. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
- ↑ "Churlinov leaves for Turkish side Kocaelispor". bbc.com. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- ↑ "Момент за историја: Дарко Чурлинов стана најмладиот дебитант во сениорската селекција!" [Moment for history: Darko Churlinov became the youngest debutant in the senior selection!]. gol.mk (in Macedonian). 28 March 2017.
- ↑ "North Macedonia vs. Kazakhstan Match Report – Friday June 4, 2021". fbref.com. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ↑ "Darko Churlinov » Club matches". World Football. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ↑ Darko Churlinov at National-Football-Teams.com
- ↑ "Darko Churlinov". EU football.info.
- ↑ Long, Dan (25 April 2023). "Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Burnley: Vincent Kompany's Clarets clinch Championship title after Manuel Benson stunner". Sky Sports. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ↑ Włosek, Mateusz (2 April 2025). "Superpuchar Polski dla Jagiellonii Białystok. Antyrekord na Stadionie Narodowym". sport.tvp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 4 April 2025.
External links
edit- Darko Churlinov at Football Federation of Macedonia
- Darko Churlinov at Soccerway