Wikipedia

Stipe Perica

Stipe Perica (Croatian pronunciation: [stǐːpe pêritsa];[2][3] born 7 July 1995) is a Croatian footballer who plays as a striker for Uzbekistan Super League club Neftchi Fergana.

Stipe Perica
Personal information
Full name Stipe Perica[1]
Date of birth (1995-07-07) 7 July 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth Zadar, Croatia
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position Striker
Team information
Current team
 Neftchi Fergana
Number 18
Youth career
2005–2012 Zadar
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Zadar 20 (8)
2013–2016 Chelsea 0 (0)
2013–2015 → NAC (loan) 35 (9)
2015–2016 → Udinese (loan) 20 (3)
2016–2020 Udinese 49 (7)
2018 → Frosinone (loan) 7 (0)
2019 → Kasımpaşa (loan) 12 (2)
2019–2020 → Mouscron (loan) 15 (7)
2020–2021 Watford 16 (1)
2021–2022 Maccabi Tel Aviv 35 (17)
2022–2024 Standard Liège 29 (4)
2024–2025 Rijeka 6 (0)
2025–2026 Dinamo București 32 (8)
2026– Neftchi Fergana 4 (4)
International career
2013 Croatia U19 2 (0)
2013 Croatia U20 5 (1)
2013–2016 Croatia U21 12 (8)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20 March 2026

Club career

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Early career

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Perica started his playing career in his home-country of Croatia with Zadar in 2012. He made his debut for the first team during the month of September 2012.[4] In his first season, he scored 8 goals in 20 league matches, and 10 goals in all competitions.

Chelsea

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On 1 August 2013, Perica signed for Chelsea with a transfer fee of €2.5m.[5] After his arrival at Chelsea, the club loaned Perica out to Dutch club NAC Breda.[6]

Loan to NAC Breda

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On his NAC Breda debut he scored his first goal in a 1–5 victory away to Roda JC, having come on as a substitute.[7] A few weeks later he scored the winning goal for 2–1 against Heracles Almelo in his fourth appearance.[8] On 16 February 2014, he was sent-off just 4 minutes after being substituted on in the match against Feyenoord.[9]

In August 2014, his loan deal was extended for the 2014–15 season.[10] However, after the sacking of Breda's manager Nebojša Gudelj, his role was reduced to a bit-part player and he requested a move in search for more game time. On 22 January 2015, his loan with NAC Breda ended and Chelsea loaned him out to Udinese until June 2016.[11][12]

Udinese

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On 8 February 2015 against Napoli, Perica made his debut for Udinese, coming off the bench in the 78th minute for Bruno Fernandes.[13] On 4 April 2015, Perica made his first start for Udinese in a match against Genoa that ended in a 1–1 draw.[14] On 17 May, Perica scored the opener (his first for Udinese) against A.S. Roma, the match ended in a 1–2 loss for Udinese.[15]

On 3 June 2015, Udinese extended Perica's loan deal for one and a half years.[16] On 20 December 2015, Perica scored his first goal of the 2015–16 Serie A campaign in a 1–0 away victory over Torino, therefore scoring the winning goal in the 41st minute.[17]

On 15 June 2016, Udinese activated a clause in Perica's contract, in which he would join the Italian side on a permanent basis.[18]

Loans to Frosinone, Kasımpaşa and Mouscron

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On 18 July 2018, Perica was loaned to newly promoted Serie A club Frosinone for a season.[19] In January, he was recalled from Udinese to join Kasımpaşa after falling down the pecking order.[20]

On 23 August 2019, Perica joined Belgian First Division A club Mouscron on loan until 30 June 2020.[21]

Watford

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On 7 September 2020, Perica joined EFL Championship club Watford from Udinese on a 2-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[22]

He made his Watford debut in an EFL Cup tie against Oxford United on 15 September 2020. The game went to a penalty shootout and Perica converted his effort as Watford won.[23] In the following round against Newport County, Perica was sent off for violent conduct as Watford lost 3–1.[24] He scored his first goal for Watford in a 1–1 draw with Bournemouth on 24 October 2020.[25]

Maccabi Tel Aviv

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On 14 August 2021, Perica signed for Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv.[26] On 14 September 2021, Perica scored the first goal of the new UEFA Europa Conference League.[27]

Standard Liège

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Perica was acquired by Belgian First Division A club Standard Liège on 2 September 2022, for 900k euros, a few days after he fled Israel in flight without the club's permission.[28] He made his club doubt in a 2-0 home win against K.V. Kortrijk, when he entered the game as a substitute in the 80th minute.

Rijeka

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Perica signed for Rijeka as a free agent on 4 September 2024.[29]

International career

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Perica represented Croatia at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2013. He was Croatia's youngest player, aged 17, and scored in a 2–1 win over New Zealand on 29 June.[30]

Career statistics

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As of match played 23 January 2026[31][32]
Appearances by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Zadar 2012–13 Prva HNL 20842——2410
NAC Breda (loan) 2013–14 Eredivisie 25610——266
2014–15 Eredivisie 10310——113
Total 35920——379
Udinese (loan) 2014–15 Serie A 91———91
2015–16 Serie A 11221——133
Udinese 2016–17 Serie A 27600——276
2017–18 Serie A 22100——221
Total 691021——7111
Frosinone (loan) 2018–19 Serie A 7010——80
Kasımpaşa (loan) 2018–19 Süper Lig 12220——142
Mouscron (loan) 2019–20 Belgian First Division A 15711——168
Watford 2020–21 Championship 16100—2[b]0181
Maccabi Tel Aviv 2021–22 Israeli Premier League 3415408[c]2004617
2022–23 Israeli Premier League 12—4[c]11[d]063
Total 351740123105220
Standard Liège 2022–23 Belgian Pro League 23420—4[e]0294
2023–24 Belgian Pro League 6012—2[e]092
Total 29432—60386
Rijeka 2024–25 HNL 6020——80
Dinamo București 2024–25 Liga I 166———166
2025–26 Liga I 16220——182
Total 32820——348
Neftchi Fergana 2026 Uzbekistan Super League 0000000000
Career total 276662361239032075
  1. ↑ Includes Croatian Cup, KNVB Cup, Coppa Italia, Turkish Cup, Belgian Cup
  2. ↑ Appearances in EFL Cup
  3. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Conference League
  4. ↑ Appearances in Toto Cup
  5. 1 2 Appearances in Belgian Pro League European play-offs

References

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  1. ↑ "Notification of shirt numbers: Watford" (PDF). English Football League. p. 73. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  2. ↑ "Stjȅpān". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 19 March 2018. Stípe
  3. ↑ "Pètar". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 19 March 2018. Pȅrica
  4. ↑ "Stipe Perica Chelsea Profile". Chelsea Official Site.
  5. ↑ "Stipe Perica signs". Chelsea F.C. 1 August 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ↑ "NAC zonder Chelsea-huurling Perica naar Kuip". FC Update (in Dutch). 23 August 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Roda JC vs. NAC Breda 1 - 5". Soccerway AU. 15 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Perica: ben gelukkig bij NAC" (in Dutch). NOS. 5 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  9. ↑ "NAC Breda v.s. Feyeboord 1 - 1". Soccerway AU. 16 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "NAC Breda boss Nebojsa Gudelj pleased with Stipe Perica loan deal". Sky Sports. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Stipe Perica on loan at Udinese". hns-cff.hr. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  12. ↑ "Perica op weg naar Italië na afscheid van NAC Breda" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "Napoli vs. Udinese". Soccerway. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "Genoa vs. Udinese". Soccerway. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  15. ↑ "Roma remain in control of the race for Italy's second automatic Champions League place after fighting back to beat Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico". BBC Sport. 17 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Stipe Perica will play the next 18 months on loan in Italy at Udinese". Chelsea FC. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  17. ↑ "Torino vs. Udinese - 20 December 2015". Soccerway. 20 December 2015.
  18. ↑ "Perica redeemed by Chelsea FC". Udinese Calcio. 15 June 2016. Archived from the original on 19 June 2016.
  19. ↑ "Perica on loan to Frosinone". Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  20. ↑ "Stipe Perica Kasımpaşamızda" (in Turkish). Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  21. ↑ "UFFICIALE: Udinese, Perica in prestito al Mouscron - TUTTOmercatoWEB.com". www.tuttomercatoweb.com. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  22. ↑ "Stipe Perica: Watford sign Croatian striker from Udinese". BBC Sport. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  23. ↑ "Watford beat Oxford United on penalties in Carabao Cup". watfordobserver.co.uk. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  24. ↑ "Newport 3-1 Watford". BBC. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  25. ↑ "Watford 1-1 Bournemouth". BBC. 24 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  26. ↑ Gray, Ryan (14 August 2021). "Watford striker Stipe Perica joins Maccabi Tel Aviv". watfordobserver.co.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  27. ↑ "Who scored the first goals in UEFA's competitions?". UEFA. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  28. ↑ "Maccabi agree Perica sale". 2 September 2022.
  29. ↑ "Stipe Perica novi igrač HNK Rijeka". HNK Rijeka. 4 September 2024.
  30. ↑ "Croatia finish top, Kiwis exit". FIFA. 29 June 2013. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013.
  31. ↑ "Stipe Perica". Soccerbase. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  32. ↑ "Stipe Perica". Soccerway. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
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