Jaka Bijol (born 5 February 1999) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Premier League club Leeds United and the Slovenia national team. Initially a defensive midfielder, he switched to his current position in the 2021âÂÂ22 season.
On 22 June 2018, CSKA Moscow announced the signing of Bijol on a five-year contract from Rudar Velenje. On 18 September 2020, Bijol was loaned out to Hannover 96 for one year.
On 14 July 2022, Bijol was signed by Serie A club Udinese on a five-year contract for a reported transfer fee of over â¬4 million. In November 2023, he suffered a foot injury and was sidelined for over two months.
After three years with Udinese, for whom he made 90 league appearances and scored 4 goals, Bijol transferred to Premier League outfit Leeds United in June 2025, signing a five-year contract with The Whites. The transfer fee was reported at approximately â¬21 million, making him the second most expensive Slovenian footballer of all time, behind only Benjamin à  eà ¡ko.
On 13 October 2018, Bijol debuted with the Slovenia senior team in the 2018âÂÂ19 UEFA Nations League match against Norway, which Slovenia lost 1âÂÂ0. He scored his first goal in a friendly match against Croatia on 26 March 2022, scoring a stoppage-time goal to secure a 1âÂÂ1 draw.
Bijol represented Slovenia at UEFA Euro 2024, where he was selected by football statistics portal WhoScored in the best eleven of the tournament.
CSKA Moscow