Robert Koren

Early career

Koren played for Dravograd and Celje in his home country, before transferring to Norwegian side Lillestrøm in 2004.

West Bromwich Albion

On 4 January 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. He made his debut two days later as a late substitute in the Baggies' 3–1 win over Leeds United in the FA Cup third 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 play-offs. Koren started all three play-off 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. 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. He has been described by former West Brom manager Tony Mowbray as a "model pro". Koren's two goals in Albion's 3–2 defeat away at Southampton in October 2007 earned…

Koren made his debut for Slovenia in an April 2003 European Championship qualification match against Cyprus and earned a total of 61 caps, scoring 5 goals. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he scored the only goal in the match against Algeria, helping Slovenia to their first-ever major tournament victory.

International

Scores and results list Slovenia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Koren goal.

Koren is married and has two sons and a daughter. Both of his sons, Nal Lan and Tian Nai, are professional footballers.