Mateo Bajamich (Croatian: Bajamić, pronounced [matěo bǎjamitɕ];[2][3] born 3 August 1999) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a winger. He can also play as a striker.[4]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1999-08-03) 3 August 1999 (age 23) | ||
| Place of birth | Morrison, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Winger[1] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Unión de Morrison | |||
| 2016–2018 | Instituto | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2020 | Instituto | 28 | (10) |
| 2020–2022 | Houston Dynamo | 9 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | → Instituto (loan) | 8 | (2) |
| 2022 | → Huracán (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:59, 19 May 2022 (UTC) | |||
Bajamich's career started with Instituto Atlético Central Córdoba, joining in 2016 from his local club Unión de Morrison.[5] Ahead of the 2018–19 Primera B Nacional season, Bajamich was promoted to the Instituto first team.[6][7] He made his Instituto debut on 23 February 2019, coming on as a substitute in a 3–2 defeat to Nueva Chicago.[8] Bajamich was a late addition to the match day squad after Facundo Affranchino was injured in the pre-match warm up.[9] He had previously been an unused substitute in 2018 for matches with Villa Dálmine and Arsenal de Sarandí.[10][11] Bajamich made his first start in senior football in a 1–0 loss against Guillermo Brown on 3 March 2019.[12] On 21 April, he scored his first professional goal in the final match of the season in a 1–1 draw against Gimnasia y Esgrima (M).[13] Bajamich and Instituto finished the 2018–19 season 22nd in the league table.[14] After the season, he signed a contract with Instituto lasting until 2022.[15]
Bajamich netted four goals in his first five games to start the 2019–20 season, including a brace in a 3–0 win at Brown de Adrogué on 14 September 2019.[12][16] He scored twice again on 9 November in a 2–0 win against Santamarina.[17] On 15 March Bajamich scored once to help La Gloria defeat Tigre 3–0.[12][18] That would end up being the final game of the season for Instituto as the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] Bajamich ended the season with 9 goals and 3 assists from 21 games, helping Instituto finish 9th in group B.[20][21][22]
On 5 October 2020, Bajamich joined the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer.[21] The transfer fee is reportedly $1,200,000, with Instituto receiving 20% of his next sale.[23][24] The contract with Houston lasts until 2022, with the Dynamo having team options until 2025.[21] His option was declioned by Houston following the 2022 season.
On 9 November 2020, Bajamich was loaned back to Instituto until 21 January, 2021, prior to the start of Houston's pre-season.[25] He scored on his first appearance back, netting the opener in a 2–1 victory over Chacarita Juniors on 28 November.[20] He scored again on 27 December in a 1–1 draw against Gimnasia y Esgrima (J).[20] Bajamich made a total of eight appearances on loan, scoring twice, as Instituto lost in the first round of the promotion play-offs to Defensores de Belgrano.[20]
Bajamich made his Dynamo debut on 15 May 2021, coming off the bench in a 3–1 loss to the Colorado Rapids.[26] He recorded his first assist for the Dynamo on 29 May in a 3–2 loss to Sporting Kansas City.[26] Bajamich ended the season with 1 assist in 9 appearances, as Houston finished last in the Western Conference, missing out on the playoffs.[26][27]
On 28 January 2022, Bajamich was again loaned out by Houston. He returned to Argentina joining Huracán on loan for the season with Huracán holding a purchase option.[28]
Born in Argentina, Bajamich is of Croatian descent.[29] In 1921, his great-grandfather Mariano Bajamich (Croatian: Marin Bajamić) left Trnbusi, Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia) and moved to Argentina where he married a Spaniard named Carmen. Bajamich expressed his desire to play for the Croatian national team. In 2020, he received the Croatian citizenship.[30]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[lower-alpha 1] | League Cup[lower-alpha 2] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Instituto | 2018–19 | Primera B Nacional | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | 21 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 22 | 9 | ||||
| Total | 28 | 10 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 10 | ||||
| Houston Dynamo | 2020 | Major League Soccer | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2021 | 9 | 0 | — | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Instituto (loan) | 2020 | Primera B Nacional | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 45 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 12 | ||
Matèo
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