David Babunski (Macedonian: Давид Бабунски; born 1 March 1994) is a Macedonian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos.
A product of FC Barcelona's La Masia, he played for their reserves before transferring to Red Star Belgrade in January 2016, winning the Serbian SuperLiga in his first season.
Babunski has been capped by the Macedonia football team at international level, making his senior debut in 2013.
Club career
Barcelona
Born in Skopje, Babunski joined FC Barcelona's La Masia in 2006, aged 12, after starring at UDA Gramenet.[1] In December 2011, he was elected Macedonian Young Sportsperson of the Year, ahead of karatekas Aziz Ismail and Berat Jakupi.[2]
Babunski was promoted to the reserves in June 2013,[3] and made his professional debut on 24 August, coming on as a second-half substitute in a 2–1 home win against CD Lugo for the Segunda División championship.[4] He scored his first goal on 31 May 2014, netting a last-minute winner in a 4–3 home success over AD Alcorcón.[5]
He played 16 games in 2014–15, a campaign which ended with relegation to Segunda División B. On 28 February 2015, as a half-time substitute for Juan Cámara, he received a straight red card in a 2–4 loss to RCD Mallorca at the Mini Estadi.[6]
After a decade in the ranks of Barcelona, Babunski left by mutual consent in January 2016.[7]
Red Star Belgrade
Babunski signed a two-and-a-half deal with Red Star Belgrade on 28 January 2016.[8] He made his Serbian SuperLiga debut on 20 February, replacing Aleksandar Katai for the final 11 minutes of a 2–1 home win over FK Mladost Lučani,[9] and played five more matches as the team won their 27th title.[10]
Yokohama
On 30 January 2017, Babunski signed for Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos,[11] as their second purchase from Red Star that month after that of Hugo Vieira.[12] He made his debut in the J1 League on 25 February, scoring the first goal of a 3–2 home win over Urawa Red Diamonds in the season opener.[13]
International career
A regular in all of Macedonia's youth squads, Babunski scored his first goal for the under-21 team on 25 May 2012, netting his side's second in a 2–2 friendly draw against Albania.[14]
In August 2013 he was called up by the main squad for a friendly against Bulgaria.[15] Babunski made his debut for the side on the 14th, playing the last 31 minutes of the 2–0 home win in Skopje.[16]
Personal life
Babunski's father, Boban, was also a footballer, and played in several countries including Spain.[16] His younger brother, Dorian, is also a footballer who plays as a forward.[17]
Babunski is a vocal supporter of the human rights of refugees.[18] He, his brother, and four friends spent Christmas 2015 at a refugee camp in Gevgelija, a Macedonian town on the Greek border and part of the Balkan route for displaced people seeking accommodation in the West.[19]
