# Duje Ćaleta-Car
**Duje Ćaleta-Car** (born 1996 in Šibenik, Croatia) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a center-back. Standing 1.93 m and weighing 89 kg, he has played for Red Bull Salzburg, Olympique de [Marseille](https://www.edgepedia.org/marseille), Southampton, Olympique Lyonnais, and [Real Sociedad](https://www.edgepedia.org/real-sociedad), and has been a Croatia international since 2018.[1](https://www.realsociedad.eus/en/team/player/real-sociedad/duje-caleta-car) • [2](https://hns.team/igraci/105445/duje-caleta-car/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996, Šibenik, Croatia; 1.93 m, 89 kg[1](https://www.realsociedad.eus/en/team/player/real-sociedad/duje-caleta-car) |
| Position | Centre-back (defender)[1](https://www.realsociedad.eus/en/team/player/real-sociedad/duje-caleta-car) |
| Senior clubs | Red Bull Salzburg, Marseille (joined 20 July 2018, €19M), Southampton (September 2022), Lyon (8 July 2024, €3.6M), Real Sociedad (loan, 2025–26)[3](https://www.scottishfootballrecords.com/player/duje-caleta-car) • [4](https://www.11v11.com/players/dulje-caleta-car-250129/) • [5](https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/players/duje-caletacar/transfer-history) • [6](https://as.com/futbol/primera/caleta-car-y-wesley-ponen-fin-a-su-etapa-en-la-real-sociedad-f202605-n/) |
| Croatia debut | 3 June 2018, friendly against Brazil; 38 caps and 1 goal for the national team[2](https://hns.team/igraci/105445/duje-caleta-car/) |
| World Cups | Youngest member of Croatia's squad at Russia 2018; named in the squad for the 2026 World Cup[7](https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/duje-caleta-car-croatia-interview) • [8](https://as.com/futbol/mundial/croacia-en-el-mundial-2026-convocatoria-lista-jugadores-grupo-y-calendario-f202606-n/) |
| Major honor | Copa del Rey winner with Real Sociedad, final won against Atlético de Madrid on 18 April 2026 in Seville[7](https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/duje-caleta-car-croatia-interview) |
## Salzburg and Marseille
Ćaleta-Car played for HNK Šibenik during his youth career before moving to Red Bull Salzburg, where he appeared in the [UEFA Europa League](https://www.edgepedia.org/uefa-europa-league) in the 2015–16 season.[4](https://www.11v11.com/players/dulje-caleta-car-250129/) On 20 July 2018, Marseille signed him from Salzburg for €19M.[3](https://www.scottishfootballrecords.com/player/duje-caleta-car)
He spent four years at Marseille. A 2020 profile in the GFFN 100 described him as a rare two-footed center-back whose distribution allowed him to initiate attacks with precise long passes to either flank, and noted that he had turned down a move away because he wanted to play in the Champions League with Marseille.[9](https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/assets/The-GFFN-100-2020-Mobile-Version.pdf) A 2021 scout report from Scouting Between The Lines described him as a powerful, ball-playing and mobile center-back with good pace and stamina, strong in 1v1 recovery situations and at defending set pieces.[10](https://scoutingbetweenthelines.wordpress.com/2021/06/24/scout-report-duje-caleta-car/)
## Southampton and Lyon
Ćaleta-Car joined [Southampton](https://www.edgepedia.org/southampton) in September 2022 on a four-year contract, in a transfer recorded at €10M on 1 September 2022.[4](https://www.11v11.com/players/dulje-caleta-car-250129/) • [3](https://www.scottishfootballrecords.com/player/duje-caleta-car) In the 2022–23 season he made 19 appearances totaling 1,466 minutes for Southampton across three competitions.[11](https://fbref.com/en/players/94f8d10c/all_comps/Duje-Caleta-Car-Stats---All-Competitions)
On 8 July 2024, Southampton transferred him to Lyon for €3.6M.[5](https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/players/duje-caletacar/transfer-history) In the 2024–25 season he made 19 appearances (1,585 minutes) for Lyon, scoring once and receiving nine yellow cards.[12](https://theanalyst.com/players/3472/duje-caleta-car/career)
## Real Sociedad and the Copa del Rey
Real Sociedad announced his loan from Lyon on 1 August 2025, with a non-mandatory purchase option of €3M, to fill the gap left by [Nayef Aguerd](https://www.edgepedia.org/nayef-aguerd) in Sergio Francisco's squad.[6](https://as.com/futbol/primera/caleta-car-y-wesley-ponen-fin-a-su-etapa-en-la-real-sociedad-f202605-n/) • [13](https://as.com/futbol/primera/caleta-car-el-refuerzo-de-esta-temporada-con-mas-minutos-y-el-que-mas-dudas-deja-f202511-n/) He started in nine of the first ten league matchdays and, by November 2025, was the season's signing with the most minutes, though he gradually lost his place to the 19-year-old academy player Jon Martín.[13](https://as.com/futbol/primera/caleta-car-el-refuerzo-de-esta-temporada-con-mas-minutos-y-el-que-mas-dudas-deja-f202511-n/) Across all competitions in 2025–26 he made 32 appearances for 2,628 minutes, scoring once.[11](https://fbref.com/en/players/94f8d10c/all_comps/Duje-Caleta-Car-Stats---All-Competitions)
The season ended with silverware: Real Sociedad beat Atlético de Madrid in the [Copa del Rey](https://www.edgepedia.org/copa-del-rey) final at Stadium La Cartuja in Seville on 18 April 2026.[7](https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/duje-caleta-car-croatia-interview) On 25 May 2026 the club announced his departure, the loan having ended without the purchase option being exercised; in a farewell interview he said he had wanted to stay, calling the season a success that brought a title and a return to Europe.[6](https://as.com/futbol/primera/caleta-car-y-wesley-ponen-fin-a-su-etapa-en-la-real-sociedad-f202605-n/) • [14](https://as.com/futbol/primera/caleta-car-queria-seguir-en-la-real-f202606-n/)
## Croatia
Ćaleta-Car made his senior debut for Croatia on 3 June 2018 in a friendly against Brazil, and was the youngest member of Croatia's squad at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, sharing a dressing room with [Luka Modrić](https://www.edgepedia.org/luka-modric), Ivan Rakitić, and [Mario Mandžukić](https://www.edgepedia.org/mario-mandzukic).[2](https://hns.team/igraci/105445/duje-caleta-car/) • [7](https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/duje-caleta-car-croatia-interview) His national-team record with Croatia stands at 38 caps and 1 goal, with 20 wins, 7 draws, and 11 defeats.[2](https://hns.team/igraci/105445/duje-caleta-car/)
Eight years after Russia, he remains part of the national setup. Coach [Zlatko Dalić](https://www.edgepedia.org/zlatko-dalic) named him in Croatia's 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada, and the United States, where Croatia plays in Group L against England, Panama, and Ghana from 11 June to 19 July 2026.[8](https://as.com/futbol/mundial/croacia-en-el-mundial-2026-convocatoria-lista-jugadores-grupo-y-calendario-f202606-n/) • [15](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/05/18/luka-modric-jugara-su-quinto-mundial-el-ex-del-real-madrid-ahora-en-el-ac-milan-lidera-la-lista-de-convocados-de-croacia-cadena-ser/) In a FIFA interview published in May 2026, he credited his development to learning from Modrić and [Ivan Perišić](https://www.edgepedia.org/ivan-perisic) and described the squad's aim of keeping Croatian fans dreaming.[7](https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/duje-caleta-car-croatia-interview)
## Playing style
Scouting assessments converge on a ball-playing profile. The GFFN 100 highlighted his two-footedness and long-range passing accuracy as the traits that let Marseille build from the back through him.[9](https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/assets/The-GFFN-100-2020-Mobile-Version.pdf) The 2021 scout report added strong heading technique, pace, stamina, and set-piece defending, noting that Marseille's controlled, possession-based style suited his skill set.[10](https://scoutingbetweenthelines.wordpress.com/2021/06/24/scout-report-duje-caleta-car/) In 2025–26 with Real Sociedad his passing accuracy reached 90.6% across 1,358 passes, and he ranked in the 78th percentile among top-five-league center-backs for duel win rate (58.0%) and the 82nd percentile for headers per 90.[16](https://torlytics.de/vergleich/spieler/diego-carlos-vs-duje-caleta-car)
## References
1. [Duje Ćaleta-Car, Real Sociedad official player profile](https://www.realsociedad.eus/en/team/player/real-sociedad/duje-caleta-car)
2. [Duje Ćaleta-Car, Hrvatski nogometni savez (Croatian Football Federation)](https://hns.team/igraci/105445/duje-caleta-car/)
3. [Duje Ćaleta-Car career and transfers, Scottish Football Records](https://www.scottishfootballrecords.com/player/duje-caleta-car)
4. [Duje Caleta-Car player statistics, 11v11](https://www.11v11.com/players/dulje-caleta-car-250129/)
5. [Duje Caleta-Car transfer history, FootballTransfers](https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/players/duje-caletacar/transfer-history)
6. [Caleta-Car y Wesley ponen fin a su etapa en la Real Sociedad, AS](https://as.com/futbol/primera/caleta-car-y-wesley-ponen-fin-a-su-etapa-en-la-real-sociedad-f202605-n/)
7. [Caleta-Car: We want Croatia fans to keep dreaming, FIFA](https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/worldcup/canadamexicousa2026/articles/duje-caleta-car-croatia-interview)
8. [Croacia en el Mundial 2026: convocatoria, lista, jugadores, grupo y calendario, AS](https://as.com/futbol/mundial/croacia-en-el-mundial-2026-convocatoria-lista-jugadores-grupo-y-calendario-f202606-n/)
9. [The GFFN 100 (2020), Get French Football News](https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/assets/The-GFFN-100-2020-Mobile-Version.pdf)
10. [Scout Report: Duje Ćaleta-Car, Scouting Between The Lines (2021)](https://scoutingbetweenthelines.wordpress.com/2021/06/24/scout-report-duje-caleta-car/)
11. [Duje Ćaleta-Car Stats, All Competitions, FBref](https://fbref.com/en/players/94f8d10c/all_comps/Duje-Caleta-Car-Stats---All-Competitions)
12. [Duje Caleta-Car Career History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/players/3472/duje-caleta-car/career)
13. [Caleta-Car, el refuerzo de esta temporada con más minutos, AS](https://as.com/futbol/primera/caleta-car-el-refuerzo-de-esta-temporada-con-mas-minutos-y-el-que-mas-dudas-deja-f202511-n/)
14. [Caleta-Car: "Quería seguir en la Real", AS](https://as.com/futbol/primera/caleta-car-queria-seguir-en-la-real-f202606-n/)
15. [Luka Modric jugará su quinto Mundial, Cadena SER](https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2026/05/18/luka-modric-jugara-su-quinto-mundial-el-ex-del-real-madrid-ahora-en-el-ac-milan-lidera-la-lista-de-convocados-de-croacia-cadena-ser/)
16. [Diego Carlos vs. Duje Ćaleta-Car comparison, Torlytics](https://torlytics.de/vergleich/spieler/diego-carlos-vs-duje-caleta-car)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Men's footballers of continental Europe › Croatian footballers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license