1. Overview
Denis Vavro (born 10 April 1996) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg, on loan from Danish Superliga club Copenhagen, and the Slovakia national team. His career began at MŠK Žilina in Slovakia, where he progressed from the youth ranks to the senior team. He later moved to F.C. Copenhagen, then to Serie A club S.S. Lazio, followed by a loan spell at La Liga club SD Huesca. Vavro returned to Copenhagen before being loaned to VfL Wolfsburg. He has also represented Slovakia at various youth levels and is a current member of the senior national team, having participated in UEFA Euro 2020 and UEFA Euro 2024.
2. Early Life and Career Beginnings
Denis Vavro was born on 10 April 1996 in Partizánske, Trenčín Region, Slovakia. He developed his football skills from an early age, primarily at the MŠK Žilina youth academy. He stands at 75 in (190 cm) tall and weighs 179 lb (81 kg), primarily playing as a right-footed centre-back.
2.1. Youth and MŠK Žilina
Vavro's youth career saw him represent Slovakia at various levels, including the U-17 squad, where he made 5 appearances and scored 1 goal, and the U-21 squad, appearing 12 times and scoring 1 goal.
He made his professional league debut for MŠK Žilina against AS Trenčín on 20 April 2013. Following his debut, Vavro's early professional experience involved shuttling between the first team and the reserve team, MŠK Žilina B. He eventually established himself in the first team during the 2015-16 season. In the 2016-17 season, despite being a defender, he demonstrated his attacking capabilities by scoring 6 goals in 25 league matches.
3. Club Career
Vavro's professional club career has seen him play across several European leagues, including Slovakia, Denmark, Italy, Spain, and Germany.
3.1. FC Copenhagen (First Spell)
On 26 August 2017, Vavro signed a five-year contract with Copenhagen, marking his first move abroad. During his initial two seasons with the Danish club, he became a key player in the squad, consistently featuring in around 30 matches per season across all competitions. His strong performances contributed to Copenhagen's domestic success.
3.2. S.S. Lazio and Loan to S.D. Huesca
On 4 July 2019, Vavro transferred to Italian Serie A club S.S. Lazio for a reported fee of 10.00 M EUR. His time at Lazio was challenging, with limited playing opportunities. To gain more game time, he moved to La Liga club Huesca on loan until the end of the season, effective from 1 February 2021.
3.3. Return to FC Copenhagen (Second Spell)
Vavro returned to Copenhagen on loan with an option to buy on 24 January 2022. His return was welcomed, and his previous spell at Lazio was widely regarded as unimpressive. Vavro himself expressed appreciation for his return to Denmark. On 6 July 2022, Copenhagen activated the option clause, and he re-signed with the Danish team on a four-year contract, making his return permanent.
Days before his permanent transfer was confirmed, a video circulated on social media in which Vavro was asked if he "hated Lazio," to which he quickly responded positively. This remark drew criticism, and Vavro soon issued an apology on social media. In his apology, he stated that Lazio was a "big and historic" club and even "too big for a player like him," expressing regret for his comment.
3.4. Loan to VfL Wolfsburg
On 30 June 2024, Denis Vavro made a loan move to German Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg. He currently plays as a centre-back for the club.
4. International Career
Denis Vavro has represented Slovakia at both youth and senior international levels.
He received his first call-up to the Slovak senior team for two unofficial friendly fixtures held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in January 2017. He debuted for Slovakia and scored the team's only goal in a 3-1 loss against Uganda on 8 January 2017. He also played the full 90 minutes in a 6-0 loss against Sweden on 12 January.
Vavro returned to the Slovak senior team for the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign. He played six matches in Group E and participated in the play-off semi-final against the Republic of Ireland.
At the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, Vavro was an unused substitute in Slovakia's opening match against Poland. However, on 17 June 2021, he tested positive for COVID-19, which unfortunately prevented him from playing in the remainder of the team's Group E matches. Slovakia ultimately failed to qualify for the knockout stage.
Vavro was again included in Slovakia's squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He started in central defence in all of the team's matches as they successfully reached the round of 16. Their campaign ended with a 2-1 loss to England after extra time.
5. Career Statistics
This section details Denis Vavro's career statistics, encompassing his appearances and goals at both club and international levels.
5.1. Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| MŠK Žilina | 2012-13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2013-14 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 13 | 0 | |||
| 2014-15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 0 | ||||
| 2015-16 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | - | 36 | 3 | |||
| 2016-17 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 6 | ||||
| 2017-18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 7 | 1 | |||
| Total | 74 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 1 | - | 93 | 10 | |||
| MŠK Žilina B | 2014-15 | 11 | 2 | - | - | 3 | 0 | 14 | 2 | |||
| 2015-16 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 2016-17 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 13 | 2 | - | - | 3 | 0 | 16 | 2 | ||||
| Copenhagen | 2017-18 | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | - | 35 | 1 | ||
| 2018-19 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | - | 50 | 2 | |||
| Total | 61 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 22 | 2 | - | 85 | 3 | |||
| Lazio | 2019-20 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| 2020-21 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2021-22 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||
| Huesca (loan) | 2020-21 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 11 | 0 | |||
| Copenhagen (loan) | 2021-22 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 16 | 1 | ||
| Copenhagen | 2022-23 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | - | 36 | 1 | ||
| 2023-24 | 29 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 13 | 0 | - | 46 | 3 | |||
| 2024-25 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | - | 11 | 0 | |||
| Total | 63 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 25 | 0 | - | 93 | 4 | |||
| VfL Wolfsburg (loan) | 2024-25 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 21 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 268 | 16 | 18 | 3 | 67 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 356 | 22 | ||
5.2. International Statistics
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovakia | 2017 | 2 | 1 |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 25 | 2 | |
:Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Vavro goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 January 2017 | Armed Forces Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | 1 | Uganda | 1-2 | 1-3 | Unofficial Friendly |
| 2 | 20 June 2013 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein | 15 | Liechtenstein | 0-1 | 0-1 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
6. Honours
Denis Vavro has achieved several club and individual honours throughout his career.
6.1. Club
- MŠK Žilina
- Fortuna Liga: 2016-17
- Copenhagen
- Danish Superliga: 2018-19, 2022-23
- Danish Cup: 2022-23
6.2. Individual
- Peter Dubovský Award: 2017
7. External links
- [https://www.fck.dk/en/spiller/denis-vavro Profile] at the F.C. Copenhagen website
- [https://archive.today/20130504161034/http://www.corgonliga.sk/corgon-liga/hrac/1512/denis-vavro Corgoň Liga profile]
- [https://int.soccerway.com/players/denis-vavro/293763/ Denis Vavro at Soccerway]
- [http://www.eurofotbal.cz/hraci/denis-vavro-45971/ Eurofotbal profile]
- [https://www.transfermarkt.jp/denis-vavro/profil/spieler/239962 Denis Vavro at Transfermarkt]
- [https://www.worldfootball.net/player_summary/denis-vavro/ Denis Vavro at WorldFootball.net]