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PLAYER PROFILE: Juventus’ newcomer Marko Pjaca
While Juventus were busy winning back to back doubles over the last two seasons, Pjaca remarkably matched that feat with Dinamo Zagreb over the same time period. Indeed, both the player and the Bianconeri couldn't have hoped for a more perfect omen to begin their future together with.
You always know Pjaca means business whenever he steps out onto the pitch, as he exudes huge levels of commitment, intensity and enthusiasm. The fact his mother was a judo champion and his father a competitive wrestler undoubtedly instilled a strong desire to win into him, plus the required mental fortitude to do everything in his power to achieve his dreams.
Upon hearing his mum, Visnja, speak about his exemplary attitude, she gives a fascinating insight into how driven her son's been from a young age to succeed. "He is quiet, but has a very strong mentality. He has been training like a professional since the age of eight, even at home," she said. "You can tell by the way he recovers from injuries, he always returned far earlier than the doctors predicted."
"He’s an excellent student at school too and one of the few football players who completed his studies. He was always good at languages and learned a few things thanks to football too, as he spoke Portuguese, English and Spanish with his teammates."
Being such a diligent student who's already mastered many languages should mean he'll crucially be able to quickly learn Italian and therefore integrate into Massimiliano Allegri's squad without too many issues.
Even though his parents would've loved to have seen him play one of their chosen sports, they've always whole-heartedly supported his decision to chase a career in football. “They were never disappointed that I didn’t choose some of the martial arts they were good at, even though those were the expectations of many people around me,” Pjaca recalled.
“I always wanted to be a footballer. My parents understood this.”
As a youngster, spending five years from 2004-2009 honing his craft within the confines of Dinamo's prestigious academy taught him plenty, but he knew he needed to leave in order to receive greater playing time. Leaving the Blues for ZET's youth setup afforded him the chance to be an undisputed starter and to continue his progression. He took the opportunity with both hands, and courtesy of his outstanding form, fellow Zagreb side, NK Lokomotiva, quickly swooped to secure his services in 2010.
Pjaca's persistent toiling over the years in the youth teams of Dinamo, ZET and then Lokomotiva finally paid off when he made his first-team debut for Lokomotiva in 2012, in a 3-0 league rout of NK Zadar. It didn't take long for him to alert the attentions of his former employer, Dinamo, courtesy of some eye-catching outings and his all-action approach for Lokomotiva. And after two seasons and nine goals in 51 appearances for the Lokosi, he returned to the Zagreb giants in 2014 for an alleged fee of €1 million.
The burly hotshot quickly forced his way into the first-team and went onto establish himself as an absolutely integral member of Dinamo's first-team. Making his debut for the Croatian national team in September 2014 against Cyprus, in a 2-0 win, provided another fine reward for all his industrious work.
He importantly managed to keep up his very high level and, as a result, it didn't take long before some of Europe's finest clubs such as Inter Milan, AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Napoli and obviously Juve began to express their interest.
Although Pjaca's stocks rose dramatically following his superb performances at Euro 2016, where his immense strength, wicked acceleration and dynamic dribbling ability shone brightly, his consistently domineering displays for Dinamo, especially last season, had already ensured he was hot property. Aside from his scintillating domestic form, his fantastic hat-trick against Celtic in the Europa League was unquestionably a moment when many stood up and really took notice of his quality.
After the Euros, the race for his signature inherently intensified, but Juventus' offer proved impossible to resist for the versatile attacker, as he officially joined the Old Lady on a five-year deal. The hefty €23 million shelled out by Juve was intriguingly the highest fee Dinamo has ever received for one of their players, which is especially amazing considering the Blues have sold the likes of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Sime Vrsaljko, Alen Halilovic and Milan Badelj in recent years.
With Pjaca desperate to one day get his hands on the coveted UEFA Champions League trophy, choosing Juventus, who made the 2014 final and have won the last five Serie A titles, is certainly a decision that makes great sense for the ambitious Croatian. “I am making my dreams come true. One of those was fulfilled when I earned a national team call-up; another would be to win the Champions League, to lift that trophy," he recently insisted.
At his most dangerous when deployed out on the left flank where he can isolate his opponent and drive at them using his blistering pace, strength and wicked skillset, Pjaca is, however, also capable of operating anywhere across the frontline. “I mostly play behind strikers, as an offensive midfielder, or winger. I’ve also played as striker but it is not a decision that I have to take. I play wherever the boss tells me to and I always want to do the best to help my team," he explained.
Leaving Zagreb having scored 26 goals in his 60 matches aptly demonstrated his goalscoring prowess too. Although the 21-year-old's already extremely talented, the imposing 186cm man still has plenty of scope for improvement, especially in regards to the defensive phase of the game and his aerially ability. But expect these flaws to be ironed out, along with any underlying tactical deficiencies, under Allegri's expert tutelage.
All things considered, it'll be captivitating to see how this technically superb whizzkid who idolises Ronaldinho adjusts to life in Turin. Based on his maturity, unyielding dedication, confidence and overwhelmingly quality, though, there's no reason to suggest that Pjaca won't be a roaring success.
Only time will tell if he, in fact, is.
Edward Stratmann @EdwardStratmann
