1. Early Life and Background
Filip Hološko was born on January 17, 1984, in Piešťany, Slovakia. He began his football journey in his home country, joining the youth ranks of MFK Piešťany from 1990 to 1998. He then continued his youth development at FK AS Trenčín from 1998 to 2001. Standing at 73 in (185 cm) and weighing 187 lb (85 kg), Hološko is right-footed.
2. Professional Career
Hološko embarked on a professional career that spanned multiple countries, showcasing his versatility and goal-scoring ability across various leagues.
2.1. FK AS Trenčín
Hološko made his professional debut with FK AS Trenčín during the 2001-02 season, after graduating from the club's youth academy. During his initial period with the Slovak club, he made one appearance without scoring a goal.
2.2. FC Slovan Liberec
In 2002, Hološko moved to the Czech Republic to join FC Slovan Liberec, a prominent club in the Czech First League. He spent three seasons with the club, making 54 league appearances and scoring 17 goals, establishing himself as a promising forward.
2.3. Manisaspor
Hološko's career took him to Turkey in 2006, when he transferred to Manisaspor. He quickly became a key player for the team, making 65 league appearances and scoring 21 goals during his tenure. His consistent performance also saw him feature in 7 national cup matches, where he scored 3 goals, contributing to a total of 72 appearances and 24 goals for the club.
2.4. Beşiktaş JK
Hološko's impressive form at Manisaspor led to a significant transfer to Turkish giants Beşiktaş JK in the middle of the 2007-08 season. The transfer involved an exchange deal, with Beşiktaş sending forward Burak Yılmaz and veteran defender Koray Avcı to Manisaspor, along with a substantial sum of 5.00 M EUR. This considerable investment initially drew criticism from media pundits towards the Beşiktaş board and then-president Yıldırım Demirören.
However, Hološko quickly adapted to his new team and silenced his critics with a series of strong performances, particularly during the 2008-09 season. He is well-remembered for a remarkable solo goal against rival club Fenerbahçe, where he took the ball from his own half, dribbled past five Fenerbahçe players, and scored. He also netted a goal in the Turkish Cup Final against Fenerbahçe at İzmir Atatürk Stadium, helping Beşiktaş secure a 4-2 victory and claim the trophy. His contributions were instrumental in Beşiktaş winning both the Turkish Super League and the Turkish Cup in the 2008-09 season.
Following this successful period, Hološko faced a significant challenge in the 2009-10 season due to a severe splint bone injury. The injury occurred during a UEFA Champions League match against CSKA Moscow, which Beşiktaş lost 2-1. This injury severely limited his playing time, and he made only five league appearances, scoring a single goal, for the first half of the season. Despite the setback, Hološko continued to contribute to the club's history; on December 2, 2010, he scored Beşiktaş' 100th goal in UEFA Cup Competitions against CSKA Sofia. Overall, during his time at Beşiktaş, Hološko made 140 league appearances, scoring 40 goals. He also played in 24 national cup matches (8 goals), 22 continental matches (5 goals), and 6 other matches (2 goals), accumulating a total of 192 appearances and 55 goals.
2.5. İstanbul Başakşehir FK (loan)
During the 2010-11 season, Hološko was loaned to İstanbul Başakşehir FK (then known as İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor). In his spell with the club, he made 10 league appearances, scoring 5 goals. He also played in 3 national cup matches, scoring 1 goal, bringing his total to 13 appearances and 6 goals. İstanbul Başakşehir finished as runner-up in the Turkish Cup during this season.
2.6. Çaykur Rizespor (loan)
Hološko's second loan spell in Turkey was with Çaykur Rizespor for the 2014-15 season. He continued to be a regular starter, appearing in 25 league matches and scoring 2 goals. He also played in 5 national cup matches. In total, he made 30 appearances for Çaykur Rizespor.
2.7. Sydney FC
On July 20, 2015, Hološko embarked on a new chapter in his career, signing a two-year deal with Sydney FC in Australia's A-League as the club's international marquee player.
In the 2015-16 season, despite Sydney FC's struggles, Hološko stood out as a key player and quickly became a fan favorite. His strong work ethic, speed, and goal-scoring ability were highly appreciated by the Sydney supporters.
The 2016-17 season saw Hološko form a potent attacking partnership with Bobô, with the duo collectively scoring 22 goals and providing several assists. On October 8, 2016, Hološko scored Sydney FC's first goal of the A-League campaign in a dominant 4-0 victory over local rivals Western Sydney Wanderers in the Sydney Derby. The following week, he scored a brace against Central Coast Mariners in another commanding 4-0 win. Hološko concluded the 2016-17 A-League regular season with 7 goals and 8 assists, as Sydney FC secured the Premiership title with a record number of points. He further contributed in the finals series, scoring in the Sky Blues' 3-0 semifinal win over Perth Glory, which moved him to 5th place on Sydney FC's all-time goalscorers list. On May 22, 2017, Sydney FC announced that Hološko's contract would not be renewed, and he subsequently returned to Europe. During his time with Sydney FC, he made 50 league appearances, scoring 17 goals, along with 4 national cup appearances (1 goal) and 2 A-League playoff appearances (1 goal), totaling 56 appearances and 19 goals.
2.8. ŠK Slovan Bratislava
In June 2017, Hološko returned to his home country, Slovakia, to join ŠK Slovan Bratislava. He played for the club until 2018, making 40 league appearances and scoring 9 goals. His tenure also included 6 national cup appearances, 7 continental appearances (scoring 2 goals), and 1 other appearance, bringing his total to 54 appearances and 11 goals for the club.
2.9. 1. FC Slovácko
Hološko concluded his professional club career in the Czech Republic with 1. FC Slovácko, joining them in 2019. He made 11 appearances for the club in the Czech First League, scoring 1 goal before his retirement.
3. International Career
Filip Hološko had a distinguished international career representing the Slovakia national football team for a decade, from 2005 to 2015. He earned a total of 65 international A-match caps and scored 8 goals for his country.
He made his debut for the Slovak senior squad on September 3, 2005, in a friendly match against Germany, which Slovakia won 2-0 at home. Hološko scored his first international goal on November 16, 2005, in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification play-off match against Spain, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Hološko was part of the Slovakia squad that participated in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the nation's first appearance at the tournament. He made two substitute appearances during the competition.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 16, 2005 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia | Spain | 1-0 | 1-1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup play-offs |
| 2 | May 20, 2006 | Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia | Belgium | 1-0 | 1-1 | Friendly |
| 3 | October 13, 2007 | Mestský štadión, Dubnica, Slovakia | San Marino | 5-0 | 7-0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 4 | November 21, 2007 | Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle, San Marino | San Marino | 2-0 | 5-0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 5 | September 9, 2009 | Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland | 2-0 | 2-0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | September 3, 2010 | Pasienky, Bratislava, Slovakia | Macedonia | 1-0 | 1-0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualification |
| 7 | March 29, 2011 | Štadión Antona Malatinského, Trnava, Slovakia | Denmark | 1-1 | 1-2 | Friendly |
| 8 | November 18, 2014 | Štadión pod Dubňom, Žilina, Slovakia | Finland | 1-0 | 2-1 | Friendly |
4. Personal Life
Filip Hološko is married to Adelka. The couple has two daughters. Their first daughter, Sophie, was born in May 2009. Their second daughter, Claudia, was born in August 2010.
5. Career Statistics
5.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manisaspor | 2005-06 | Süper Lig | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 17 | 4 | |||
| 2006-07 | Süper Lig | 32 | 9 | 6 | 3 | - | - | - | 38 | 12 | ||||
| 2007-08 | Süper Lig | 16 | 8 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 17 | 8 | ||||
| Total | 65 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 72 | 24 | ||
| Beşiktaş | 2007-08 | Süper Lig | 16 | 7 | 5 | 2 | - | - | - | 21 | 9 | |||
| 2008-09 | Süper Lig | 30 | 10 | 9 | 4 | - | 4 | 1 | - | 43 | 15 | |||
| 2009-10 | Süper Lig | 18 | 6 | 3 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 6 | ||
| 2010-11 | Süper Lig | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | 7 | 4 | - | 23 | 6 | |||
| 2011-12 | Süper Lig | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | 9 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 34 | 5 | ||
| 2012-13 | Süper Lig | 32 | 10 | 2 | 2 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 34 | 12 | |||
| 2013-14 | Süper Lig | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | ||
| Total | 140 | 40 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 192 | 55 | ||
| İstanbul Başakşehir (loan) | 2010-11 | Süper Lig | 10 | 5 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | 13 | 6 | |||
| Çaykur Rizespor (loan) | 2014-15 | Süper Lig | 25 | 2 | 5 | 0 | - | - | - | 30 | 2 | |||
| Sydney FC | 2015-16 | A-League | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - | 24 | 10 | ||
| 2016-17 | A-League | 26 | 7 | 4 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 32 | 9 | ||
| Total | 50 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 56 | 19 | ||
| Slovan Bratislava | 2016-17 | Slovak Superliga | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2017-18 | Slovak Superliga | 31 | 8 | 6 | 0 | - | 4 | 2 | - | 41 | 10 | |||
| 2018-19 | Slovak Superliga | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | - | 12 | 1 | |||
| Total | 40 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 11 | ||
| 1. FC Slovácko | 2018-19 | Czech First League | 11 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 11 | 1 | ||||
| Career total | 341 | 95 | 49 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 428 | 118 | ||
6. Honours
Hološko earned several titles and accolades throughout his professional career:
Beşiktaş
- Turkish Super League: 2008-09
- Turkish Cup: 2008-09
İstanbul Başakşehir
- Turkish Cup: runner-up 2010-11
Sydney FC
- A-League Premiership: 2016-17
- A-League Championship: 2016-17
Slovakia U19
- UEFA European Under-19 Championship: third place 2002