The Swiss-born striker has hit the ground running for Ekstraklasa side KS Cracovia, who he joined this summer.
Filip Stojilković needed just one minute to win over KS Cracovia fans. Specifically, one minute and fourteen seconds.
That’s how long it took the Swiss-born striker to dispossess a defender, find a teammate, make a well-timed run, and slam his first-time shot into the back of the net to put Cracovia up 1-0 against Lech Poznan on his debut. He was just getting started.
In the 25th minute, Stojilković got onto the end of a pass near his own half, carried the ball forward, and nudged the ball to teammate Ajdin Hasić at the edge of the box. Hasić curled it in for 2-0. Cracovia would run away with a 4-1 statement victory against the defending Ekstraklasa champions.
After seven games, Stojilković is the league’s joint-leading scorer, with five goals and one assist. The past few seasons have not been the easiest for the striker, who struggled for chances while in Germany, but he is now back to his goalscoring form and taking the Ekstraklasa by storm.
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Cracovia are no strangers to high-scoring forwards in recent years. Last season, Finnish striker Benjamin Källman scored 18 league goals, earning him a move to 2. Bundesliga side Hannover 96 this summer. Before Källman, the Ekstraklasa side had an even more electric forward in the form of Krzysztof Piątek.
Piątek might be best known for his 2018/19 season in Serie A, where he was — briefly — one of the best strikers in Europe. The season before, however, he was just as lethal with Cracovia. In Piątek’s final season in Poland, he bagged 21 goals — the best goalscoring Ekstraklasa season in the club’s history to date.
Right now, Stojilković is on pace to break that record.
Goals haven’t always come so easily for Stojilković. After several prolific seasons in Switzerland, Stojilković earned a big move to 2. Bundesliga side Darmstadt 98 in January 2023. Darmstadt would earn promotion to the Bundesliga that season — with Stojilković’s crucial equalizer against promotion candidates Hamburger SV ultimately being the difference — but he struggled for chances.
In January 2024, one year after originally joining, Stojilković left Darmstadt, heading to Kaiserslautern. While it was only a loan, it would essentially mark the end of his disappointing spell with Die Lilien.
“It’s a process,” said Stojilković in an interview with The Soccer Goal. “I see everything positive in life.”
The striker would again find chances hard to come by with Kaiserslautern, scoring once — on his debut — in eight games. In the summer, he returned to Darmstadt, who had been relegated back to the 2. Bundesliga, but would make just one further appearance for the club before being sent on loan once more.
During his struggles, Stojilković looked to his family for support. His mother, in particular, has helped him throughout his career.
“She believes in me. She says, ‘Stay calm. Your time will come, and that’s helped me a lot,” said Stojilković.
This time, Swiss-born Stojilković would connect with his roots, heading to Serbia with OFK Beograd. In what has become something of a habit, he scored on his debut — a dramatic, 96th-minute winner against Partizan Belgrade. It was the first of seven goals he scored in Serbia, and he would also assist three goals to cap off a strong season where Beograd finished third.
In the summer, Stojilković had to make a difficult choice. He was ready to move on from Darmstadt for good and was now faced with the task of finding his next club. After speaking with directors and coaches, the striker felt he had to join Cracovia.
“I had a lot of options,” said Stojilković. “I chose the right club for me.”
His early heroics against Lech Poznan were just the beginning. Two weeks later, with Cracovia trailing to Lechia Gdańsk, the striker — who had already scored with a smart lob — headed home his second of the game in the 91st minute to snatch a 2-2 draw.
In the next game, Stojilković would score maybe his best goal yet. The striker latched onto a loose ball deep into his own half, and, taking advantage of Jagiellonia Białystok’s high line, outpaced the entire defense before rounding the goalkeeper to make the score 1-0. Cracovia would ultimately fall 5-2 in their first loss of the season, but Stojilković was quickly becoming one of the most feared players in the Ekstraklasa.
Flash forward to Cracovia’s most recent game, a 2-1 win over Legia Warszawa. In the 24th minute, Stojilković made a well-timed run to find Amir Al-Ammari’s pass, beat countryman Marco Burch for pace, and rounded the keeper to score the opener. That goal was crucial for Cracovia to pick up their fourth win of the season, putting them in second place after seven games.
“When I have the trust of the coach, I have a lot of quality to show,” said Stojilković.
With his current form, it’s no surprise that rumors about a potential national team call-up have surfaced. Stojilković was born in and has represented Switzerland at youth level, but has yet to be called up for their first team. He is also eligible to represent Serbia.
Both teams are approaching a crucial stretch of games ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Switzerland sit first in their qualifying group after two games, which would mean automatic qualification. Serbia are currently third after four games and need to pick up points in some difficult games to even have a chance at qualifying.
As of yet, neither team has contacted him. However, Stojilković has no doubt he’s up for the task should he be called up.
“I’ll wait now [to see] who will call me, and after, I will decide with my family,” said Stojilković. “I’m ready for the national team now.”
For now, though, the focus is strictly on Cracovia. The club, one of the most historic and successful teams in all of Poland, is off to a brilliant start, with only one loss from their opening seven games.
“We are looking game by game,” said Stojilković. “At the end of the season, we will see where we are.”
If their marksman up front can continue to score, the sky is the limit.
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All photos are via KS Cracovia S.A.
Great story