Name: Mateo Kovacic
Club: Inter Milan
Nationality: Croatia
Position: Midfield
Who is he?
Born in the Austrian city of Linz to Bosnian-Croat stock, Kovacic started his career at local club LASK Linz aged 6.
After spending his childhood years at Linz, he joined Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb aged 13 in 2007.
In 2009, he suffered a major blow when he broke his leg but he battled back to make his senior debut in November 2010 at the tender age of 16. It was a dream start to his career as he scored in that debut game, becoming the Croatian league’s youngest ever scorer.
Achievements
Within a year he was a first team regular, scoring four goals in 25 games in 2011/12 and creating seven more despite being just 17. He also made his Champions League bow that year. In 2011 he also won the Croatian Hope of the Year Award for the best young player – an award previously won by the likes of Luka Modric and Nico Kranjcar.
By January 2013, burgeoning interest in his signature became reality as he signed for Inter Milan in a €15 million deal. As a sign of his promise he was immediately given the No 10 shirt and has had plenty of playing time since arriving at the San Siro.
In the second half of last season he made 13 Serie A appearances for Inter, playing a full 90 minutes in 10 of those games. He has found himself on the bench more often this season but has still had some minutes in every league game this season.
Eligible for Austria, he instead chose Croatia and has represented his parents’ nation from u14 level to the seniors. He made his senior Croatia debut in March in a World Cup qualifier against Serbia and has become a regular in the squad.
He describes himself as fervently religious and has admitted that he is called “Altar Boy” by some of his team-mates.
Attributes
An excellent short and long passer and intelligent midfielder, Kovacic’s technical qualities shine through. He has a pass completion rate of almost 95 per cent for Inter this season and has great ball control. A mazy dribbler, you can watch him skip past players in the video below.
His team-mates and managers often point towards the on-field maturity that belies his years, something which was often said about Cesc Fabregas.
Comfortable in the middle of the park, he has often been played as a Pirlo-like deep-lying playmaker in a 3-5-2, particularly when Andrea Stramaccioni was in charge of Inter last season. But his natural position is in a slightly more advanced position.
Potential
Ex-Inter manager Andrea Stramaccioni described him as a “star of the future”, while Croatian legends like Zvonimir Boban and Robert Prosinecki have all lined up to laud him with praise.
Before he signed for Inter, other iconic clubs around Europe also showed a keen interest in his signature which goes to show how highly rated he is. This kid could go very far if he fulfils his potential and it’s another question for Ireland. Croatia has the same population as Ireland yet has produced technical masters like Modric, Kranjcar, Prosinecki, Boban etc over the past 25 years.
