SC Freiburg has announced the acquisition of attacking midfielder Igor Matanovic from Eintracht Frankfurt. Both Bundesliga clubs confirmed the transfer on Wednesday.
Born in Hamburg, Matanovic began his footballing career at FC St. Pauli, making his professional debut in the 2. Bundesliga at the age of 17. He joined Eintracht Frankfurt in August 2021 but spent the following two seasons on loan at St. Pauli. For the 2023/24 season, he was again loaned out, this time to Karlsruher SC. During his time with the Baden club, the forward scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 32 matches.
Last season, Matanovic played for Eintracht Frankfurt, appearing in 25 matches across the Bundesliga, Europa League and DFB-Pokal, netting two goals. He made his debut for the Croatian national team in September 2023 and has since scored one goal in five appearances.
“Igor possesses a really exciting profile” stated Freiburg’s board member, Jochen Saier. “We have demonstrated in the past that, together with the player and with a little patience, we can initiate the next stages of development and certainly unlock significant potential”. Matanovic himself expressed his enthusiasm for the move: “SC Freiburg feels authentic, familial and ambitious to me. That’s exactly how I would describe myself too. Therefore, I am convinced that we will harmonize very well.
Details of the contract have not been disclosed and Matanovic will wear the number 31 jersey for Sport-Club.
