Mateo Bajamich

Mateo Bajamich (Croatian: Bajamić, pronounced [matěo bǎjamitɕ];[2][3] born 3 August 1999) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a winger for Primera Nacional side Estudiantes de Río Cuarto. He can also play as a striker.[4]

Mateo Bajamich
Personal information
Date of birth (1999-08-03) 3 August 1999
Place of birth Morrison, Argentina
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Winger[1]
Team information
Current team
Estudiantes de Río Cuarto
Youth career
Unión de Morrison
2016–2018 Instituto
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2020 Instituto 28 (10)
2020–2022 Houston Dynamo 9 (0)
2020–2021Instituto (loan) 8 (2)
2022Huracán (loan) 0 (0)
2023– Estudiantes de Río Cuarto 18 (5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14:43, 22 June 2023 (UTC)

Career

Instituto

Bajamich's career started with Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba, joining in 2016 from his local club Unión de Morrison.[5] Ahead of the 2018–19 Primera B Nacional season, Bajamich was promoted to the Instituto first team.[6][7] He made his Instituto debut on 23 February 2019, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 defeat to Nueva Chicago.[8] Bajamich was a late addition to the match day squad after Facundo Affranchino was injured in the pre-match warm up.[9] He had previously been an unused substitute in 2018 for matches with Villa Dálmine and Arsenal de Sarandí.[10][11] Bajamich made his first start in senior football in a 1–0 loss against Guillermo Brown on 3 March 2019.[12] On 21 April, he scored his first professional goal in the final match of the season in a 1–1 draw against Gimnasia y Esgrima (M).[13] Bajamich and Instituto finished the 2018–19 season 22nd in the league table.[14] After the season, he signed a contract with Instituto lasting until 2022.[15]

Bajamich netted four goals in his first five games to start the 2019–20 season, including a brace in a 3–0 win at Brown de Adrogué on 14 September 2019.[12][16] He scored twice again on 9 November in a 2–0 win against Santamarina.[17] On 15 March Bajamich scored once to help La Gloria defeat Tigre 3–0.[12][18] That would end up being the final game of the season for Instituto as the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] Bajamich ended the season with 9 goals and 3 assists from 21 games, helping Instituto finish 9th in group B.[20][21][22]

Houston Dynamo

On 5 October 2020, Bajamich joined the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer.[21] The transfer fee is reportedly $1,200,000, with Instituto receiving 20% of his next sale.[23][24] The contract with Houston lasts until 2022, with the Dynamo having team options until 2025.[21]

Instituto loan

On 9 November 2020, Bajamich was loaned back to Instituto until 21 January, 2021, prior to the start of Houston's pre-season.[25] He scored on his first appearance back, netting the opener in a 2–1 victory over Chacarita Juniors on 28 November.[20] He scored again on 27 December in a 1–1 draw against Gimnasia y Esgrima (J).[20] Bajamich made a total of eight appearances on loan, scoring twice, as Instituto lost in the first round of the promotion play-offs to Defensores de Belgrano.[20]

Return to Houston

Bajamich made his Dynamo debut on 15 May 2021, coming off the bench in a 3–1 loss to the Colorado Rapids.[26] He recorded his first assist for the Dynamo on 29 May in a 3–2 loss to Sporting Kansas City.[26] Bajamich ended the season with 1 assist in 9 appearances, as Houston finished last in the Western Conference, missing out on the playoffs.[26][27]

Loan to Huracán

On 28 January 2022, Bajamich was again loaned out by Houston. He returned to Argentina, joining Huracán on loan for the season with Huracán holding a purchase option.[28] Bajamich made his debut for Huracán on 15 February, coming off the bench in a 3–2 loss to Estudiantes de la Plata in a Copa de la Liga Profesional match.[12][29] Bajamich made 9 appearances while with Huracán, all in the Copa de La Liga Profesional.[12][29]

On 7 November 2022, Houston declined Bajamich's contract option for 2023, making him a free agent.[30]

Estudiantes de Río Cuarto

On 16 January 2023, Bajamich signed with Estudiantes de Río Cuarto in Primera Nacional.[31][32][33] He made his debut for Estudiantes (RC) on 11 February, coming off the bench in a 2–0 loss to CA Temperley.[12] On 17 February, Bajamich scored his first goal for el Celeste in a 2–2 draw with San Telmo.[12]

Personal life

Born in Argentina, Bajamich is of Croatian descent.[34] In 1921, his great-grandfather Mariano Bajamich (Croatian: Marin Bajamić) left Trnbusi, Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia) and moved to Argentina where he married a Spaniard named Carmen. Bajamich expressed his desire to play for the Croatia national team. In 2020, he received the Croatian citizenship.[35]

Career statistics

As of 24 February 2023[20][36][37]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup[lower-alpha 1] League Cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Instituto2018–19Primera B Nacional 710071
2019–20 21910229
Total 2810102910
Houston Dynamo2020Major League Soccer 0000
2021 9090
Total 900090
Instituto (loan)2020Primera Nacional 8282
Huracán (loan)2022Primera División 00009090
Estudiantes (RC)2023Primera Nacional 210021
Career total 47131090005713

References

  1. "Mateo Bajamich". World Football. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  2. "Màtej". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Croatian). Retrieved 15 June 2020. Matèo
  3. "bàjam". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Croatian). Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  4. "Dynamo see new signing Mateo Bajamich as "a contributor for down the road"". SBI Soccer. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  5. "Bajamich, el único "pibe" que subió Franco en Instituto". Mundo D - La Voz. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  6. "Cómo le fue a Bajamich, el "9" que debutó en Instituto". Mundo D (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  7. Luna, Juan Pablo. "La ficha técnica del plantel temporada 2018 / 2019". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  8. "Instituto vs. Nueva Chicago - 23 February 2019 - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  9. Luna, Juan Pablo. "Mateo Bajamich: "Estoy muy feliz"". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  10. Luna, Juan Pablo. "Caída en Campana". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  11. Luna, Juan Pablo. "Los viajeros a Sarandí". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba.
  12. "Argentina - M. Bajamich - Matches - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  13. Luna, Juan Pablo. "Empate en Alta Córdoba". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  14. "Summary - Primera Nacional - Argentina - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  15. "Instituto se aseguró a Mateo Bajamich hasta 2022". Mundo D (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  16. "Triunfazo de La Gloria". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  17. "¡Victoria! Instituto le ganó a Santamarina". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  18. "Goleada ante Tigre". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  19. "El comunicado completo de la AFA con las decisiones por el coronavirus - TyC Sports". www.tycsports.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  20. "Mateo Bajamich". Soccerway.
  21. "Dynamo sign winger Mateo Bajamich on full transfer from Instituto AC". Houston Dynamo. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  22. "Summary - Primera Nacional - Argentina - Results, fixtures, tables and news - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  23. "Ya es oficial: Mateo Bajamich jugará en la MLS". Mundo D (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  24. "Gracias Mateo Bajamich". Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  25. Bogert, Tom (9 November 2020). "Houston Dynamo loan forward Mateo Bajamich back to Argentina until preseason". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  26. "Mateo Bajamich 2021 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  27. "Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  28. "Houston Dynamo FC loan Mateo Bajamich to Club Atlético Huracán". Houston Dynamo FC. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  29. "Mateo Bajamich-Jogos Realizados-Resumo da Temporada-2022". oGol (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  30. "Dynamo roster decisions open as many as 10 roster spots for the 2023 season". Houston Dynamo FC. 7 November 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  31. @EstudiantesRio4 (17 January 2023). "⚽Plantel Profesional MATEO BAJAMICH es nuevo refuerzo de #AAE! El jugador se sumará a la pretemporada 2023 junto al resto del equipo. Lo que viene será increíble, y nos preparamos para dar pelea #Juntos" (Tweet) (in Spanish) via Twitter.
  32. "Así juega Mateo Bajamich, el nuevo refuerzo de Estudiantes". Fútbol CBA (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  33. Spontón, Juan Manuel (16 January 2023). "Bajamich es un León mas". Mundo Ascenso (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  34. "Croatia hone in on[sic] talented 20-year-old Argentine-Croat". Croatia Week. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  35. "Sportske novosti - DOMOVNICA JE TU! VELIKI ARGENTINSKI TALENT DOBIO HRVATSKO DRŽAVLJANSTVO, A ZA SN PRVI PUT OTKRIVA NAJLJEPŠU PRIČU 'Od srca želim igrati za Hrvatsku!'". sportske.jutarnji.hr (in Croatian). 1 March 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  36. "Mateo Bajamich". Major League Soccer. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  37. "Mateo Bajamich Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
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