Playing position 1998–2000 Lokomotiva Vinkovci Name Duje Cop Height 1.87 m Date joined 2012 Siblings Ivan Cop | Number 20 2000–2002 HNK Cibalia Role Footballer Weight 73 kg Parents Ivanija Cop, Davor Cop | |
Date of birth (1990-02-01) 1 February 1990 (age 25) Place of birth Vinkovci, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia Current teams Malaga CF (#20 / Forward), Croatia national football team (Forward) | ||
The Interview: Duje Cop, Sporting de Gijón player
Duje Čop (born 1 February 1990) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Sporting de Gijón on loan from Cagliari.
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Hajduk Split / Nacional
Čop turned professional in 2007–08 at only age 17, helping local Hajduk Split finish fifth in the top division. In his first professional season with Hajduk, he made 15 appearances and scored 2 goals. In July 2008, at the end of the season, he joined Nacional in Portugal.
Scarcely used during his only season in Madeira (174 minutes in official games), Čop made his Primeira Liga debut on 24 January 2009 in a 1–1 home draw against Sporting Clube de Portugal. On 6 April, he scored his only goal in Portuguese football, replacing Mateus in added time away to Rio Ave and concluding a 3–0 win.
He subsequently returned to Hajduk, being sparingly used over the course of two campaigns.
RNK Split
In July 2011, Čop terminated his contract with Hajduk and signed a four-year deal with neighbouring RNK Split. He made his debut for the team in a UEFA Europa League qualifying match against Slovenian side Domžale, scoring a goal in the away win. He also netted another goal against the same side in the second leg.
Dinamo Zagreb
In June 2012, he moved to defending champions GNK Dinamo Zagreb. He started the season with a goal against Sheriff Tiraspol in UEFA Champions League qualifying match at the Maksimir Stadium. He scored another important goal on Dinamo Zagreb road to 2012–13 Champions League, in the play-off match against Maribor. He made six appearances in the competition's group stage. On 18 February 2013, he scored his first hat-trick for Dinamo Zagreb in a derby match against Rijeka. He finished as the 2013–14 Prva HNL top goalscorer with 22 goals.
Cagliari Calcio
On 11 January 2015, Čop transferred to Italian club Cagliari. Three days later, he made his debut for them, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 loss away to Parma in the round of 16 of the 2014–15 Coppa Italia. On 24 January, he scored his first goal in Serie A, the winner in a 2–1 home triumph over Sassuolo, as a substitute for Samuele Longo. On 26 April, he scored twice as the relegation-threatened Sardinians won 3–1 at Fiorentina; he totalled four goals from 16 appearances as the season ended with descent.
On 16 July 2015, he moved to Málaga on a season-long loan deal. He made his La Liga debut on 21 August, starting as the campaign began with a goalless home draw against fellow Andalusians Sevilla. On 13 December, Čop scored his first goal for the Boquerones, an 87th-minute winner in a 2–1 victory at Rayo Vallecano. On the same day, he threatened to leave if his playing time would not increase.
In summer 2016, he was loaned to Sporting de Gijón. On 26 November, he missed a penalty in a 2–1 away loss against Real Madrid.
International career
Čop made his senior international debut for Croatia on 4 September 2014, replacing Luka Modrić for the final 30 minutes of a 3–0 friendly win over Cyprus in Pula.
He made one appearance in Croatia's successful qualification campaign for UEFA Euro 2016; against Bulgaria on 10 October 2015, he came on for Marko Pjaca at the same mark and was sent off at the end of a 3–0 win for a foul on Strahil Popov.
Čop was part of Croatia's Euro 2016 squad and made his UEFA European Championship debut in 2–1 group stage win against defending champions Spain. He scored his first international goal in a 3–0 friendly win over Northern Ireland on 15 November 2016.
Personal life
Čop's father Davor was also a footballer and a forward. He played for six seasons with Hajduk Split in the 1970s and '80s.