Robert Koren
Personal information
Full name	Robert Koren
Date of birth	20 September 1980 (1980-09-20) (age 29)
Place of birth	Ljubljana, Slovenia
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Attacking Midfielder
Club information
Current club	West Bromwich Albion
Number	7
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1996–2001 2001–2004 2004–2007 2007–	Dravograd NK Publikum Lillestrøm West Bromwich Albion	129 (17) 078 (22) 075 (19) 106 (13)
National team2
2001–2002 2003–	Slovenia U21 Slovenia	012 0(1) 044 0(4)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:17, 9 November 2009 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 21:15, 19 November 2009 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Robert Koren (born 20 September 1980) is a Slovenian football midfielder who currently plays for West Bromwich Albion in the English Football League Championship.

[edit] Career

Koren played for Publikum, Dravograd and Radlje in his home country, before transferring to Norwegian side Lillestrøm in 2004. He became one of the most highly rated players of the Norwegian Premier League, many regarding him as the best foreigner in the entire competition. Koren was the definitive playmaker for Lillestrøm, and has often been compared to his former idol Zlatko Zahovič. During his time in Norway he was linked with moves to English clubs Leeds United and Manchester City.

On January 4, 2007, Koren signed for English Championship club West Bromwich Albion in a Bosman ruling, penning an 18 month contract with a further year's option in the club's favour.^[1] He made his debut two days later as a late substitute in the Baggies' 3–1 win over Leeds United in the FA Cup 3rd round. Koren scored his first goal for the club in a 7–0 home win against Barnsley on 6 May, 2007, the last day of the league season. The victory ensured Albion's place in the Championship promotion playoffs. Koren started all three playoff games as Albion beat Wolves in the two-legged semi-final but lost 1–0 to Derby County in the Wembley final.

In July 2007 Koren suffered a freak accident in training when a ball hit him in the eye, causing internal bleeding and temporary loss of vision. Although he made a full recovery, he later admitted that he had feared for his sight.^[2][3] The injury meant that he missed the start of the 2007–08 season, but he returned to the side at the end of August as a substitute in a League Cup game against Peterborough. In mid-September he signed a new two-year contract at Albion, with a further year's option in the club's favour.^[4] He has been described by former West Brom manager Tony Mowbray as a "model pro".^[5] Koren's two goals in Albion's 3–2 defeat away at Southampton in October 2007 earned him a place in the Championship Team of the Week.^[6] Koren scored his first Premier League goal on 17 January 2009 and was named man of the match as Albion beat Middlesbrough 3–0. His goal in Albion's 2–2 draw with Burnley in the FA Cup earned him the ITV goal of the round.^[7]

In the 2008/09 premier league season, Koren proved his reliability and consistency by making the most appearances of the season for an outfield player at West Brom, only appearing less times than goalkeeper Scott Carson.^[8]

Koren has been capped 44 times for Slovenia, scoring two goals, and played 12 matches for their under-21 team. He was named as his country's captain prior to their 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.^[9] He led his side through to the playoffs^[10], where they beat Russia to reach the World Cup finals. They have been drawn into the same group as England, the country in which he currently plays.^[11]

[edit] Personal life

Koren is married and has two sons, Nal and Tian. ^[12] Koren's interests include playing tennis. He was brought up and still is a practicing Catholic.^[12]

[edit] Honours

[edit] Club

• Norwegian Football Cup Runners-up: 2005
• Royal League Runners-up: 2006
• UEFA Intertoto Cup Runners-up: 2006
• Football League Championship: 2008

[edit] Individual

• Kniksen award: midfielder of the year in 2006

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• National team stats
• BIO on www.ofsajd.com
• Player profile - West Bromwich Albion
• Player profile - NZS
• Robert Koren career stats at Soccerbase