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Pavol Šafranko

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Pavol Šafranko
Personal information
Date of birth (1994-11-16) 16 November 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth Stropkov, Slovakia
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
 Sabah
Number 18
Youth career
–2011 Tesla Stropkov
2011–2013 Tatran Prešov
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2013–2016 Tatran Prešov 54 (17)
2016 → ŽP Šport Podbrezová (loan) 32 (5)
2017 DAC Dunajská Streda 16 (6)
2017–2019 AaB 30 (2)
2018–2019 → Dundee United (loan) 33 (12)
2019–2021 Sepsi OSK 67 (17)
2021–2022 Mamelodi Sundowns 16 (5)
2022–2024 Sepsi OSK 66 (13)
2024– Sabah 7 (2)
International career
2015–2017 Slovakia U21 15 (4)
2017–2020 Slovakia 10 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 September 2024

Pavol Šafranko (born 16 November 1994) is a Slovak professional footballer who plays as a forward for Azerbaijan Premier League club Sabah.

Club career

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Tatran Prešov

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Born in Stropkov, eastern Slovakia, Šafranko began his football career in the local club Tesla Stropkov, whose senior side only plays in lower regional divisions of the Slovakian league system. He later transferred to Slovakia's oldest club, and the biggest one in Prešov Region, Tatran Prešov, where he spent two years in the youth teams. After graduation from the academy, he made a competitive debut for Tatran in a II. liga fixture against Spartak Trnava B, in a 7–0 victory, in the first round on 20 July 2013. He came on in the 82nd minute as a substitute for Peter Nworah. Overall, in his first season in senior football, he made 18 appearances, but made it to the starting line-up only once, again against Spartak Trnava B, on 6 October 2013.[citation needed]

ŽP Šport Podbrezová

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In the next one and a half season he spent in Prešov, Šafranko played 38 games and scored 20 goals. These good performances got him transferred to ŽP Šport Podbrezová, who was a top division club, despite being a village of just over 4,000 people. Šafranko made a Fortuna liga debut on 27 February 2016, in a 1–0 home win over Senica. Unlike his premier season at Tatran, Šafranko immediately became a starting line-up player, although he only scored a single goal against Zemplín Michalovce (2–0 win) on 2 April 2016. In the autumn period of the 2016–17 Fortuna liga he however scored 4 in 18 games, attracting the attention of an ambitious club from the upper half of the table DAC Dunajská Streda, to which he transferred in January 2017.[1]

DAC 1904 Dunajská Streda

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After he only spent roughly half a year in DAC, but managed to score 6 goals in 17 competitive games, Šafranko was transferred to his first international club. On 21 August 2017 it was announced that he joins Aalborg, playing in the Superligaen.[citation needed]

AaB Aalborg

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In Aalborg, Šafranko joined his two fellow countrymen: young defensive midfielder Filip Lesniak, a grandson of then Slovakia national team's coach Ján Kozák and a former international Jakub Sylvestr. In his first fixture, he made it to the starting line-up immediately, playing against Aarhus in a goal-less tie on 26 August 2017. Despite the fact that he played mostly as a center-forward, Šafranko only scored two goals in 28 games and his play-time dropped as the season progressed.

Loan at Dundee United

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Consequently, after the initial rounds of 2018–19 season, Šafranko was sent on a loan to Scottish Championship side, Dundee United.[2] In Scotland, Šafranko made a notable impression soon after his arrival. He scored the second goal in a 2–1 win, in his debut match, against Queen of the South and before the end of the calendar year, he scored 7 further goals, most in September and October. Even in 2019, Šafranko continued to be fruitful, scoring 6 further goals (2 in the SFA Cup), some in the final decisive rounds of the main part of the season, which saw Dundee United finish second, 6 points behind Ross County, but managing to qualify to the Premiership relegation play-off. In March 2019, Šafranko was called up for first competitive fixtures of Slovak national team, after his performances and made a competitive debut too. In May's play-offs, Dundee United managed to overcome Inverness in the semi-finals, with Šafranko scoring one of four goals in the two-leg fixture. However, in the final of the play-off against St. Mirren after, two goal-less times, in the decisive penalty shoot-out, Šafranko's penalty was saved by Václav Hladký and Dundee United lost the shoot-out 3–1. Before the play-offs Šafranko had stated, that he intends to win a promotion for Dundee United.[3]

After the season concluded, it was reported that Scottish Premiership's leading sides have shown interest in Šafranko, who tallied a total of 15 goals in 40 games in the season, with Rangers and Aberdeen being named. The latter were apparently prepared to offer a transfer during the winter transfer window, however as Šafranko had already played for Aalborg and Dundee United that season, he would have been ineligible to play. Nonetheless, after this successful season, it was reported that Aalborg had requested a transfer fee of £1m, as Šafranko was still bound by a year of contract.[4]

Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe

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On 1 August 2019 AaB announced, that they had sold Šafranko to Romanian Sepsi OSK.[5]

Sabah

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On 9 July 2024, Šafranko signed two-year contract with Sabah.[6]

International career

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Šafranko was first called up to the senior national team for two friendly fixtures held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in January 2017 versus Uganda and Sweden. Safranko made his debut versus Uganda, being fielded in the 85th minute, when he substituted Filip Oršula.[7] Slovakia went on to lose the game 3–1. Šafranko also played the initial 60 minutes of Slovak 6–0 defeat to Sweden on 12 January 2017 before being replaced by another striker Tomáš Malec.[8]

Šafranko's first call-up for a competitive international fixture came over two years later, when he was nominated by Pavel Hapal, on 12 March 2019, for a double UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying fixture against Hungary and Wales.[9] He was nominated to replace Adam Nemec, who was a long-term center-forward in the national team, but retired from international football earlier in February 2019.[10] He was fielded in the first match against Hungary, on 21 March 2019, in Trnava, marking his competitive debut in the Slovak senior national team. He was fielded in the 88th minute, when he replaced Ondrej Duda, who scored the first goal of the match in 42nd minute and assisted Rusnák's goal in the 85th minute. Slovakia won the match 2–0.[11] Šafranko however did not play in Slovakia's 0–1 away loss to Wales.

Career Statistics

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As of matches played on 3 May 2024[12]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Tatran Prešov 2013–14 2. Liga 18 0 2 0 — — 20 0
2014–15 21 11 1 0 — — 22 11
2015–16 15 6 2 3 — — 17 9
Total 54 17 5 3 — — 59 20
Železiarne Podbrezová (loan) 2015–16 Fortuna Liga 14 1 0 0 — — 14 1
2016–17 18 4 2 0 — — 20 4
Total 32 5 2 0 — — 34 5
DAC 1904 2016–17 Fortuna Liga 12 6 1 0 — — 13 6
2017–18 4 0 0 0 — — 4 0
Total 16 6 1 0 — — 17 6
AaB 2017–18 Superligaen 28 2 2 0 — — 30 2
2018–19 2 0 0 0 — — 2 0
Total 30 2 2 0 — — 32 2
Dundee United (loan) 2018–19 Scottish Championship 33 12 3 2 — 4[b] 1 40 15
Sepsi OSK 2019–20 Liga I 34 8 4 0 — — 38 8
2020–21 33 9 1 0 — 1[c] 0 35 9
Total 67 17 5 0 — 1 0 73 17
Mamelodi Sundowns 2021–22 South African Premier Division 16 5 4 3 5[d] 0 3[e] 1 28 9
Sepsi OSK 2022–23 Liga I 30 5 6 2 — — 36 7
2023–24 36 8 3 0 6 0 1[f] 0 46 8
Total 66 13 9 2 6 0 1 0 82 15
Career total 314 77 31 10 11 0 9 2 365 89
  1. ^ Includes Slovak Cup, Danish Cup, Scottish Cup, Cupa României
  2. ^ Appearances in Scottish Premiership play-offs
  3. ^ Appearance in Liga I play-offs for UEFA Europa Conference League
  4. ^ Appearances in CAF Champions League
  5. ^ Appearances in MTN 8
  6. ^ Appearance in Supercupa României

International

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As of match played on 11 November 2020.[13]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Slovakia 2017 2 0
2018 0 0
2019 4 0
2020 4 0
Total 10 0

Honours

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Mamelodi Sundowns

Sepsi OSK

References

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  1. ^ "Šafranko definitívne hráčom DAC: Najlepší radca bol Huk | ProFutbal.sk". profutbal.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  2. ^ s, SPORT SK, s r o & Ringier Axel Springer Slovakia a. "Pavol Šafranko po roku mení pôsobisko, odchádza na hosťovanie do Dundee United". Šport.sk. Retrieved 30 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Roache, Ian. "Pavol Safranko wants to win promotion with Dundee United and then sort out his future". The Courier. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Blow for Dundee United as Aalborg want £1m for Pavol Safranko with Rangers and Aberdeen also interested". Evening Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  5. ^ Safranko solgt til Sepsi, aabsport.dk, 1 August 2019
  6. ^ "Xoş gəldin, Pavol!". facebook.com/sabahfc.az/ (in Azerbaijani). Sabah FC Facebook. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Slovensko - Uganda 1:3 | Slovenský futbalový zväz". www.futbalsfz.sk. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  8. ^ a.s, Petit Press. "Tréner Kozák po zápase: Prehrať 0:6, to je na takejto úrovni niečo strašné". sport.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  9. ^ a.s, Petit Press. "Hapal zverejnil nomináciu proti Maďarsku a Walesu, prekvapil pár menami". sport.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  10. ^ a.s, Petit Press. "Národný tím opúšťa kapitán a najväčší šéf. Som smutný, tvrdí Hapal". sport.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  11. ^ a.s, Petit Press. "Očakávaná zostava, spoľahliví Škriniar i Hamšík. Slováci splnili plán". sport.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  12. ^ "P. Šafranko". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Safranko, Pavol". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
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