1. He was a true teenage prodigy
Nikola Vlašić’s outstanding talent was spotted at a very early age. The Guardian named the attacker as one of its ‘40 of the best young talents in world football’ in October 2014, when he was just a few weeks past his 17th birthday. The profile of the teenager explained: “Vlašić only turned 17 this month, but you can hardly tell by watching him play. Yes, his technique and movement are impressive, but what really sets Vlašić apart from his peers is his athleticism and stamina… Nikola can play in any attacking position behind the striker.”
2. He made an historic senior debut at 16
Nikola Vlašić made is debut for hometown club Hajduk Split aged just 16 years and 286 days in a UEFA Europa League qualifier with Irish club Dundalk on 17 July 2014. The teenager scored on his debut, making him the club’s youngest-ever scorer in European football. Despite being so young, Vlašić became a first-team regular that season, 2014/15, making 37 appearances, scoring four goals and assisting three more as Hajduk finished third in the Croatian First League.
3. He is from an outstanding athletic family
4. He has great experience for his age
Nikola Vlašić made all of his 120 appearances for Hajduk Split while still a teenager! The attacker scored 13 goals and assisted 20 in those 120 games, which included 24 starts in the UEFA Europa League, 76 starts in the Croatian First League and seven starts in the Croatian Cup. In all, despite being just 23, he has made 274 senior appearances for club and country.
5. His spent a season with Everton
Nikola Vlašić appeared twice for Hajduk Split against Everton in the UEFA Europa League Play-Off round in August 2017 and his performances led to the English Premier League club signing him for a reported £10m fee a week after the second leg – exactly four years ago on 31 August 2017. The teenager would score his first Everton goal in the same tournament against Cypriot side Apollon Limassol on 28 September, and again in the return leg.
6. He slayed the mighty Real Madrid – twice!
Nikola Vlašić made an unforgettable start to his career with CSKA Moscow. After joining CSKA aged 20, initially on loan, in August 2018, the attacker excelled immediately. He scored on his UEFA Champions League debut against Czech side Viktoria Plzeň, netted a memorable winner against Real Madrid on 2 October, then registered an assist in the Russians’ 3-0 win over Real in Spain in the return fixture on 12 December.
7. He was a superstar in Russian football
In three seasons with CSKA Moscow, Nikola Vlašić was directly involved in 54 goals in 108 appearances, scoring 33 and assisting 21. The 23-year-old has been a model of consistent production in Russia, being involved in 15 goals in 2018/19, 20 in 2019/20 and 19 in 2020/21. His form for CSKA saw him named Russian Premier League, Russian Football Union and Sport Express Footballer of the Year for 2020 in December, collecting nearly twice as many votes as second-place Aleksei Miranchuk of Lokomotiv Moscow.
8. He is a regular for his country
Nikola Vlašić is a regular member the Croatia squad. Since making his senior international debut in a friendly win over Mexico on 28 May 2017, aged 19, he has earned 26 caps, including 17 starts. Vlašić’s first assist came on his fourth appearance, when he set up Andrej Kramarić’s goal in a UEFA Nationals League tie with England at Wembley in November 2018. He then scored three goals in five UEFA European Championship qualifiers in late 2019 to cement his place in the squad. Vlašić was part of Croatia’s squad at UEFA Euro 2020, scoring in a 3-1 group-stage win over Scotland, and has been called-up for three 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers this month.
