Ester Sokler

Ester Sokler (born 4 June 1999) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen.

Ester Sokler

Personal information
Date of birth	(1999-06-04) 4 June 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth	Krško, Slovenia
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Aberdeen
Number	19
Youth career
2007–2016	Krško[2]
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2020	Krško	55	(5)
2020–2021	Brežice 1919	11	(6)
2021–2022	Celje	44	(9)
2022–2023	Radomlje	30	(10)
2023–	Aberdeen	41	(3)
International career
2016	Slovenia U17	3	(0)
2017	Slovenia U18	7	(1)
2017	Slovenia U19	2	(0)
2019	Slovenia U21	1	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16:20, 21 December 2024 (UTC)

Club career

Born in Krško,^[3] Sokler started his playing career at the age of six, at the football school Nogobikci, before joining the youth sector of his hometown club Krško.^[2] He came through the club's youth ranks, as he won the under-13 and under-15 national championship in 2012 and 2014, respectively.^[2]

Having been promoted to the senior squad in 2016, aged 17,^[2] Sokler made his Slovenian PrvaLiga debut on 26 November 2016, in a 4–0 defeat against Maribor.^[4]

In July 2020, Sokler joined Slovenian Second League side Brežice 1919,^[5] where he spent six months,^[6] before returning to PrvaLiga in December 2020, having signed a contract with Celje until 2023.^[7][8]

After two seasons at Celje,^[6] Sokler joined fellow Slovenian top-tier club Radomlje on a permanent deal in July 2022.^[3][9] He scored 10 goals in 31 games in his first season with Radomlje,^[6] as they finished seventh in the league.^[10]

On 16 June 2023, Sokler joined Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year deal.^[6][10][11]

International career

Sokler was a Slovenian youth international,^[12] and earned one cap for the under-21 national team in 2019.^[1]

Personal life

Sokler hails from the small village of Brestanica, near Krško.^[2] He cited Wayne Rooney as his football idol while growing up.^[2]

In 2023, he claimed that he has often been mistaken for a woman, as Ester is actually a female given name in many countries, including Slovenia itself.^[13] According to him, his parents likely chose to name him after Mi2's 1998 song "Moja teta Estera".^[13]

Career statistics

As of 21 December 2024^[14][15]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		League cup[b]		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Krško	2016–17	Slovenian PrvaLiga	3	0	0	0	—		—		3	0
	2017–18		12	1	0	0	—		—		12	1
	2018–19		24	0	2	0	—		—		26	0
	2019–20	Slovenian Second League	16	4	1	0	—		—		17	4
	Total		55	5	3	0	0	0	0	0	58	5
Brežice 1919	2020–21	Slovenian Second League	11	6	1	3	—		—		12	9
Celje	2020–21	Slovenian PrvaLiga	14	3	4	0	—		—		18	3
	2021–22		30	6	2	1	—		—		32	7
	Total		44	9	6	1	0	0	0	0	50	10
Radomlje	2022–23	Slovenian PrvaLiga	30	10	1	0	—		—		31	10
Aberdeen	2023–24[16]	Scottish Premiership	26	1	3	1	4	1	7[c]	1	40	4
	2024–25	Scottish Premiership	15	2	0	0	7	5	—		22	7
	Total		41	3	3	1	11	6	7	1	62	11
Career total			181	33	14	5	11	6	7	1	213	45

1. Includes Slovenian Football Cup, Scottish Cup
2. Includes Scottish League Cup
3. Two appearances in UEFA Europa League, five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League

References

1. Evans, Anthony (13 June 2023). "Ester Sokler profiled as Slovenian striker close to agreeing Aberdeen switch". aberdeenlive.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
2. "Ester Sokler: Potrkal je na vrata prve lige". Posavski obzornik (in Slovenian). 12 December 2020. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
3. T. J. (14 July 2022). "Sokler iz Celja v Radomlje, Domžale okrepil prvi strelec hrvaške 2. lige" (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
4. "Ester Sokler » PrvaLiga 2016/2017". worldfootball.net. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
5. "Naš napadalec Ester Sokler". NK Brežice 1919 (in Slovenian). 5 September 2020. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
6. "Ester Sokler: Aberdeen sign striker from Slovenian club Radomlje". BBC Sport. 16 June 2023. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
7. "Ester Sokler ne gre v Olimpijo, podpisal je pogodbo z drugim klubom" (in Slovenian). Nogomania. 25 December 2020. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
8. "Ester Sokler je novi nogometaš Celja!". NK Celje (in Slovenian). 25 December 2020. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
9. "Radomljani imajo novo okrepitev v konici napada". NK Radomlje (in Slovenian). 14 July 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
10. Copeland, Robbie (16 June 2023). "Ester Sokler completes Aberdeen transfer as he pens three year deal". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
11. "Dons Bolster Attacking Options with Sokler Signature". Aberdeen FC. 16 June 2023. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
12. "Ester Sokler". Football Association of Slovenia (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
13. Nejedly, Gorazd (3 May 2023). "Odlični slovenski strelec dobil ime po znani pesmi". Slovenske novice (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
14. "Slovenia – E. Sokler – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
15. "Ester Sokler – Nogometna zveza Slovenije". Football Association of Slovenia (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
16. "Games played by Ester Sokler in 2023/2024". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 26 October 2023.