David Strelec (born 4 April 2001) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a forward for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough and the Slovakia national team.
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Strelec made his Fortuna Liga debut for ŠK Slovan Bratislava against Zemplín Michalovce on 5 August 2018.[2] He transferred to Spezia Calcio in the summer of 2021,[3] signing a five-year contract with the Italian club on the last day of the transfer window.[4] On 31 January 2023, Strelec joined Serie B club Reggina on loan until the end of the 2022–23 season.[5] He returned to Spezia at the end of his loan.[6] Strelec headed back to Slovan Bratislava in the summer of 2023 on loan with an option to buy, which Slovan exercised in May 2024, signing Strelec to a four-year contract.[7]
In the first half of the 2024–25 Slovak First Football League, Strelec scored 11 times in 19 matches.[8] On 5 November 2024, Strelec scored the opening goal in a 1-4 defeat by GNK Dinamo in the UEFA Champions League.[9] He scored another goal in that season's competition against Spanish outfit Atlético Madrid. In the January 2025 transfer window, Strelec was the subject of transfer interest from British sides Middlesbrough and Celtic.[8]
On 1 September 2025, Strelec signed for EFL Championship club Middlesbrough on a five-year deal.[10] He was signed for an upfront fee of £6.5 million with a further £2.5 million in add-ons. 10
In March 2021, Strelec received his first call-up to Slovak senior national team by Štefan Tarkovič for three 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification fixtures against Cyprus, Malta, and Russia.[11] He made his debut on 24 March in a goalless draw against Cyprus, replacing Ondrej Duda after 83 minutes.[12][13] He scored his first international goal against Malta, scoring with his head to reduce Malta's lead to 2–1, in a match which finished 2–2.[14]
In November 2024, Strelec scored the only goal of the game in the 72nd minute of a UEFA Nations League match against Estonia in Trnava. This was his 4th goal for Slovakia in the league phase.[15]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Slovan Bratislava | 2018–19 | Slovak First Football League | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | 13 | 2 | |||
| 2019–20 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2[b] | 0 | — | 17 | 5 | |||
| 2020–21 | 25 | 9 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 29 | 11 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 4 | 0 | — | 7[c] | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 54 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 0 | — | 70 | 18 | |||
| Spezia | 2021–22 | Serie A | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | — | — | 9 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 17 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 | ||
| Reggina (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie B | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[d] | 0 | 16 | 3 | |
| Slovan Bratislava (loan) | 2023–24 | Slovak First Football League | 28 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 12[e] | 2 | — | 41 | 14 | |
| Slovan Bratislava | 2024–25 | Slovak First Football League | 29 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 16[f] | 5 | — | 47 | 25 | |
| 2025–26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6[g] | 4 | — | 9 | 5 | |||
| Total | 60 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 97 | 44 | ||
| Career total | 147 | 50 | 13 | 7 | 43 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 203 | 69 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slovakia | 2021 | 10 | 2 |
| 2022 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 11 | 5 | |
| 2025 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 30 | 7 | |
Slovan Bratislava
Individual
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