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Luka Vušković

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Luka Vušković
Personal information
Date of birth (2007-02-24) 24 February 2007 (age 17)
Place of birth Split, Croatia[1]
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Westerlo
(on loan from Hajduk Split)
Number 44
Youth career
0000–2023 Hajduk Split
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2023– Hajduk Split 8 (0)
2024 → Radomiak Radom (loan) 14 (3)
2024– → Westerlo (loan) 10 (4)
International career‡
2021 Croatia U15 3 (0)
2022 Croatia U16 3 (0)
2022 Croatia U17 5 (1)
2023– Croatia U19 5 (0)
2024– Croatia U21 4 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 October 2024, 08:50 CET
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16 October 2024

Luka Vušković (born 24 February 2007) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Belgian Pro League club Westerlo, on loan from Hajduk Split. He will join Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2025.[3]

Club career

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Hajduk Split

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Born in Split, Vušković progressed through the academy of the local side Hajduk Split, becoming the youngest Croatian to play, and to score, in the UEFA Youth League.[4][5][6]

He made his unofficial debut at 15, playing in a friendly against Urania in September 2022.[7][8] On 16 December 2022, he scored in a 4–3 friendly victory over the German side Schalke 04.[9]

On 26 February 2023, two days after his sixteenth birthday, Vušković made his professional debut, starting and playing 90 minutes in a league derby match against Dinamo Zagreb, which ended in a 4–0 loss for his side.[10][11][12] In the process, he became the youngest player in the Croatian top flight, together with Marko Dabro;[11] he also became the youngest player to ever feature in an Eternal derby game, surpassing Josip Bašić.[11]

On 2 March 2023, Vušković scored the opening goal in Hajduk's 2–1 win over Osijek in the quarter-finals of the 2022–23 Croatian Football Cup.[13] Scoring at 16 years and 5 days old, he became the youngest goalscorer in the history of Hajduk Split in official matches.[14] On 25 September 2023, Vušković reached an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur about joining the Premier League club in 2025, in a deal which will run until 2030.[15] The deal was reported to be worth around £12 million.[16]

Loan to Radomiak

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On 31 January 2024, after failing to make an appearance for Hajduk since the start of the 2023–24 season, Vušković joined Polish Ekstraklasa club Radomiak Radom on a six-month loan.[17] He made his first-team – and Ekstraklasa – debut on 10 February 2024, coming on as a 64th-minute substitute for Mike Cestor in a 0–6 away loss against Cracovia.[18] Six days later, Vušković received his first start for the club in a 0–4 home loss against Pogoń Szczecin. He returned to Hajduk at the end of the season.[19]

Loan to Westerlo

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On 9 July 2024, he was loaned to Westerlo in the Belgian Pro League.[20]

International career

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Vušković has represented Croatia at youth international level.[1]

Personal life

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Hailing from a footballing family, Vušković's father, Danijel, formerly played for Hajduk Split, and now serves as a coach for the youth team.[21][22] His grandfather, Mario, played for the youth teams of Hajduk Split during the tenure of Tomislav Ivić, and went on to forge a footballing career in the Netherlands.[21] His great-grandfather, Marko, also played for Hajduk Split during World War II, and went on to work as a club executive.[21]

More recently, his brother, also named Mario, left Hajduk Split for Germany, where he joined Hamburger SV.[21] His cousins, Moreno and Vito, are also footballers, as was their father, Ronald.[21]

Style of play

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Standing at 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in), Vušković holds an advantage among young players due to his height. He is notable for his positioning and ability to contemplate the opposition's plans and act accordingly. His heading abilities are also characteristic, making him a danger to the opposition during set pieces. For this reason, he is among the top scorers among young players, even though he plays as a centre-back. His imposing physique also gives him an advantage as a defender, while his quick thinking and ball distribution help facilitate attacks. Jacek Kulig, a scouting expert, stated that Vušković has no significant weaknesses.[4] Vušković's style of play has been compared to that of the Spanish international Gerard Piqué.[23]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 04 October 2024.[24]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hajduk Split 2022–23 HNL 8 0 3[a] 1 0 0 11 1
Radomiak Radom (loan) 2023–24 Ekstraklasa 14 3 — — 14 3
Westerlo (loan) 2024–25 Belgian Pro League 10 4 0 0 0 0 10 4
Career total 32 7 3 1 0 0 35 8
Notes
  1. ^ Appearances in the Croatian Cup

References

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  1. ^ a b Luka Vušković at WorldFootball.net
  2. ^ "Luka Vušković". hajduk.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Vuskovic to join Spurs". tottenhamhotspur.com. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  4. ^ a b Verma, Keshava (22 March 2023). "Who is Luka Vuskovic – The next big thing in Croatian Football?". Khel Now. New Delhi. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  5. ^ Gabelić, Tomislav; Galić, Mato (6 October 2022). "Ruši sve rekorde: 'Luka će biti najbolji Vušković u Hajduku'" [Breaking all records: 'Luka will be the best Vušković in Hajduk']. 24sata.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  6. ^ "Hajduk slavio i dobio rekordera: Luka Vušković postao najmlađi Hrvat u juniorskoj Ligi prvaka" [Hajduk celebrated and got a record holder: Luka Vušković became the youngest Croat in the Junior Champions League]. abcportal.info (in Croatian). 13 September 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  7. ^ Milani, Babak (26 September 2022). "Jetzt startet der Vuskovic-Bruder durch" [Now the Vuskovic brother is taking off]. bild.de (in German). Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  8. ^ Gabelić, Tomislav; Trifunović, Boris (25 September 2022). "Vječni trenutak dragulja 'bilih': Za Hajduk zaigrao 15-godišnjak" [The eternal moment of the jewel of 'the former': A 15-year-old played for Hajduk]. 24sata.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Prijateljska Utakmica: Hajduk - Schalke 04 4:3" [Friendly Match: Hajduk - Schalke 04 4:3]. hajduk.hr (in Croatian). 16 December 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Eto nam i Luke! Vušković sa 16 godina i 2 dana ispisuje povijest Hajduka i hrvatskog nogometa". 24sata (in Croatian). 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  11. ^ a b c "MLADI LUKA VUŠKOVIĆ ZA POVIJEST! Veliki talent Hajduka krenuo od prve minute u derbiju". Dnevno.hr (in Croatian). 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Dinamo ponizio Hajduk: Poigravao se sa Splićanima. Bez problema pobijedio 4:0 - Teleskop". Teleskop (in Croatian). 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Osijek: Osijek - Hajduk 1:2". hajduk.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  14. ^ "Luka Vušković: Lijep je osjećaj zabiti gol u ovakvoj utakmici, posvećujem ga bratu". hajduk.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  15. ^ "Vuskovic to join Spurs". Tottenham Hotspur. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  16. ^ "Tottenham close to signing 16-year-old Luka Vuskovic from Hajduk Split". The Athletic. 11 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Luka Vušković wypożyczony do Radomiaka!" (in Polish). Radomiak Radom. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  18. ^ "PKO Ekstraklasa: Cracovia 6-0 Radomiak". www.90minut.pl. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Dziękujemy za grę dla Radomiaka!" (in Polish). Radomiak Radom. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Welkom Luka". kvcwesterlo.be (in Dutch). KVC Westerlo. 9 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  21. ^ a b c d e Gabelić, Tomislav; Trifunović, Boris (25 September 2022). "Dinastija Vušković: Pape, dida i pradida bili su stoperi Hajduka" [The Vušković dynasty: Pope, grandfather and great-grandfather were Hajduk stoppers]. 24sata.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  22. ^ Alfirević, Slaven (11 October 2022). "Luka Vušković puni 16 godina dan prije derbija s Dinamom. Zaigra li, postat će najmlađi debitant u povijesti Hajduka i HNL-a" [Luka Vušković turns 16 the day before the derby with Dinamo. If he plays, he will become the youngest debutant in the history of Hajduk and HNL]. slobodnadalmacija.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  23. ^ "VIDEO Sjajni hajdukovac Luka Vušković zabio gol sa svoje polovice" [VIDEO Great striker Luka Vušković scored a goal from his own half]. gol.dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). 9 October 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  24. ^ Luka Vušković at Sofascore. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
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