“Vlahovic, after Haaland, is the best striker in Europe for his age,” Italy legend Christian Vieri
Who’s Dusan Vlahovic? The cheap alternative to Erling Haaland
Vlahovic is one of the most highly-rated young strikers in Europe and owing to his excellent goalscoring exploits across the last twelve months, has developed a slew of admirers.
Throughout the 2020/21 campaign, Dusan Vlahovic notched an impressive 21 Serie A goals in a total of 37 appearances in a somewhat uninspiring Fiorentina side.
This term, the Serbian forward has continued his goalscoring form as he has contributed to 16 goals and 2 assists in 19 appearances for La Viola this season and only Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has scored (19) more than him in Europe top 5 league.
On December 19th 2021, Dušan Vlahović matches Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for most Serie A goals in a calendar year since 1960.
(Getty Images)
Few months ago , Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso announced that Dusan Vlahovic was unwilling to commit his future to the club, and as his contract expires in 2023, the striker will almost certainly depart Florence in either January or next summer.
WHO IS DUSAN VLAHOVIC
Over the past decade, Serbian football has produced some brightest talents in world football.
Among them, a certain Dusan Vlahovic has been making a lot of waves in Italian football with his consistent performances in Serie A. The Belgrade-born forward, formerly of Partizan Belgrade, has emerged as a rising star for Fiorentina, scoring 21 goals in the 2020/21 campaign that has catapulted him into the limelight.
In 2016, Vlahovic had made the record of being the youngest professional, debutant and goalscorer in the history of Partizan Belgrade. Later that year, also became the youngest player to feature in the iconic derby between Partizan and Red Star, at the age of just 16.
Vlahovic joined Fiorentina in the summer of 2018, for a fee of almost €2 million. It was a low-key investment from the Italian side, for a striker who had only scored three goals in 27 competitive matches for Partizan.
Fast forward to 2021, the move has certainly paid off for the Violas, with the youngster netting 31 goals in 85 competitive appearances for the club.
21 of his goals have come in the 2020/21 Serie A campaign, which caught a lot of attention as he finished just behind Romelu Lukaku, Luis Muriel and Cristian Ronaldo in the goal scoring list.
Roma footballer Rui Patrício and Fiorentina footballer Dusan Vlahovic during the match Roma-Fiorentina at Olympic Stadium. Rome (Italy), August 22nd, 2021 (Photo by Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
VLAHOVIC STATS FOR FIORENTINA
- Vlahović is the first Fiorentina player to score 16 goals in a single top-flight campaign since Giuseppe Rossi in 2013-14.
- The first player born after the year 2000 to reach 20 Serie A goals and one of just four players born post-2000 to net 20 career goals in Europe’s top-five leagues.
- He also became the first Fiorentina player to score a first-half Serie A hat trick since Kurt Hamrin in 1964 after his treble against Benevento in March.
- Dušan Vlahović is joint Serie A highest goal scorer with Ronaldo and no one has scored more than him in history. Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for most Serie A goals in a calendar year since 1960 🤝
Another key statistic that indicates the sheer importance of Vlahovic in this team is the fact that the youngster was involved in 23 of Fiorentina’s 47 goals last term.
It is quite fair to assume that the Violas would have emerged as top relegation candidates last season had it not been for the services of the Serbian.
His revelation this season has pushed Fiorentina to a place in European Competition since 2016–17 and are only six points behind in Champions League race
BEST ALTERNATIVE TO ERLING HAALAND
- Most league goals scored by current U23 players in Europe’s top five divisions since 2019/2020 according to Squakwa:
- Kylian Mbappé (54)
- ◎ Erling Haaland (53)
- ◎ Dušan Vlahović (43)
- ◉ Alexander Isak (30)
Erling Haaland is the name on everyone’s lips as Europe’s elite queue up to get their hands on Borussia Dortmund’s prized asset. From Real Madrid, Manchester City, Barcelona and Manchester United, to Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich, there is no shortage of interest in the Norwegian sensation.
“I don’t think there’s a sports director or trainer in the world who would say ‘not interested,’” Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola told http://BBC sport in February.
“It’s like saying: ‘Is there a Formula 1 team who would not be interested in having Lewis Hamilton?’
A revelation for relegation-threatened Fiorentina in 2020-21, the powerful but nimble left-footed Serbia international has emerged as a cheaper alternative in a Haaland-dominated market.
He became the youngest debutant in Partizan Belgrade’s history after making his debut aged 16, while he became the youngest goalscorer in the club’s 75-year history that season.
But he is more than just the future, he is the here and now.
In a struggling Fiorentina side fighting to preserve their top-flight status, Vlahović has been a shining light. The 21-year-old’s tally of (21) League goals is only behind Haaland(27) for most goals by players aged under 22 in the top five European leagues in 2020-21.
This term he has outscored the latter. But, should be taken into consideration that Haaland has played few games though.
“Vlahovic, after Haaland, is the best striker in Europe for his age,” Italy legend Christian Vieri said recently.
THE NEXT ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC?
“He is only 21 years old and he behaves as if he were 30, which is very positive, it opens the way for him to have a phenomenal career, of which I am convinced and which will be very important in the game of our national team,” Serbia boss Dragan Stojkovic said.
“He said he was the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I told Corvino to sign Vlahovic when he was 15 or 16.
Vlahovic was crazy, really crazy. He used to tell me: ‘I am a Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Belgrade, I will play for the strongest clubs.’ I liked his arrogance.
I thought he would become a strong player, while Milenkovic was calmer,” said Vlahovic’s ex-Partizan Belgrade team-mate Valeri Bojinov.
As per the latest information from Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Arsenal have made the deal of £58.3 plus Torreira to secure the deal of the wonderkid.
Who’s Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic that’s in Arsenal wanted list? “Vlahovic, after Haaland, is the best striker in Europe for his age,”