| Erik Janža | |
| Upright: | 0.8 |
| Birth Date: | 1993 6, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Murska Sobota, Slovenia[1] |
| Height: | 1.75 m[2] |
| Position: | Left-back |
| Currentclub: | Górnik Zabrze |
| Clubnumber: | 64 |
| Youthclubs1: | Puconci[3] |
| Youthyears2: | 2007–2012 |
| Youthclubs2: | Mura 05 |
| Years1: | 2010–2013 |
| Clubs1: | Mura 05 |
| Caps1: | 76 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
| Years2: | 2013–2015 |
| Clubs2: | Domžale |
| Caps2: | 66 |
| Goals2: | 4 |
| Years3: | 2015–2016 |
| Clubs3: | Maribor |
| Caps3: | 33 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Years4: | 2017–2018 |
| Clubs4: | Viktoria Plzeň |
| Caps4: | 3 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Years5: | 2017–2018 |
| Clubs5: | → Pafos (loan) |
| Caps5: | 33 |
| Goals5: | 2 |
| Years6: | 2018–2019 |
| Clubs6: | Osijek |
| Caps6: | 19 |
| Goals6: | 0 |
| Years7: | 2019– |
| Clubs7: | Górnik Zabrze |
| Caps7: | 166 |
| Goals7: | 3 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2009 |
| Nationalteam1: | Slovenia U16 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 1 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2010 |
| Nationalteam2: | Slovenia U18 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2011–2012 |
| Nationalteam3: | Slovenia U19 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 18 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 1 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2011–2013 |
| Nationalteam4: | Slovenia U20 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 0 |
| Nationalyears5: | 2013–2014 |
| Nationalteam5: | Slovenia U21 |
| Nationalcaps5: | 9 |
| Nationalgoals5: | 0 |
| Nationalyears6: | 2014– |
| Nationalteam6: | Slovenia |
| Nationalcaps6: | 19 |
| Nationalgoals6: | 3 |
| Club-Update: | 29 November 2024 |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 17 November 2024 |
Erik Janža (born 21 June 1993) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Górnik Zabrze, which he captains, and the Slovenia national team.
Janža started his senior career with Mura 05 in 2010. With Mura 05, he reached the play-off round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, where the club were eliminated by Lazio.[4] In January 2013, he joined Domžale,[5] followed by Maribor in January 2015,[6] with whom he won both the Slovenian League and Slovenian Cup titles.[2]
In January 2017, Janža moved abroad to join Czech side Viktoria Plzeň,[7] and was subsequently loaned out to Cypriot club Pafos.[8] In July 2018, he transferred to Croatian side Osijek.[9]
On 28 June 2019, he signed a two-year contract with Polish Ekstraklasa club Górnik Zabrze.[10] On 21 November 2021, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 win over Legia Warszawa.[11] He became the club's captain ahead of the 2022–23 season. On 15 June 2024, Janža extended his contract with Górnik Zabrze until 2026.[12]
Janža represented Slovenia at youth international levels from under-16 to under-21.
He made his debut for the senior national team on 18 November 2014, in a 1–0 friendly defeat against Colombia.[13] On 14 October 2023, he scored his first international goal in a 3–0 victory over Finland during the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying.[14]
On 7 June 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.[15] In the opening match, Janža scored the equalizer in a 1–1 draw against Denmark, which was Slovenia's first goal at the European Championship since their last participation 24 years ago.[16]
| Season | League | National cup | Continental | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| 2010–11 | Slovenian Second League | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 26 | 1 | |||
| 2011–12 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |||
| Total | 76 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 86 | 1 | |||
| Domžale | 2012–13 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | 35 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 4 | |||
| 2014–15 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 66 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 72 | 4 | |||
| Maribor | 2014–15 | Slovenian PrvaLiga | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2016–17 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |||
| Total | 33 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |||
| Viktoria Plzeň | 2016–17 | Czech First League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Pafos (loan) | 2017–18 | Cypriot First Division | 33 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 38 | 3 | ||
| Osijek | 2018–19 | Croatian First League | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | |
| Górnik Zabrze | 2019–20 | Ekstraklasa | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 34 | 1 | ||||
| 2022–23 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 35 | 2 | ||||
| 2023–24 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | ||||
| 2024–25 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 166 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 175 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 396 | 10 | 29 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 441 | 11 | |||
Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Janža goal.[17]
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 October 2023 | Stožice Stadium, Ljubljana, Slovenia | 4 | 3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | ||
| 2 | 17 November 2023 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark | 6 | 1–1 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying | ||
| 3 | 16 June 2024 | MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany | 11 | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 |
Maribor