Macedonian footballer
Darko Churlinov (Macedonian: Дарко Чурлинов; born 11 July 2000) is a Macedonian professional footballer who plays as a winger for 2. Bundesliga club Schalke 04, on loan from Premier League club Burnley, and the North Macedonia national team.
Club career
Early career
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
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
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
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
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
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]
International career
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.[11] Churlinov scored his first international goal on 4 June 2021, in a friendly match against Kazakhstan.[12]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 3 February 2024[13]
International
- As of match played 17 November 2023.[14][15]
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
|
| Total |
22 |
4
|
Scores and results list North Macedonia's goal tally first.
Kazakhstan
Liechtenstein
Gibraltar
Malta
