Ester Sokler (born 4 June 1999) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serbian SuperLiga club Radnički 1923, on loan from Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen.
Club career
Born in Krško, Sokler started his playing career at the age of six, at the football school Nogobikci, before joining the youth sector of his hometown club Krško. He came through the club's youth ranks, as he won the under-13 and under-15 national championship in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
Having been promoted to the senior squad in 2016, aged 17, Sokler made his Slovenian PrvaLiga debut on 26 November 2016, in a 4–0 defeat against Maribor.
In July 2020, Sokler joined Slovenian Second League side Brežice 1919, where he spent six months, before returning to PrvaLiga in December 2020, having signed a contract with Celje until 2023.
After two seasons at Celje, Sokler joined fellow Slovenian top-tier club Radomlje on a permanent deal in July 2022. He scored 10 goals in 31 games in his first season with Radomlje, as they finished seventh in the league.
On 16 June 2023, Sokler joined Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year deal with the Dons.
International career
Sokler was a Slovenian youth international, and earned one cap for the under-21 national team in 2019.
Personal life
Sokler hails from the small village of Brestanica, near Krško. He cited Wayne Rooney as his football idol while growing up.
In 2023, he claimed that he has often been mistaken for a woman, as Ester is actually a female given name in many countries, including Slovenia itself. According to him, his parents likely chose to name him after Mi2's 1998 song "Moja teta Estera".
