Ajdin Hrustic

1.1. Childhood and youth training

Hrustic began his youth football career at an early age. From 2004 to 2007, he played for Heatherton United. He then moved to South Melbourne, where he played from 2007 to 2009. Following this, he spent a year at Sandringham SC from 2009 to 2010. His development continued in Europe when he joined the youth academy of English club Nottingham Forest from 2010 to 2011. He subsequently played for Austria Wien in Austria from 2011 to 2012, and then for German powerhouse Schalke 04 from 2012 to 2014. His final youth stint was with FC Groningen in the Netherlands, where he played from 2014 to 2015 before signing his first professional contract with the club.

2.1. FC Groningen

In June 2015, Hrustic signed a three-year professional contract with FC Groningen, marking his entry into senior club football. He made his competitive debut for the club on 2 April 2017, coming on as a substitute for Alexander Sørloth in the 70th minute of a match against AZ Alkmaar, which ended in a draw. Two weeks later, on 17 April 2017, Hrustic scored his first professional goal for Groningen, contributing to a 5-1 victory over PEC Zwolle with a long-range shot. During his time at Groningen, he steadily increased his appearances and contributions, becoming a notable attacking presence for the team. He also played for Jong Groningen, the reserve team, in the Beloften Eredivisie and Derde Divisie.

2.2. Eintracht Frankfurt

On 28 September 2020, Hrustic transferred to German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, signing a contract until 2023 and being assigned the No. 7 jersey. He made his debut for the club on 19 December 2020, coming off the bench for Aymen Barkok in a 2-0 win against FC Augsburg. Hrustic scored his first goal for Eintracht Frankfurt on 9 May 2021 against Mainz 05, with an improvised finish that saw him chip the ball over goalkeeper Robin Zentner.

A highlight of his tenure at Frankfurt came on 18 May 2022, when he became the first Australian player in history to win the UEFA Europa League. Eintracht Frankfurt triumphed over Scottish opponents Rangers in the 2022 final, winning 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out after the match ended 1-1 after extra time. Hrustic successfully converted his team's second penalty in the shootout, securing the historic win. This achievement also made him the first Australian since Harry Kewell in 2005 to win a major UEFA club competition.

2.3. Hellas Verona

On 1 September 2022, Hrustic signed a four-year contract with Italian club Hellas Verona. He made his debut on 11 September 2022 in a 2-0 loss to Lazio. However, his time at Verona was significantly impacted by injuries. On 16 October 2022, he injured his ankle during a 2-1 loss to AC Milan, an injury that kept him off the pitch for the remainder of the year.

Despite his injury, Hrustic was able to participate in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Upon his return to club football, he made one appearance off the bench against Torino on 4 January 2023. However, he subsequently underwent surgery on his ankle on 24 January 2023, which caused him to miss the rest of Verona's season. Although he recovered in time to be named on the bench for the final three games of the season, his playing time remained severely limited. Hrustic later described his time at Verona as difficult, stating that he felt "left alone" and struggled, expressing a strong desire to return to the Eredivisie when the opportunity arose.

During the pre-season of the 2023-24 season, Hrustic was informed by Hellas Verona that they wished to move him on, citing his salary as a reason. Hrustic initially believed this was a bluff, stating, "I did think they were bluffing, to be honest." Despite playing in Verona's pre-season fixtures, he was ultimately not registered for the upcoming season, leading to a five-month period of inactivity in club football.

2.4. Salernitana

On 30 August 2024, Hrustic made another move in Italy, joining Salernitana in Serie B. He signed a one-season contract that includes a conditional performance-based automatic renewal option, indicating his commitment to contribute to the club's future.

3.1. Youth national teams

For several years after moving to Europe, Hrustic had not been involved with Football Australia. However, his talent eventually caught the attention of the national setup. In March 2017, he was called up to an Australian under-23 development squad, marking his first involvement with Football Australia in a considerable period. At one point, the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina contacted him in May 2017 regarding a call-up to their U-21 national team, but Hrustic ultimately rejected the offer, expressing his strong desire to represent the Socceroos.

3.2. Senior national team

Hrustic's progression to the senior national team was swift. On 22 May 2017, he was named in the Australian national side's 30-man preliminary squad for a series of important matches in June, including the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, a friendly against Brazil, and a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia. He was subsequently retained in the final 23-man squad. Hrustic made his Socceroos debut on 13 June 2017, coming on as a 57th-minute substitute in a friendly match against Brazil, which Australia lost 4-0.

His first goal for Australia came on 3 June 2021, during the second round of World Cup qualifying. He scored from a free-kick from over 98 ft ^{(30 m)} out against Kuwait, bending the ball off the inside of the post to secure a 3-0 win. His second international goal also originated from a free-kick, bouncing off the crossbar and into the goal against Japan in 2021.

Hrustic scored a crucial third goal in Australia's cut-throat fourth round qualifying match against the United Arab Emirates on 7 June 2022. His sweetly struck volley, which deflected off a UAE defender in the dying minutes, secured a 2-1 victory for Australia and passage to the intercontinental play-off round against Peru. Against Peru, Hrustic had one of Australia's best opportunities during regular play when he misfired a shot from the edge of the box. However, he successfully converted the fourth penalty for Australia in the subsequent penalty shoot-out, helping them beat Peru 5-4 and qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Despite suffering an ankle injury while playing for Hellas Verona that made his participation doubtful, Hrustic was included in Australia's squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He was substituted on in Australia's final three matches of the tournament as the Socceroos were ultimately knocked out by Argentina in the Round of 16.

Following a 2-0 friendly loss against Argentina on 15 June 2023, Hrustic missed out on the next four Australia squads, including the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, primarily due to his lack of playing time at club level. He made his return to the national team on 21 March 2024, appearing against Lebanon in the second round of World Cup qualifying. His fourth international goal came on 6 June 2024, against Bangladesh in a 2-0 win, with a long shot that deflected into the goal.

6.1. Club

6.2. International

Hrustic's international statistics for the Australia national team are as follows:

Australia's goal tally is listed first, and the score column indicates the score after each Hrustic goal.