Ljubicic on LASK spell: "It was really great for me"

In the summer of 2022, Marin Ljubicic moved on loan from Hajduk Split to LASK. The transfer of the Croatian attacker proved to be a success story.

With 35 goals and seven assists to his name, he moved on to Union Berlin in winter 2025. After his loan spell at Fortuna Düsseldorf, he is now a permanent part of the German Bundesliga club this season.

In an interview on Union Berlin's in-house YouTube channel, the 24-year-old Croat also reflected on his time at LASK.

The decision to leave his youth club on loan came on the day of the cup final: "I was really upset because at that point I had scored four goals and made an important contribution to the team's success. We were playing against Rijeka and still had one substitution left. I was the only one warming up, but the coach didn't bring me on. After that, I said to myself, 'Now I'm leaving. I can't do this anymore.' So I asked for a loan."

Ljubicic: "I realised I was the right fit there"

At LASK, he felt the club's trust from the very beginning. "From day one, I realised I was the right fit there. I started in the friendly matches, then in the ÖFB-Cup, and it just worked out. Everything I wanted happened. It was really a great time for me."

However, he experienced a "complete setback" with the red card in the Upper Austria derby against SV Ried after an act of foul play. At that moment, he felt like he "had let the club, the players, everyone down."

With his winning goal against SC Austria Lustenau, his time in Linz took a positive turn again, even though, much to the dismay of his friends from Split who had travelled specifically for the stadium opening, he wasn't in the starting eleven.

However, it was still to be a successful evening for the Croatian striker: "I came on, it was 0-0. Honestly, from the bench, I was hoping it would stay 0-0 so I could come on and take a penalty in the 94th minute. Normally, a few players were ahead of me to take the penalty. But in this one, I didn't care, even if it had been Cristiano Ronaldo. That one's mine. That's my ball."

Zulj advised him on Union move

With that self-confidence, he also converted the penalty. "And yes, I scored and pointed at them (Note: friends). They hugged me. It was an incredible feeling," recalls the 24-year-old Croat. The fact that he was "the first goalscorer in that stadium" also means a lot to him.

When the inquiry from Union Berlin came in, he sought advice from Robert Zulj, who himself played for the "Eisernen" (Iron Ones). "I mainly talked to Robert about it because we were very close in Linz. And when I told him about Union, he said: 'That's pretty much the best step you can take.' Because Berlin as a city and Union as a club - that's exactly the level where I can prove myself. He only said positive things about the club and the fans."

After his loan, Ljubicic knew that he had to prove himself from the start of the current season. According to his own assessment, he has succeeded well so far. Whether his chapter at Union Berlin will be as successful as his time at LASK remains to be seen. Currently, the 24-year-old Croat has two goals and one assist across all competitions.