Jan Oblak (born 7 January 1993) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Spanish club Atlético Madrid and captains the Slovenia national team. He is considered by many to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
With over 250 appearances for Atlético Madrid, Oblak has won three trophies with the club, including the 2018 UEFA Super Cup by defeating city rivals Real Madrid.
Oblak made his senior international debut for Slovenia in 2012, and has been named Slovenian Footballer of the Year on five occasions.
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 season as league winners. On the next season, Oblak was the team's main goalkeeper, only missing three league games as the club finished fourth in the league table.
Oblak was first called by the Slovenia under-21 team in August 2009, replacing the injured Jan Koprivec. He made his debut 9 September of that year, against France.
On 11 September 2012, Oblak made his first appearance for the senior side, starting in a 2–1 away loss against Norway for 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.
Considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world by several pundits, Oblak is a tall, athletic, and physically strong 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. He has also been praised in the media for his work-rate, outstanding positioning, footwork, shot-stopping abilities, and composure in goal, as well as his overall consistency, leadership, and ability to instill a sense of confidence in his team's back-line.
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.
