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Ante Budimir (born 22 July 1991 in Zenica) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Sampdoria of Serie A.
Club career
St. Pauli
In August 2014, Budimir joined German club FC St. Pauli of the 2. Bundesliga on a four-year deal until 2018. St. Pauli had to pay a transfer fee believed to be around €900,000. In an interview on Budimir's signing, former Croatian international Jurica Vranješ described him as "tall, strong in the air, and reliable in combinations" and compared his style to Dimitar Berbatov. Budimir had a tough time at St. Pauli, scoring just 1 goal in 20 appearances in the St. Pauli shirt.
Crotone
On 1 September 2015, he was loaned out to Italian club Crotone for the remainder of the season. Budimir made his Crotone debut on 7 September 2015, in a 4-0 loss to Cagliari Calcio, coming on as a 71st-minute substitute for Pietro De Giorgio. In March 2016, Crotone exercised their €1m buyout option on the player. Budimir ended the season as promoted Crotone's top goalscorer with 16 goals in 36 Serie B appearances.
Sampdoria
On 5 July 2016, Sampdoria activated Budimir's release clause, believed to be in the region of €1.8m and the player signed a deal ending in mid-2020.