Jan Oblak (born 7 January 1993) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and captains the Slovenia national team.
Oblak signed for Portuguese club Benfica at the age of 17, and was part of the team that won the domestic treble in the 2013–14 season. In 2014 he moved to Atlético Madrid for a fee of €16 million, becoming La Liga's most expensive goalkeeper at the time. In the 2015–16 season, he won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for best goalkeeper, conceding an all-time record low of 18 goals. He won the award again in the next three seasons, and two more in 2021 and 2025 for a record six trophies. Oblak was also nominated for the 2017 and 2018 Ballon d'Or awards, following his consistent performances with his club.
With over 500 appearances for Atlético Madrid, Oblak has won four trophies with the club, including the 2020–21 edition of La Liga.
Oblak made his senior international debut for Slovenia in 2012, and has been named Slovenian Footballer of the Year on nine occasions. He was also part of Slovenia's national youth teams, from the under-15 to under-21 sides. He represented the senior side at UEFA Euro 2024.
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Club career
Olimpija
Born in the Upper Carniolan town of Škofja Loka, Oblak started playing football at the age of five for his home town club Ločan. At the age of ten, he moved to the Olimpija youth academy, where he remained until the end of the 2004–05 season when the club was dissolved. He then moved to the newly founded Bežigrad, which, after a series of name changes, became Olimpija Ljubljana in 2008. The following year, Oblak rejected a contract from Italian club Empoli in favour of a trial at Fulham, but he eventually did not leave the club and committed his future with a contract extension until 2011. On 17 May 2009, Oblak, aged 16, made his professional debut for Olimpija Ljubljana in the 2008–09 Slovenian Second League in a 7–2 win against Mura 05. Olimpija Ljubljana earned promotion to PrvaLiga for the 2009–10 season as league winners. In the next season, Oblak was the team's main goalkeeper, only missing three league games as the club finished fourth in the league table.
Benfica
On 14 June 2010, Oblak signed a contract with Portuguese club Benfica, who loaned him to fellow top level club Beira-Mar in August 2010. He then joined Olhanense on loan in January 2011, until the end of the 2010–11 season.
Benfica loaned Oblak to another Portuguese team, União de Leiria, for the 2011–12 campaign. He made his league debut on 15 January 2012, in a 2–2 away draw against Nacional. On 29 April 2012, after most of the Leiria squad rescinded their contracts due to financial struggles within the club, Oblak was one of only eight players to take part in the league match at home against Feirense in an eventual 4–0 home defeat.
In July 2013, Oblak failed to present himself for pre-season training, claiming he had no contract with Benfica. Late into the following month, he signed a contract extension until 2018, describing the situation as a "misunderstanding."
After long-time starting goalkeeper Artur made a series of mistakes midway through the 2013–14 campaign, Benfica manager Jorge Jesus dropped him in favour of Oblak, and the latter went on to keep several clean sheets in his first starts, notably in a 2–0 home win against Porto and a 0–0 draw at Juventus in the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League. He eventually won the league's Best Goalkeeper of the Year award on 6 July 2014.
Atlético Madrid
On 16 July 2014, Atlético Madrid announced they had reached an agreement with Benfica for the transfer of Oblak, pending a medical examination. Atlético paid €16 million for the Slovenian player, making him the most expensive goalkeeper in La Liga history. Oblak moved to Madrid on a six-year deal as a replacement for Thibaut Courtois, who had returned to play for his parent club Chelsea following his loan expiration. During his presentation, on 22 July 2014, Oblak said, "I don't come to replace anyone. I come as another player. I'm here along with the rest of the players and goalkeepers. I'll do everything in my power to defend this shirt and achieve great results this season. I will do everything in my hand to help the team."
Oblak was an unused substitute in his first competitive fixture on 19 August 2014, the first leg of the 2014 Supercopa de España against Real Madrid, with Miguel Ángel Moyà playing instead. He made his debut on 16 September 2014, in a 3–2 defeat away to Olympiacos in Atlético's first Champions League group match of the season. His first clean sheet came in his first Copa del Rey match, a 3–0 win away to L'Hospitalet in the first leg of the last 32 on 3 December 2014. On 17 March 2015, he replaced the injured Moyà in the 23rd minute of a Champions League last 16 second leg against Bayer Leverkusen, and kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 home victory. The tie went to a penalty shoot-out, in which he saved Leverkusen's first attempt by Hakan Çalhanoğlu in an eventual triumph. Four days later, due to the injury, he made his league debut, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 home win over neighbours Getafe.
In February 2016, Oblak was rewarded with a contract extension through 2021 with a reported release clause of £77.5 million. On 3 May 2016, Oblak saved Thomas Müller's penalty at the Allianz Arena in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals; although Atlético lost the match 2–1, they advanced to the final on away goals. In the final, however, Atlético lost against Real Madrid 5–3 on penalties, with Oblak failing to save any of the five attempts. Despite this, he was included in the squad of the season of the 2015–16 Champions League. As the domestic season ended, he won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for best goalkeeper, having conceded 18 goals in 38 games, equalling the 22-year-old record of Deportivo de La Coruña's Francisco Liaño.
Oblak received attention on 15 March 2017, in a Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen, where he made three saves in succession to ensure a goalless draw and passage to the quarter-finals. He told UEFA's website: "These are things that happen. Sometimes you save three efforts and other times they score all three." He was again included in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League squad of the season and also won the second consecutive Ricardo Zamora Trophy. He was also shortlisted for the 2017 Ballon d'Or, where he finished 26th with 4 votes. On 28 January 2018, Oblak played his 100th league game for Atlético when he started the game against Las Palmas. In the 100 league games, he kept 59 clean sheets and conceded only 54 goals. In the 2018 UEFA Europa League Final, Oblak kept a clean sheet as his side won 3–0 against Olympique de Marseille, winning their third Europa League title in eight years. This was Oblak's first European title, having been a runner up twice before. As a result of his performances, he was included in the Europa League squad of the season. At the end of domestic season, he won the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for a third consecutive time, having conceded only 22 goals in 37 games. He was also awarded the La Liga Best Goalkeeper award for the third consecutive season, hence becoming the first goalkeeper to win the award three times. He was included into the 2018 Ballon d'Or shortlist again, this time receiving two votes as he finished 25th in the final list.
International career
Oblak was first called by the Slovenia under-21 team in August 2009, replacing the injured Jan Koprivec. He made his debut against France on 9 September of that year, in the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers.
On 11 September 2012, Oblak made his first appearance for the senior side, starting in a 2–1 away loss against Norway in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
He became the first-choice goalkeeper of the national team after the international retirement of Samir Handanović at the end of 2015; however, he took a break from his international duties during the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, due to an arm injury he had been battling at the time.
On 6 September 2019, Oblak captained Slovenia for the first time.
Style of play
Oblak is a tall, athletic, and physically fit keeper. He is mainly known for his speed, quick reflexes, and agility, as well as his reading of the game, and in particular, his excellent handling and ability to come off his line and collect crosses, which enables him to excel in the air and command his area effectively.
Personal life
Oblak was born to a Slovenian father, Matjaž Oblak, and a Bosnian Serb mother, Stojanka Majkić. His older sister, Teja Oblak (born 1990), is a professional basketball player and a member of the Slovenia national team.
Since 2023, Oblak is in a relationship with Serbian tennis player Olga Danilović.
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 9 September 2026
International
As of match played 7 June 2026
Honours
Olimpija Ljubljana
Slovenian Second League: 2008–09
Benfica
Primeira Liga: 2013–14
Taça de Portugal: 2013–14
Taça da Liga: 2013–14
Atlético Madrid
La Liga: 2020–21
Copa del Rey runner-up: 2025–26
Supercopa de España: 2014; runner-up: 2019–20
UEFA Europa League: 2017–18
UEFA Super Cup: 2018
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2015–16
Individual
Primeira Liga Best Goalkeeper: 2013–14
La Liga Zamora Trophy: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2024–25
La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16
UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2019–20
La Liga Best Goalkeeper: 2015–16
UEFA La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2017–18
Slovenian Footballer of the Year: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025