1. Early Life and Career Beginnings
Aleksandar Trajkovski was born on September 5, 1992, in Skopje, North Macedonia. He began his football journey in the youth academy of local club FK Cementarnica 55. In 2009, he made his professional debut for Cementarnica 55's senior team, where he played 11 matches and scored two goals.
In May 2010, Trajkovski underwent a trial with English club Chelsea, during which he scored the winning goal against Botafogo at the U-19 Copa Amsterdam tournament, helping Chelsea secure a spot in the semi-finals. Later that summer, he transferred to Croatian club NK Inter Zaprešić. During the 2010-11 season, Trajkovski made 15 appearances and scored four goals for Inter Zaprešić, contributing to the team's fifth-place finish in the league. His strong performances drew interest from Dinamo Zagreb, but Trajkovski expressed disinterest in a potential move. At the end of the season, R.S.C. Anderlecht also made an offer of €500.00 K EUR for his transfer, which was rejected by Inter Zaprešić. However, Inter Zaprešić later accepted an offer of €1.10 M EUR from Belgian club Zulte Waregem, leading to Trajkovski's move for the 2011-12 season.
2. Club Career
Aleksandar Trajkovski's professional club career has seen him play across several European leagues and in Saudi Arabia, demonstrating his versatility as a forward, winger, and attacking midfielder.
2.1. Early Professional Clubs (2009-2011)
After starting his senior career at FK Cementarnica 55 in 2009, where he contributed two goals in 11 appearances, Trajkovski moved to NK Inter Zaprešić in the summer of 2010. There, he impressed with four goals in 15 matches during the 2010-11 season, helping the team achieve a fifth-place finish in the league. Prior to his move to Belgium, he had a trial with Chelsea in May 2010, scoring a notable winning goal in an U-19 tournament. Despite interest from clubs like GNK Dinamo Zagreb and a rejected offer from R.S.C. Anderlecht for €500.00 K EUR, Trajkovski ultimately transferred to SV Zulte Waregem for €1.10 M EUR in 2011.
2.2. European League Career (2011-2019)
From 2011 to 2015, Trajkovski played for SV Zulte Waregem in the Belgian Pro League. During his time there, he made 96 appearances and scored 13 goals, playing a significant role in the club's league runner-up finish in the 2012-13 season.
For the 2013-14 season, he was loaned to KV Mechelen, where he played 23 matches and scored three goals.
In the summer of 2015, Trajkovski moved to Italy, signing a five-year contract with Serie A club Palermo. While at Palermo, he made 113 appearances and scored 20 goals. In 2015, he was honored as the "Macedonian footballer of the year". Despite the club's relegation to Serie B in the 2016-17 season, he continued to be a consistent performer, helping them achieve a Serie B runner-up finish in 2017-18. However, after Palermo's exclusion from Serie B in July 2019, Trajkovski, along with other players, was released.
2.3. Recent Club Activities (2019-Present)
On August 7, 2019, Trajkovski signed a four-year contract with La Liga newcomers RCD Mallorca. In his first season, the 2019-20 season, he played 14 league matches and a total of 17 games, though the team was relegated to Segunda División. The following season, the 2020-21 season, he featured in 11 matches, contributing to Mallorca's Segunda División runner-up position and their subsequent promotion back to La Liga after just one season. On August 31, 2021, Trajkovski was loaned to Danish Superliga club AaB for the remainder of the season, where he made 7 appearances and scored 1 goal.
On January 30, 2022, Trajkovski moved to Saudi Arabia, joining Al-Fayha on an 18-month contract. With Al-Fayha, he made 33 appearances and scored 5 goals. A significant achievement during his time there was winning the King Cup on May 19, 2022, after defeating Al Hilal in the final, marking the club's first-ever major trophy. In 2023, he joined HNK Hajduk Split in Croatia, where he has made 6 appearances and scored 1 goal as of November 6, 2023.
3. International Career
Aleksandar Trajkovski has been a vital player for the North Macedonia national team, contributing significantly to their historic achievements in major international competitions and qualifiers.
3.1. Youth and Senior National Team Debut
Trajkovski played for the North Macedonia U-21 national team from 2011 to 2014, making 15 appearances and scoring three goals. Notably, on May 22, 2012, he scored the only goal in North Macedonia U-21's 1-0 friendly victory over Netherlands U-21.
He made his senior international debut for the Macedonian national squad on August 10, 2011, in a 1-0 away friendly win against Azerbaijan. His first international goal came on August 14, 2013, in a 2-0 home friendly victory against Bulgaria. On November 12, 2015, Trajkovski scored a hat-trick in a dominant 4-1 victory over Montenegro at the Philip II Arena in Skopje.
3.2. Major Tournament Participation and Qualifiers
Trajkovski was a key figure in North Macedonia's qualification for UEFA Euro 2020, marking the nation's first-ever participation in a major international tournament. In the 2018-19 UEFA Nations League D, he scored three goals in six matches, which played a crucial role in North Macedonia's promotion to League C for the subsequent season.
During the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Trajkovski scored four goals, helping North Macedonia achieve their first-ever European playoff berth. In the playoff semi-finals on March 24, 2022, he scored a dramatic last-minute long-range goal against Italy at the Renzo Barbera stadium in Palermo, his former club ground. This stunning 1-0 victory eliminated Italy from the FIFA World Cup for the second consecutive time, a historic achievement for North Macedonia. However, the team's World Cup dream was ultimately cut short when they were defeated by Portugal in the playoff second round.
4. Career Statistics
4.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Cementarnica 55 | 2009-10 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 11 | 2 | ||
| Inter Zaprešić | 2010-11 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 15 | 4 | ||
| Zulte Waregem | 2011-12 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 6 | 1 | 24 | 4 | |
| 2012-13 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | 27 | 3 | ||
| 2013-14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2014-15 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 40 | 6 | |
| Total | 65 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 96 | 13 | |
| Mechelen (loan) | 2013-14 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 6 | 2 | 23 | 3 | |
| Palermo | 2015-16 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 33 | 4 | ||
| 2016-17 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 11 | 1 | |||
| 2017-18 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 3 | - | 4 | 0 | 33 | 7 | ||
| 2018-19 | 34 | 8 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 36 | 8 | |||
| Total | 104 | 16 | 5 | 4 | - | 4 | 0 | 113 | 20 | ||
| Mallorca | 2019-20 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | - | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2020-21 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 11 | 1 | |||
| Total | 23 | 0 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 28 | 1 | |||
| AaB (loan) | 2021-22 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 7 | 1 | ||
| Al-Fayha | 2022-23 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 33 | 5 | ||
| Hajduk Split | 2023-24 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 265 | 38 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 27 | 5 | 317 | 50 | |
4.2. International Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Macedonia | 2011 | 4 | 0 |
| 2012 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2016 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 14 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 86 | 21 | |
4.2.1. List of International Goals
Scores and results list North Macedonia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Trajkovski goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 August 2013 | Philip II Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia |  Bulgaria | 2-0 | 2-0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 September 2013 | Philip II Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia |  Wales | 2-1 | 2-1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 9 October 2014 | Philip II Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia |  Luxembourg | 1-0 | 3-2 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification |
| 4 | 27 March 2015 | Philip II Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia |  Belarus | 1-0 | 1-2 | |
| 5 | 12 November 2015 | Philip II Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia |  Montenegro | 2-0 | 4-1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 3-0 | |||||
| 7 | 4-0 | |||||
| 8 | 2 June 2016 | Philip II Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia |  Iran | 1-1 | 1-3 | |
| 9 | 5 September 2017 | Stadion Mladost, Strumica, North Macedonia |  Albania | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 6 October 2017 | Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, Turin, Italy |  Italy | 1-1 | 1-1 | |
| 11 | 9 October 2017 | Stadion Mladost, Strumica, North Macedonia |  Liechtenstein | 2-0 | 4-0 | |
| 12 | 27 March 2018 | Mardan Sports Complex, Antalya, Turkey |  Azerbaijan | 1-1 | 1-1 | Friendly |
| 13 | 13 October 2018 | Philip II Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia | Liechtenstein | 1-0 | 4-1 | 2018-19 UEFA Nations League D |
| 14 | 2-0 | |||||
| 15 | 19 November 2018 |  Gibraltar | 4-0 | 4-0 | ||
| 16 | 25 March 2021 | Arena Națională, Bucharest, Romania |  Romania | 2-2 | 2-3 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17 | 28 March 2021 | Toše Proeski Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia | Liechtenstein | 2-0 | 5-0 | |
| 18 | 3-0 | |||||
| 19 | 11 November 2021 | Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia |  Armenia | 1-0 | 5-0 | |
| 20 | 24 March 2022 | Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo, Italy | Italy | 1-0 | 1-0 | |
| 21 | 17 October 2023 | Stadion Blagoj Istatov, Strumica, North Macedonia | Armenia | 1-0 | 3-1 | Friendly |
5. Honours
Aleksandar Trajkovski has received several team and individual honors throughout his career.
- Individual
- Macedonian Footballer of the Year: 2015
- Club
- Zulte Waregem
- Belgian Pro League: Runner-up (2012-13)
- Palermo
- Serie B: Runner-up (2017-18)
- Mallorca
- Segunda División: Runner-up (2020-21)
- Al-Fayha
- King Cup: Winner (2021-22)
- Zulte Waregem