Robert Berić (born 17 June 1991) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai. In the 2014–15 season, he ranked 11th in the European Golden Shoe award.

Club career

Berić began his career at the age of five in Krško youth teams before being promoted to their main squad in the 2007–08 season. In 2008, he signed for Interblock. He made his debut at Interblock as a substitute in a 2–1 away victory over Drava Ptuj. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–0 win over Primorje on 7 December 2008. In total, he played 34 games for Interblock in the Slovenian first division, scoring 12 goals. In August 2010, Berić joined Maribor together with his teammate Josip Iličić, signing a four-year contract. In June 2013, he moved to Sturm Graz for a reported fee of €1 million. In the 2013–14 season, he amassed 10 goals and 11 assists. In 2014, he left Sturm Graz for league rivals Rapid Wien. The transfer fee was estimated at between €700,000 and 800,000. In his first season, he became the league's second best goalscorer with 27 goals in 33 appearances, which earned him 11th place in the European Golden Shoe award.

Saint-Étienne

On 31 August 2015, Berić joined Saint-Étienne on a four-year deal while the transfer fee paid to Rapid Wien was reported as €6 or 7.5 million. He quickly established himself in the starting lineup and began scoring goals for the club in both the Ligue 1 and the UEFA Europa League campaigns. However, on 8 November 2015 during an away Ligue 1 match against Lyon, Berić suffered a knee injury which sidelined him for the rest of the season. During his time at Saint-Étienne, Berić received the nickname "Terminator". On 30 August 2017, Berić joined Anderlecht on a one-year loan. Saint-Étienne recalled Berić from his loan spell at Anderlecht on 1 January 2018. On 22 April 2018, Berić came off the bench at the start of the second half and scored twice as Saint-Étienne came from behind to beat Troyes 2–1 in a home Ligue 1 match. On 18 May 2019, Berić scored twice as Saint-Étienne defeated Nice 3–0 in a home Ligue 1 match to secure a top-four finish and qualification for the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League.

Chicago Fire

On 18 January 2020, Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire announced that it had acquired Berić via a transfer deal from Saint-Étienne, and that he had signed for the club as a Designated Player. Berić scored in his debut against Seattle Sounders FC, but Chicago lost 2–1. Following the 2021 season, Berić had his contract option declined by Chicago and left the club.

Tianjin Jinmen Tiger

In April 2022, Berić signed with Chinese Super League club Tianjin Jinmen Tiger.

Changchun Yatai

In February 2024, Berić joined fellow Chinese Super League club Changchun Yatai. On 1 March, he made his debut and scored his first goal for Yatai in a 4–2 away defeat against Shandong Taishan.

International career

Berić made his debut for Slovenia in a November 2012 friendly match away against Macedonia and earned a total of 25 caps, scoring 2 goals. His final international was an October 2019 European Championship qualification match against Austria.

Career statistics

Club

International