Nikola Budalić
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nikola Budalic | ||
| Date of birth | August 1, 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Kitchener, Ontario | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2000 | James Madison Dukes | ||
| 2000–2001 | Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2001 | Glen Shields Sun Devils | 10 | (1) |
| 2002 | Toronto Lynx | 22 | (12) |
| 2003 | Örebro | 5 | (0) |
| 2004 | Montreal Impact | 9 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Haugesund | 31 | (2) |
| 2006–2009 | Serbian White Eagles | 31 | (6) |
| 2013–2014 | K-W United | 2 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2010–2011 | Serbian White Eagles | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Nikola “Niki” Budalic (born August 1, 1978) is a retired Canadian soccer player. Budalic serves as the general manager of soccer operations for Orlando City SC, Orlando City B, and Orlando Pride.
Budalic began his soccer career at the college level with the James Madison University. In 2001, he was selected by the Toronto Lynx in the first round of the USL A-League 2001 College Draft, but decided to continue his education back home at Wilfrid Laurier University where he led the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks to the CIS championship. After the college season came to a conclusion he played with the Glen Shields Sun Devils in the Canadian Professional Soccer League.
In 2003, he signed a contract with the Toronto Lynx. He made his debut on April 20, 2002 against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. He recorded his first goal on April 26, 2002 against Richmond Kickers in a 1-1 draw. In his rookie season he nearly helped the Lynx qualify for the postseason, but a tie in the final game of season against Atlanta Silverbacks made the Charlotte Eagles take the final playoff spot. He finished the season with twelve goals and was named Team of the Week three times. The club also recognized him with their Best Offensive Player award, and was also named the A-League Rookie of the Year.
Just weeks before the start of the 2003 season the Lynx announced Budalic had been transferred to Örebro SK in the Swedish First Division, where he was re-united with former Lynx player Chris Pozniak. He was also named to the Canada national soccer team roster for a friendly against Germany, but did not feature in the match.
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