1. Overview
Lazar Arsić (Лазар АрсићLazar ArsićSerbian; born on September 24, 1991) is a Serbian professional footballer who primarily plays as a midfielder. He began his career in his native Serbia before moving to various clubs across Europe, including Hungary and Greece, and later venturing into Asian football leagues in China and South Korea. Arsić has had multiple stints with several Serbian clubs, showcasing a consistent presence in the Serbian SuperLiga. As of July 2023, he plays for Racing Club Beirut in Lebanon.
2. Early Career
Lazar Arsić was born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (modern-day Serbia), on September 24, 1991. He started his football journey in the youth ranks of local club FK Obilić. His professional career officially began when he signed with the Hungarian club Vasas SC on August 13, 2010.
3. Club Career
Arsić's professional journey spans across several countries and leagues, marked by his contributions as a midfielder in both European and Asian football.
3.1. Hungarian Leagues
After joining Vasas SC in August 2010, Arsić played for the club for a year and a half. Following his tenure at Vasas, he transferred to another Hungarian club, Lombard-Pápa TFC. He remained with Lombard-Pápa TFC for three seasons, from the latter half of the 2011-12 season through the 2013-14 season, making 57 appearances and scoring 6 goals in league play, in addition to 4 cup appearances with 1 goal.
3.2. Return to Serbia and Other European Stints
In the summer of 2014, Arsić returned to Serbia, joining the top-tier club FK Radnički 1923 in Kragujevac. He made 13 league appearances and scored 1 goal for them, also playing in 2 cup matches with 1 goal. Later in the 2014-15 season, he moved to Greece, playing for Apollon Smyrni in the Football League, where he appeared 13 times and scored 1 goal in the league, alongside 5 cup appearances and 1 goal. For the 2015-16 season, Arsić was back in Serbia, playing for FK Radnik Surdulica in the Serbian SuperLiga, where he made 29 league appearances and scored 5 goals.
3.3. Serbian SuperLiga and Asian Challenge
Arsić established himself as one of the key players during his first stint at FK Radnički Niš, where he played from 2016 to 2018. During the 2016-17 season, he was particularly prolific, scoring 11 goals in 35 league appearances. In the following season, he continued his strong form with 7 goals in 21 appearances before transferring to FK Vojvodina on February 9, 2018, signing a one-and-a-half-year deal. At Vojvodina, he made 13 league appearances, scoring 5 goals in the remainder of the 2017-18 season, and an additional 20 league appearances with 2 goals in the 2018-19 season.
On February 3, 2019, Arsić signed another one-and-a-half-year deal, this time with FK Voždovac. He played 15 league matches for Voždovac in the latter half of the 2018-19 season, scoring 3 goals. His career then took an international turn as he moved to Asia. He joined Chinese club Meizhou Hakka in 2019, where he made 15 appearances and scored 1 goal in the China League One. On February 9, 2020, Arsić transferred to K League 2 club Seoul E-Land FC in South Korea. He played 9 league matches and 2 cup matches, scoring 1 goal in the cup, for Seoul E-Land FC. On January 27, 2021, Arsić mutually agreed to terminate his contract with Seoul E-Land FC and returned to FK Voždovac in Serbia, where he made 12 league appearances and scored 2 goals in the 2020-21 season.
3.4. Later Career and Recent Transfers
On August 20, 2021, Arsić began his second stint with FK Radnički Niš. He played 24 league matches and 2 cup matches in the 2021-22 season, scoring 2 goals. In the 2022-23 season, he briefly appeared for Radnički Niš with 1 league appearance and 2 continental appearances before transferring to Mladost GAT in the same season. At Mladost GAT, he played 20 league matches and 2 cup matches, scoring 2 goals in the cup. In July 2023, Arsić made another move abroad, joining Lebanese Premier League club Racing Beirut.
4. Career Statistics
The following table details Lazar Arsić's club career statistics as of May 9, 2023:
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Vasas | 2010-11 | NB I | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2011-12 | NB I | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 7 | 0 | |||
| Total | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| Pápa | 2011-12 | NB I | 13 | 0 | - | - | - | 13 | 2 | |||
| 2012-13 | NB I | 26 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 1 | |||
| 2013-14 | NB I | 18 | 5 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 21 | 6 | |||
| Total | 57 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 8 | ||
| Radnički Kragujevac | 2014-15 | Serbian SuperLiga | 13 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 15 | 2 | ||
| Apollon Smyrni | 2014-15 | Football League | 13 | 1 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 18 | 2 | ||
| Radnik Surdulica | 2015-16 | Serbian SuperLiga | 29 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 30 | 5 | ||
| Radnički Niš | 2016-17 | Serbian SuperLiga | 35 | 11 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 36 | 11 | ||
| 2017-18 | Serbian SuperLiga | 21 | 7 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 22 | 7 | |||
| Total | 56 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 18 | ||
| Vojvodina | 2017-18 | Serbian SuperLiga | 13 | 5 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 14 | 5 | ||
| 2018-19 | Serbian SuperLiga | 20 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 21 | 3 | |||
| Total | 33 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 8 | ||
| Voždovac | 2018-19 | Serbian SuperLiga | 15 | 3 | - | - | - | 15 | 3 | |||
| Meizhou Hakka | 2019 | China League One | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 15 | 1 | ||
| Seoul E-Land | 2020 | K League 2 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 11 | 1 | ||
| Voždovac | 2020-21 | Serbian SuperLiga | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 13 | 2 | ||
| Radnički Niš | 2021-22 | Serbian SuperLiga | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 26 | 2 | ||
| 2022-23 | Serbian SuperLiga | 1 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | - | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | ||
| Mladost GAT | 2022-23 | Serbian SuperLiga | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | - | - | 22 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 325 | 46 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 353 | 53 | ||