Darko Churlinov (Macedonian: Дарко Чурлинов; born 11 July 2000) is a Macedonian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Polish Ekstraklasa club Jagiellonia Białystok, on loan from EFL Championship club Burnley, and the North Macedonia national team.

Darko Churlinov
Дарко Чурлинов
Personal information
Full name Darko Churlinov
Дарко Чурлинов
Date of birth (2000-07-11) 11 July 2000 (age 24)
Place of birth Skopje, Macedonia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
Jagiellonia Białystok
(on loan from Burnley)
Number 21
Youth career
2003–2010 FK Forca
2010–2012 FK Rabotnički
2012–2014 FK Vardar
2014–2015 Hansa Rostock
2015–2016 1. FC Magdeburg
2016–2018 1. FC Köln
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2019 1. FC Köln II 10 (7)
2019 1. FC Köln 1 (0)
2020–2022 VfB Stuttgart 21 (1)
2020 VfB Stuttgart II 1 (0)
2021–2022Schalke 04 (loan) 22 (2)
2022– Burnley 7 (0)
2024Schalke 04 (loan) 10 (1)
2024–Jagiellonia Białystok (loan) 9 (2)
International career
2015 Macedonia U17 4 (0)
2017–2019 Macedonia U19 14 (3)
2018–2021 North Macedonia U21 16 (5)
2017– North Macedonia 29 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 07:16, 13 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 November 2024

Club career

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Early career

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Churlinov was born and raised in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia, where he also started playing football with local FK Forca. Subsequently, he went through the youth ranks of FK Rabotnički and FK Vardar until he was 14 years old. He moved to Germany and joined the youth setup of Hansa Rostock, where his friend and fellow Macedonian footballer Dimitar Mitrovski was already playing in the youth teams. Mitrovski had asked the club officials to sign Churlinov as he would like to have a fellow Macedonian as a teammate.[1] He finished his youth career at 1. FC Köln.

1. FC Köln

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Churlinov started to play for the second team of 1. FC Köln before being promoted to the first team, where he made his debut on 17 August 2019 against VfL Wolfsburg, being subbed on in replacement of Florian Kainz in the 70th minute.[2] He remained on the bench for the rest of his stint with Köln.

VfB Stuttgart

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On 8 January 2020, Churlinov joined VfB Stuttgart on a four-year deal.[3] He made his debut with Stuttgart on 22 February 2020 against SSV Jahn Regensburg, being subbed on in replacement of Silas Katompa in the 71st minute, creating a goal-scoring opportunity.[4] He featured primarily as a substitute throughout the rest of his career with Stuttgart.

Loan to Schalke 04

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On 18 August 2021, Churlinov joined Schalke 04 on a loan deal until the end of the season.[5] He made his debut with Schalke 04 on 21 August 2021 against SSV Jahn Regensburg, being subbed on for Reinhold Ranftl in the 62nd minute, providing an assist to Simon Terodde's goal in the 81st minute.[6]

Burnley

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On 19 August 2022, Churlinov joined Burnley on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[7] He made his debut with Burnley the next day against Blackpool F.C., where he was subbed on for Vitinho in the 71st minute.[8] On June 1, 2023, he was hospitalized with suspected blood poisoning in Serbia, causing him to miss play for a month in domestic and international play.[9]

Loan to Schalke 04

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On 23 January 2024, Churlinov returned to Schalke 04 again on loan until the end of the season, with the club having an option to make the move permanent.[10]

On 21 May 2024, Burnley said the player would return after the loan ended.[11]

Loan to Jagiellonia

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On 7 August 2024, Churlinov joined Polish Ekstraklasa champions Jagiellonia Białystok on a season-long loan.[12]

International career

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On 28 March 2017, at the age of 16 years and 8 months, Churlinov made his debut for the Macedonia national team in a friendly match against Belarus, becoming the youngest player who has ever played for Macedonia's national team.[13] Churlinov scored his first international goal on 4 June 2021, in a friendly match against Kazakhstan.[14]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 10 November 2024[15]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1. FC Köln II 2018–19 Regionalliga West 1 0 1 0
2019–20 Regionalliga West 9 7 9 7
Total 10 7 10 7
1. FC Köln 2019–20 Bundesliga 1 0 0 0 1 0
VfB Stuttgart II 2019–20 Oberliga Baden-Württ. 1 0 1 0
VfB Stuttgart 2019–20 2. Bundesliga 6 1 0 0 6 1
2020–21 Bundesliga 14 0 2 0 16 0
2021–22 Bundesliga 0 0 1 1 1 1
2022–23 Bundesliga 1 0 1 1 2 1
Total 21 1 4 2 25 3
Schalke 04 (loan) 2021–22 2. Bundesliga 22 2 1 0 23 2
Burnley 2022–23 Championship 7 0 4 0 2 0 13 0
Schalke 04 (loan) 2023–24 2. Bundesliga 10 1 10 1
Jagiellonia Białystok (loan) 2024–25 Ekstraklasa 9 2 0 0 5[c] 1 14 3
Career total 81 13 9 2 2 0 5 1 97 16
  1. ^ Includes DFB-Pokal, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Europa League, three appearances and one goal in UEFA Conference League

International

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As of match played 17 November 2024[16][17]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
North Macedonia 2017 1 0
2021 11 2
2022 5 1
2023 5 1
2024 7 0
Total 29 4

Scores and results list North Macedonia's goal tally first.

List of international goals scored by Darko Čurlinov
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 4 June 2021 Toše Proeski Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia   Kazakhstan 4–0 4–0 Friendly
2. 8 October 2021 Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein   Liechtenstein 4–0 4–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
3. 12 June 2022 Toše Proeski Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia   Gibraltar 4–0 4–0 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C
4. 23 March 2023 Toše Proeski Arena, Skopje, North Macedonia   Malta 2–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying

Honours

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Schalke 04

Burnley

References

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  1. ^ "Talent mit Kämpferherz" [A Talent With a Fighter`s Heart] (in German). vfb.de. 11 July 2020. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Macedonian internationals performances (16-19.08.2019)". macedonianfootball.com. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  3. ^ "VfB sign Darko Churlinov". vfb.de. VfB Stuttgart. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  4. ^ Hinrichsen, Heiko (23 February 2020). "Darko Churlinov und Lilian Egloff schnuppern Zweitligaluft". stuttgarter-nachrichten.de (in German). Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Darko Churlinov joins FC Schalke 04 on a season-long loan". Schalke 04. 18 August 2021.
  6. ^ "Macedonian internationals performances (20.08-23.08.2021)". macedonianfootball.com. 24 August 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Churlinov is a Claret". Burnley Football Club. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  8. ^ K., F. (20 August 2022). "Churlinov made his debut for Burnley in a tense game with six goals". Sloboden Pečat. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  9. ^ Scrafton, Matt (19 June 2023). "'Toughest month in my life': Burnley's Darko Churlinov provides positive update on his health scare". Burnley Express. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Darko Churlinov returns to FC Schalke 04". Schalke 04. 23 January 2024.
  11. ^ "CLUB CONFIRM RETAINED LIST | BurnleyFC". www.burnleyfootballclub.com. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  12. ^ "Darko Churlinov piłkarzem Jagiellonii" (in Polish). Jagiellonia Białystok. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Момент за историја: Дарко Чурлинов стана најмладиот дебитант во сениорската селекција!" [Moment for history: Darko Churlinov became the youngest debutant in the senior selection!]. gol.mk (in Macedonian). 28 March 2017.
  14. ^ "North Macedonia vs. Kazakhstan Match Report – Friday June 4, 2021". fbref.com. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Darko Churlinov » Club matches". World Football. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  16. ^ Darko Churlinov at National-Football-Teams.com  
  17. ^ "Darko Churlinov". EU football.info.
  18. ^ Long, Dan (25 April 2023). "Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Burnley: Vincent Kompany's Clarets clinch Championship title after Manuel Benson stunner". Sky Sports. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
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