For many years now, Dinamo Zagreb’s youth academy has been Croatia’s best by a mile – and among the world’s best as well. Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, Joško Gvardiol, and many other Vatreni superstars have soared through the ranks of Dinamo Zagreb’s elite academy. It is a known fact that, without Dinamo, the Croatian national team would be nowhere close to where they are right now. But after so many years of Dinamo dominance in the youth level, is Hajduk Split finally catching up?
Markus and CroatiaU14 discuss each club’s strengths and weaknesses by position at the youth level…
GOALKEEPERS:
Dinamo (Markus) :
Nikola Čavlina (19) – Dinamo II keeper and Croatia U21 international Nikola Čavlina, is Dinamo’s brightest goalkeeping talent, yet still their number 5 keeper. He seems to be behind Livaković, Zagorac, Nevistić and Horkaš in their depth chart. In the 2. HNL this season, Čavlina has posted an acceptable 19 goals allowed in 13 games, and has kept three clean sheets. Grade: B
Mislav Zadro (18) – Mislav Zadro is the current Dinamo Zagreb II backup to Nikola Čavlina, and occasionally bounces down to the U19s for extra game time. For the U19s, he has allowed four goals in three games, including two clean sheets. With the Dinamo Zagreb II squad, he has only played two games and has allowed two goals, one in each. Despite his natural talent and excellent reflexes, Zadro doesn’t seem to be getting much game time this season. Grade: C+
Hajduk (CroatiaU14) :
Toni Silić (17) – Born in 2004, Silić already stands at 6’4 and is the hottest Croatian goalkeeping talent at the moment. Silić has allowed only two goals in four games in the UEFA Youth League, and two goals in three games in the 2021-22 Junior HNL. Every Croatian football supporter should have Toni Silić on their radar. Grade: A
Ivan Perić (20) – Behind Toni Silić, Ivan Perić is the only other notable goalkeeping prospect that Hajduk have. Perić, standing at 6’2, has appeared for Hajduk’s first team in some friendlies, and has been the club’s backup/third-string keeper in a few Prva Liga and European Conference League games. Perić was an active member of Hajduk’s U19 squad for about six months, yet failed to seriously impress in any matches. Grade: C-
DEFENDERS:
Dinamo (Markus) :
Maro Katinić (17) – Katinić is Croatia’s best defensive talent behind Joško Gvardiol. He seems to be an exact replica of Gvardiol, just younger and right-footed. He possesses incredible aerial ability and is very impressive with the ball at his feet. Already a Dinamo II star, expect to see Katinić in the first team as soon as next season. Grade: A+
Josip Šutalo (21) – Josip Šutalo has always been viewed as an average prospect, but in these last 18 months, he has proven otherwise. Already arguably Dinamo’s second best defender, Šutalo has been demonstrating his incredible defensive stability and intelligence in the 1. HNL this season, putting up an impressive 7.26 SofaScore average rating, the third best rating on the team. Expect to see even more development and maturity from this young center-back. Grade: A-
Moreno Živković (17) – Moreno Živković has so much raw talent. He is a natural defender, great at tackling and has some pace. He is currently part of Dinamo’s U19 and Croatia’s U19 squads. Next year, he will be competing for a spot on Dinamo’s second team squad. Grade: B-
Sven Sopić (15) – Sven Sopić is an incredible Osijek talent, who was poached by Dinamo Zagreb for free. Terrible for Osijek, but great for his development. In the 2020/21 season, Sopić captained the Osijek U15 squad to double domestic championships (1. HNL U15 and U15 Croatian Cup). He is a right-footed modern center-back, best used as a RCB in a two or three man defensive pairing. He is physically imposing for his age and has decent speed. What’s most impressive is his positioning, always seems to be in the right place. Currently on Dinamo’s U17 squad at the age of 15. Grade: A
Hajduk (CroatiaU14) :
Luka Škaričić (20) – Škaričić is a born leader. The 20 year-old center-back has captained Hajduk’s U19 in their UEFA Youth League Campaign, and has played a huge part in the squad’s three wins and a tie in the competition. Škaričić is one of Croatia’s most underrated talents, and will most likely become a huge part of Hajduk’s first team in the near future. Due to his wonderful performances on Hajduk’s youth teams, Škaričić was given a professional contract from the club until 2024. Grade: B
Ivan Dolček (21) – Dolček has been decent for Hajduk over the last year, but has been unable to live up to his given potential. The skillful left-back is averaging a satisfactory 6.81 SofaScore match rating in the Prva Liga, but only appears about twice per month for the club. However, during his reasonable time on the field, Dolček is yet to commit a single error leading to a shot or goal. Grade: C
Luka Bradarić (18) – Bradarić is an extremely exciting talent for both Hajduk and Croatia, and the brother of Lille’s Domagoj Bradarić. The center-back has made five appearances for Croatia’s U19 squad, three in the UEFA Youth League for Hajduk. Bradarić is exceptionally fast, very good in the air, and plays with elegance and dominance. He is always at the right place at the right time. Grade: A-
Luka Vušković (14) – The youngest player you’ll read about today, but also one of the most promising. Luka Vušković is the brother of Hamburg’s star center-back Mario Vušković. Luka, also a center-back himself, is already playing for Hajduk’s U17 squad at the age of 14 – a true rarity. He stands at 6’4, duels players about three years older than himself, and has stellar defensive skills in his DNA! What more can you ask for at such a young age? Grade: A
MIDFIELDERS:
Dinamo (Markus) :
Martin Baturina (18) – Martin Baturina has been a regular substitute for Dinamo’s first team squad so far this season. Although being good enough to start at the moment, this current Dinamo team seems reluctant to the idea of giving teenagers many minutes this season, as shown by the lack of minutes from Marko Bulat. Baturina is a skilled, composed midfielder who can pop in a goal every once in a while and has an excellent passing range. Should he continue to develop this well, Baturina has the potential to be an elite player on the big stage. Grade: A
Marko Bulat (19) – How is this man not a starter already? Every appearance off the bench, Bulat has impressed. He was a regular starter at Sibenik from the age of 16 and even captained their squad at the young age of 19. Bulat is a skilled defensive midfielder who can also operate as a number 8. Passing, tackling and vision are his strongest attributes. Hopefully Kopić starts to give Bulat more looks instead of his favoured DM, Josip Mišić. Grade: A
Tomislav Duvnjak (18) – Tomislav Duvnjak is a natural number 6 and a born leader. Very similar player profile to Marko Bulat, he isn’t as versatile, however. He seems to be more comfortable as a 6 instead of an 8. He’s a great distributor, defender, and has amazing awareness on the pitch. I’d like to see him get loaned to a lower level HNL team to get some minutes against top competition. He’s been stuck in youth football for far too long already. Grade: B
Antonio Kujundžić (16) – The young Swedish-Croatian midfielder recently joined Dinamo Zagreb’s youth ranks and is showing immense potential. He’s quick, agile, a great passer and has solid dribbling. We haven’t seen much from him yet but he has a ton of natural talent. Seems to be a hard worker as well. Grade: B
Luka Vrbančić (16) – Luka Vrbančić is a classic number 10. He has an amazing shot, silky movement with the ball and dominates his opposition despite being much younger than most players. At 15 years old in the 1.HNL U17, Vrbančić put up 9 goals and 3 assists in 9 games, all from the midfield, none being penalty goals. Grade: A-
Hajduk (CroatiaU14) :
Marko Brkljača (17) – Brkljača deserves a whole book written about his talents on the pitch. The central-midfielder has a goal and two assists in four UEFA Youth League games for Hajduk, and has already appeared twice for Hajduk in the Prva Liga (and has also scored in friendlies for the first team on multiple occasions). Brkljača was included in The Guardian’s 2021 “60 of the Best Young Talents in World Football”, and has been linked with a move to Juventus for over a year. He is a top-five prospect in all of Croatian football. Grade: A+
Mate Ivković (16) – Ivković is a serious talent. At the age of 15, Ivković was already starting and scoring for Croatia’s U15 squad, impressing many large clubs across Europe. Red Bull Salzburg and Roma have been heavily linked to the defensive-midfielder, some rumors even suggesting that he may be joining Roma in the very near future. With his contract with Hajduk expiring this summer, the move is very likely to happen. Grade: A-
Ivan Krolo (19) – Krolo is another remarkable defensive-midfielder climbing through Hajduk’s youth ranks. The talented youngster has already made six appearances for Croatia’s U19 squad, and has one assist in three UEFA Youth League matches. Krolo has traveled with Hajduk’s first team on multiple occasions, but has only appeared in friendly matches. Grade: B
Ivan Ćubelić (18) – Ćubelić has the potential to be a key player for the Vatreni one day. However, the last six months have been rough for the attacking-midfielder. Last summer, Ćubelić was loaned to Druga Liga side Dugopolje, where he scored twice and assisted once in 11 matches. He has competed in six matches for Croatia’s U19 squad, and has appeared in one Prva Liga match and multiple friendlies for Hajduk. Ćubelić, once a superstar in Hajduk’s academy, is gradually becoming one of the club’s biggest busts in a while. Grade: C+
Duje Reić (15) – Reić is the perfect box-to-box midfielder. He has outstanding game IQ, beautiful ball control, and fantastic vision. He also finds himself on the scoresheet every so often. Reić caught the eye of Barcelona, and was was offered a week-long trial at La Masia to showcase his talent. Reić is almost certainly one for the future. Grade: A-
FORWARDS:
Dinamo (Markus) :
Ivan Šaranić (18) – Šaranić is an immensely talented right-winger/ attacking midfielder. He runs with the ball glued to his feet, has a great shot and elite IQ. At youth levels, Šaranić scored 80 goals in 84 matches as an attacking midfielder. He is arguably the most talented player in the Dinamo academy, we just need to see him take the next step to senior football. Grade: A
Bartol Barišić (19) – Recently scoring 4 goals against Real Sociedad B, Barišić is proving his worth as a true poacher. The last year or so have been rough for Barišić as he hasn’t taken the steps expected of him in becoming a star striker for Dinamo. However, he’s been playing well this season. He is a killer in the box, rarely misses his chances. He’s strong and smart, but is below average in his dribbling ability. He needs to work on this. Grade: B+
Zlatan Koščević (16) – Koščević is not only the most talented young striker in the Dinamo academy, but probably the most talented U17 striker in all of Croatia. He seems to be predominantly right-footed yet he scores a lot with his left, an ability all top strikers have. Koščević lit up the U16 league last season with 45 goals and 15 assists in 34 matches. He contributed to more than 50% of his team’s goals. Koščević can also be deployed as a left-winger, if need be. He’s got great dribbling, vision, off-the-ball movement, agility, and to top it all off, elite level finishing. Grade: A+
Lovro Lazar (15) – Previously a Slaven Belupo talent, Dinamo poached Lovro Lazar at the young age of 15 and are hoping to turn him into an elite level player. In the 1.HNL U15 last season, Lazar recorded 15 goals and 9 assists in 23 matches. He’s got good instinct in front of goal and seems to be a well rounded striker. He is still extremely raw as a 15 year old and these next few years of development will indicate just how talented he is. Grade: B+
Matej Perić (15) – Matej Perić, previously an Osijek talent, is now part of Dinamo’s youth academy. Osijek “supposedly” forgot to extend their youth players’ contracts and so Dinamo jumped on the opportunity to sign Peric. You’d think a club like Osijek wouldn’t just forget to resign one of their brightest, if not the brightest, talent in their entire academy, alongside Sven Sopić. Odd work from the boys over in Osijek. Perić is a skillful winger with a scoring touch. He’s fast, nimble and has great dribbling. Peric recorded 22 goals in 25 games last season in the U15 HNL. I unfortunately couldn’t find how many assists he had, but probably quite a few. Grade: A-
Hajduk (CroatiaU14) :
Marin Ljubičić (19) – Ljubičić is a beast! The young striker already has 9 goals and three assists in 30 matches for Hajduk, and has been dubbed the “Split Mbappe” by Croatian media and supporters. Ljubičić was Hajduk’s star in UEFA Conference League qualifiers, scoring twice in their first leg matchup vs. Tobol Kostanay. Earlier this month, several Italian sides were in talks with Hajduk to sign the forward. However, Hajduk’s asking price of €5M proved to be too high for the 19 year-old. Ljubičić is an active member of Croatia’s U21 squad, and is expected to be a star for the Vatreni one day. Grade: A
Stipe Biuk (19) – 2021 was fantastic for Stipe Biuk. The left-winger was heroic for Hajduk Split and the Croatian U21 side in the U21 Euro Championship. Biuk has seen the pitch 17 times this season in the Prva Liga, scoring once and assisting twice, but constantly putting on a show. His dribbling skills are out of this world, and he plays with the composure of a 10-year veteran. Biuk scored Hajduk’s 2020-21 ‘goal of the season’ against Gorica, and has won the heart of the Torcida. Grade: A
Jere Vrcić (17) – Vrcić is a young stud. In the U17 HNL, Vrcić scored 15 goals in only 16 starts, and is already expected to crack Hajduk’s first team once Biuk and Ljubičić depart. At only 17 years-old, Vrčić has already made four appearances for Hajduk’s U19s in the UEFA Youth League, as in under a professional contract with the club until 2023. Vrcić has put up very impressive numbers during his time with Hajduk’s academy, and is a promising talent for the future of Croatian football. Grade: B+
Mate Antunović (17) – Antunović has been surprisingly impressive recently. The young center-forward scored once and assisted twice in three appearances for Hajduk’s U19s in the UEFA Youth League. He also has two goals in five appearances in the HNL Juniori, and is a member of Croatia’s U18 squad. Antunović has caught the interest of Italian side Pisa in the past month, but staying with Hajduk would be best for his career. Grade: A-
OVERALL RATINGS:
Dinamo: A-
Goalkeepers: B-
Defenders: B+
Midfielders: A-
Forwards: A
Hajduk: B+
Goalkeepers: B-
Defenders: B
Midfielders: A-
Forwards: A-
For the first time in a long time, Dinamo and Hajduk’s academies are neck and neck. Although Dinamo have a slight edge on Hajduk, both clubs are playing a huge role in producing another golden generation of Croatian footballers. The brewing competition between these two talent factories is exactly what the HNS need to continue succeeding at the highest level.
Hi guys…im new to this forum…My son who is 15 years old plays here in Perth Western Australia…Apart from Dinamo and Hajduk what club would guys recommend me to take my son to or who has a good academy set up in Croatia…? Stephen Bilicic
Nice write up boys, you guys remind me young Ante and Denis 😉
It does bother me when we overhype some of these young guys. Really need them to stay ground and keep outworking the competition.
Seems like a lo.t of talented CMs as usual. Good to see more forwards coming up as well
I don’t like to overhype either, but these kids really are THAT good right now! It’s hard to believe until you watch highlights of these young studs, but it’s always a pleasure to see. The future is extremely bright my friend!
And yes, lots of very, very good CMs. I’m even more happy to see a bunch a solid defenders though
Andrej…that one brought a tear to my eye. 🙂
@Ante so proud of what you guys built. Hope all is well with Denis and would be nice to see him make a cameo one day…he’s a good man
@CroatiaU14 really good to hear you have so much faith in in the young guns. It’s clear our academy systems are doing well especially as our league gets stronger.
You’ve been here since Day 1 my friend. We’ve done incredible things with “nasa mala stranica”. More to come in the next few weeks. 😉
A cameo is always welcome. This site is open to all Croatian and Croatian fans worldwide who want to contribute through articles, comments, or just plain criticism 🙂
PS Will never forget spotting you on the Hermosa Beach pier after a Champions League Final over a decade ago. #beingCroatianisspecial
Ok but ivkovic was given a A- rating though
What would you have given him? I see why anyone would rate higher OR lower than we did
He is very, very young. But also has footballing abilities out of this world. If age didn’t matter, he’d be an A+. If age mattered more than anything, probably a B or B+. Have to consider all the factors when rating these young guys
Why is everyone upset that Mate Ivković left Hajduk at age 16 to join Roma?
Isn’t this what people wanted?
In response to the evil Mamić signing youth players to long-term professional contracts, the government passed a law that allowed for any footballer to terminate their contracts by the age of 18.
So…now we have a bunch of supertalented youth players who can all just bail on Hajduk, Dinamo, Osijek…whenever they want.
Ivković was probably offered a bit more money at Roma, and told Hajduk that he’s going to scrap his contract and leave for free if they don’t sell him now.
Do you think they’re passing laws in Germany, England and France to prevent teams like Bayern Munich from locking in their youth players with professional contracts?
I just want whoever is best to develop our guys
Seems to me in most recent history Austria/Germany type path is best for development?
But hey I get it.. got to get paid
I want what’s best for the repka and course usually this falls in line with best development for these young chaps
At that young an age, nothing is better than staying home in Croatia and developing in one of the best footballing development nations in the World.
If you don’t have faith in yourself and your talents, then take the quick cash from outside if they are paying you more…but I highly doubt that these youth squads in countries like Italy are paying that much either.
Nobody should be leaving before the age of 20, unless they’ve already proven they are senior National Team worthy (like Gvardiol did).
My guess is that players who did this (like Čolina did a few years ago with Monaco) were never serious talents, and their parents and agents knew it.
It’s possible that Ivković’s parents and agent think that he doesn’t have what it takes, so they are cashing in now, and if he pans out then it’s bonus.
great breakdown
Ya it’s so great you guys do all this research… it seems we should stay competitive for years to come
We need another luka to come out!
Something truly world class
Guess it could be gvardiol
But another one in the middle somewhere….
My pick for next young guy to make a true impact in the next qualifying campaign even is kacavenda
Why on earth would you go to Roma ac at the tender age of 16
Sheer madness!
They never learn. And I never understand.
Ya but you know someone probably offered some side money or something
Hard for a kid to decide such a big move
You can only hope someone is smart enough to help make the kid make the right choice
Who knows… maybe this kid breaks the serie A curse with our youth
It seems the HNL is doing a fine job at keeping competition high enough to see our youth develop
Need to make a can’t sell a player till 18 rule or something!
Incredible breakdown, boys!
The $1 Million question: Will this lead to Hajduk winning the league in the next three years?
Not if they keep selling their young talent.
*UPDATE*
Mate Ivković (16, Hajduk Split) has been officially traded to Roma. The rumors were true!
The next coric and jedvaj!!! For playing in roma..welcome