# Marco Pašalić

Marco Pašalić (Croatian pronunciation:; born 14 September 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Major League Soccer club Orlando City. Born in Germany, he plays for the Croatia national team.

## Club career
### Early career

Pašalić received his early training in his hometown with Karlsruher SC and SG Siemens Karlsruhe, as well as in the youth teams of SV Sandhausen and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. In 2016, he returned to Karlsruher, where he played for three years. Following trial training sessions at Bayern Munich and NK Osijek, he joined VfB Stuttgart II, the reserve team of VfB Stuttgart, in 2019.

### VfB Stuttgart II

On 5 September 2020, Pašalić made his senior debut for VfB Stuttgart II in the Regionalliga Südwest division when he played the full match of a 2–0 loss at home to Hessen Kassel. On 24 October, Pašalić scored his first senior goal, the reserve team's second in a 2–2 draw with Kickers Offenbach. Pašalić would go on to score eight goals across 24 appearances.

### Borussia Dortmund II

On 21 May 2021, Pašalić announced on his Instagram that he would join 3. Liga club Borussia Dortmund II, the reserve team of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund. On 24 July, Pašalić made his debut for the club when he started at FSV Zwickau on the opening matchweek of the 2021–22 3. Liga season. The game would end 2–1 in Borussia Dortmund II's favor, with Pašalić coming off in the 78th-minute for Cebrail Makreckis. In the following matchweek, Pašalić scored his first goal for the club, the first goal of a 1–1 draw with Waldhof Mannheim on 31 July. Pašalić would finish the season with two goals and one assist across 13 appearances.
In the following season, Pašalić's playing time would more than double and he would increase his output to four goals across 22 appearances.

### Borussia Dortmund

After Pašalić scored two goals in three games for the reserve team, Borussia Dortmund coach Marco Rose called him into the squad for the 2021 DFL-Supercup on 17 August. Pašalić entered as a 78th-minute substitute for Giovanni Reyna in the final phase of the 3–1 defeat against Bayern Munich.
In the following season on 8 November 2022, he made his Bundesliga debut for Borussia Dortmund under coach Edin Terzić in a 2–0 away defeat against VfL Wolfsburg.

### HNK Rijeka

On 22 June 2023, Pašalić moved to Croatian Football League club HNK Rijeka on a four-year contract. On 27 June, Pašalić made his debut for the club and international debut in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Europa Conference League when he came on as a 69th-minute substitute for Alen Grgić in a 1–0 win over KF Dukagjini. In the following leg on 3 August, Pašalić scored his first goal for the club when he scored the first goal of a 6–1 win. Pašalić scored his first league goal for the club in the following match when he scored the third goal of a 6–0 rout of rivals Istra 1961 on 6 August. Pašalić would score six goals and make two assists across 30 league appearances in his first season with the club.
On 25 June 2024, Pašalić made his UEFA Europa League debut in the qualifying rounds of the tournament in goalless draw with Corvinul Hunedoara. On 18 September, Pašalić scored his first Croatian Cup goal when he scored the second goal of a 3–1 victory over Neretvanac. On 22 October, Pašalić scored his first senior brace in a 3–0 win at NK Bednja Beletinec in the Croatian Football Cup. Pašalić ended his time with the club with four goals and three assists across 19 league appearances in his second season.

### Orlando City

On 5 February 2025, Major League Soccer club Orlando City announced the signing of Pašalić as a Designated Player on a three-year contract with a club option to extend into 2028. Pašalić made his debut in the opening match of the season against Philadelphia Union, scoring a brace in a 2–4 loss. Pašalić's opening goal of the match which was scored in the 8th-minute was the fastest in any of Orlando City's home openers in MLS and the fastest goal for a club debut, beating Daryl Dike's previous record in which he scored in the 17th-minute in 2020 against Inter Miami.

## International career

Pašalić made appearances for the Croatian youth national teams of U17, and U21.
On 18 November 2023, Pašalić made his senior debut for Croatia in a 2–0 away win against Latvia during the Euro 2024 qualifying. On 20 May 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. A few weeks later, on 3 June, he scored his first international goal in a 3–0 friendly victory over North Macedonia prior to the tournament.

## Personal life

Pašalić was born in Karlsruhe to a Croatian refugee family who fled to Germany to escape the Yugoslav Wars in the early 1990s. Pašalić stated that he was "grateful to grow up in Germany", but that he is "fully Croatian" and that he had always opted to play for Croatia internationally.

## Career statistics
### Club

    As of match played 15 March 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | Continental | Continental | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| VfB Stuttgart II | 2020–21 | Regionalliga Südwest | 35 | 8 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 35 | 8 |
| Borussia Dortmund II | 2021–22 | 3. Liga | 13 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 13 | 2 |
| Borussia Dortmund II | 2022–23 | 3. Liga | 22 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 22 | 4 |
| Borussia Dortmund II | Total | Total | 35 | 6 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 35 | 6 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Borussia Dortmund | 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 |
| Borussia Dortmund | Total | Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Rijeka | 2023–24 | HNL | 30 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2 | – | – | 41 | 8 |
| Rijeka | 2024–25 | HNL | 19 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 0 | – | – | 27 | 7 |
| Rijeka | Total | Total | 49 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 2 | – | – | 68 | 15 |
| Orlando City | 2025 | Major League Soccer | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Career total | Career total | Career total | 124 | 27 | 7 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 144 | 32 |
* ↑ Includes DFB-Pokal, Croatian Cup, U.S. Open Cup
* ↑ Appearance in DFL-Supercup
* ↑ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
* ↑ Four appearances in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Conference League

### International

    As of match played 3 June 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Croatia | 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| Croatia | 2024 | 3 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 5 | 1 |
    Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Marco Pašalić :
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 3 June 2024 | Stadion Rujevica, Rijeka, Croatia | 5 | North Macedonia | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |