Stefan Bajcetic

Stefan Bajcetic Maquieira (Стефан Бајчетић; born 22 October 2004) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder or centre-back for  club Liverpool.

Early life
Stefan Bajcetic Maquieira was born on 22 October 2004 in Vigo, Galicia. He is the son of the Serbian former footballer Srđan Bajčetić and a Galician mother.

Club career
Bajcetic was a member of the Celta Vigo youth academy, and signed for Premier League club Liverpool in December 2020 for £224,000.

Bajcetic's progress was rewarded with a new contract in August 2022. He made his professional debut on 27 August, coming on as a substitute in a 9–0 home victory over AFC Bournemouth. Bajcetic made his UEFA Champions League debut against Ajax on 13 September as a 94th-minute substitution, replacing Thiago. In doing so, he became Liverpool's youngest-ever player in the Champions League, beating a record previously held by Billy Koumetio.

On 9 November 2022, Bajcetic started his first game for Liverpool, in the home win against Derby County in the third round of the 2022–23 EFL Cup. On 26 December, as a 79th-minute substitute, Bajcetic scored his first senior goal for Liverpool in their 3–1 victory away to Aston Villa in the 2022–23 Premier League. Aged, he became the third youngest player to score for Liverpool in the Premier League, behind Michael Owen and Raheem Sterling, and the second youngest Spanish player to score in the Premier League, behind Cesc Fàbregas.

In January 2023, Bajcetic's progress was rewarded with a new long-term contract at Anfield. On the field, he continued to progress, starting three consecutive Premier League games against Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and local rivals Everton. On 16 February, he was voted January’s Player of the Month by fans. On 21 February, he became the youngest Liverpool player, aged 18 years and 122 days, to start in a Champions League knockout match, which ended in a 2–5 home defeat against Real Madrid.

On 16 March 2023, he announced he would miss the rest of the 2022–23 season with an adductor injury. He returned to training on 6 August 2023.

International career
Bajcetic is eligible to represent Spain and Serbia at international level. In 2021, he was called up to the Spain U18 for the Lafarge Foot Avenir tournament by manager Pablo Amo, appearing in all 3 matches as Spain won the tournament. His time with the youth squad was halted by injury in 2023, amidst a impending U21 call up and rumours of a call from the senior team.

Bajcetic made his debut for Spain U21s on 8 September 2023, coming on as a substitute in a 6-0 win over Malta.