Luka Vuskovic: The ‘monster’ goal-scoring centre-back ‘born once in 100 years’ on his way to Tottenham

The pendulum of tactical trends has swung violently back in favour of the imposing, superhuman centre-back, and it’s a direction that serves well for 17-year-old Luka Vuskovic.

Already capped by Croatia at Under-21 level, the defender is rapidly rising up the European football ladder. Next up on his journey is north London with Tottenham Hotspur, who reached an agreement last year to sign Vuskovic after he turns 18 in 2025.

Powerful and precise, macho and massive, Vuskovic is making waves on the continent that are becoming impossible to ignore. By the time he sets foot through the doors at Spurs, fans should be well aware of his game and what he can help them achieve.

So who is this menace in both boxes that Tottenham have bought from the Balkans? GOAL takes a deep dive into the world of Vuskovic…

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  Where it all began

  Born in the coastal city of Split in February 2007, Vuskovic was an impossible talent to ignore even at a young age having come from a rich footballing background. His father, grandfather and great grandfather all represented local giants Hajduk, while older brother Mario broke through in 2019 before leaving for Hamburg.

  A wonderkid in his own right, Mario has spoken extremely highly of his younger sibling. “Luka will be the best Vuskovic, I am convinced,” he said in 2022, asserting his brother will be the crown jewel of four generations of family history.

  The Vuskovic dynasty weighs heavily on the shoulders of Luka, who has already had to juggle and balance the weight of expectation for half a decade now. In 2019, he was tasked with giving a speech when the club announced the renaming of their academy facilities after coach Luka Kaliterna, and Hajduk wanted to hand him his senior debut before they were even legally allowed.

  Croatian regulations prohibited Vuskovic from appearing in a competitive Hajduk game until he turned 16, but the club sought to give him senior minutes in several friendlies in the meantime. He also kept busy by tumbling records in the UEFA Youth League, becoming the youngest-ever Croatian to play and score in the competition.

  Hajduk and Vuskovic were kept on their toes until February 2023, when he was at last granted permission to make his professional debut.

  • The big break

    Such was Hajduk’s belief in Vuskovic that they didn’t even hesitate throwing him into action only two days after he turned 16, and against bitter rivals Dinamo Zagreb no less. It’s probably better to forget that Hajduk were thrashed 4-0, but Vuskovic made history nonetheless, shattering the record for the youngest player to feature in the Eternal Derby.

    One week later, he made his mark with a goal in their Croatian Cup triumph against Osijek, in turn becoming the youngest scorer for Hajduk on record. Almost immediately, Vuskovic became a starter and on the verge of undroppable, until for a muscle injury to disrupt his end to the 2022-23 campaign, though he did receive a cup-winners’ medal for his troubles.

    Transfer speculation began to whirl around Vuskovic heading into the following season, though it wasn’t until September 2023 that he agreed a future move to pastures new, signing a contract with Tottenham running until 2030 after a £12m deal was agreed. Hajduk wrapped their shining star in cotton wool before the decision was made to loan him to Polish top-flight side Radomiak Radom in January. In 14 Ekstraklasa appearances, he managed an impressive three goals from centre-back, and he had risen through the Croatian youth ranks to U19 level all the while.

    Vuskovic returned to Hajduk with more European clubs hoping to take him on loan ahead of his move to Spurs one year out, and he reached an agreement with Belgian outfit Westerlo.

    How it’s going

    Through 10 rounds of Belgian Pro League fixtures, Vuskovic has been the star attraction for a Westerlo side well in with a chance of reaching the champions’ play-off stage at the end of the season.

    He has started every game for De Kemphanen thus far and has already contributed four goals and one assist, blowing away pundits and critics with his aerial dominance. Back home, Croatian media have paid attention to this insane run of form and already crowned Vuskovic as “a talent who is born once in 100 years” and “the monster that terrorises all of Belgium”.

    A senior Croatia call-up can’t be far away for Vuskovic, who has broken into the U21 fold in the last month. Of course, he scored on his second start at this level, finding the net in a 3-2 win against Greece only days after keeping a clean sheet when Croatia beat Andorra 2-0.

    LUKA VUŠKOVIĆ CAN'T STOP SCORING!!! 3-2!!!

    Beautiful header from Luka Vušković to give Croatia the lead once again. Lovro Zvonarek with the assist. 🚨pic.twitter.com/SybeywGPe2

    — 🇭🇷 (@TheCroatianLad) October 15, 2024

    Biggest strengths

    Vuskovic has been blessed with relative height for much of his life, and even now at 6’4″ he is still growing and further asserting his vertical advantage. It does, however, take more than simply being tall in order to succeed at the aerial aspect of football.

    The remarkable return of eight goals in 35 senior appearances across all three of the clubs he has played for, plus a further two for Croatia’s youth teams, is all the evidence you really need to know Vuskovic poses a problem at either end of the pitch, but his expert and quick-footed movement in tandem with his heading is what makes him a truly unique profile of player. He is a real-life Football Manager glitch.

    As is the case with most modern centre-backs, Vuskovic is comfortable in possession and isn’t afraid of taking risks in the defensive third or hitting it longer when necessary, bringing the best of both traditional and contemporary defensive traits.

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1843677947837985160

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      Room for improvement

      Though Vuskovic leads by example and with his immense physical gifts, he is still working on becoming more of a vocal leader at the back.

      During his recent U21 excursions, he was called out for failing to communicate effectively with his fellow defenders and his inability to deal with long balls over the top. This was said to be a problem during his days at Hajduk due to playing in teams who prefer to have the ball but are vulnerable to counter attacks, which is hardly the sentiment that fans of Tottenham and Ange-ball will want to hear about.

      There is, however, expectation that these kinks can be ironed out of Vuskovic’s game given his age and the experience he is quickly accumulating. This shouldn’t be a problem in the long term.

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      The next… Toby Alderweireld?

      From things Spurs supporters won’t want to know to things they will be desperate to learn more about, eh? Vuskovic’s short time so far in Belgium has seen local media draw comparisons with Toby Alderweireld, who became one of the world’s best defenders in his six-year stint at Tottenham.

      Both are excellent on the ball and have a long-field ping in their locker, while the young Croatian may have already surpassed his Alderweireld when it comes to heading, despite his slick-haired elder boasting a fine catalogue of goals throughout a successful career.

      Those in Croatia have understandably likened him to compatriot Josko Gvardiol, though another name that has crept up in such debates is Barcelona and Spain legend Gerard Pique.

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      What comes next?

      Vuskovic could finish the 2024-25 season at Westerlo with some ridiculous stats and accolades should he stay free from injury and continue on this trajectory. Then will come the big question of whether he will be ready to make an immediate impact at Tottenham next term.

      The step-up from the Belgian Pro League to the Premier League in a short space of time isn’t an impossible one, and Spurs may very well be in need of a centre-back to step in if Real Madrid follow up on this summer’s interest in Cristian Romero.

      It won’t be too long before Croatia bring Vuskovic into the senior fold either with one eye on the 2026 World Cup, by which time he could be an established player for a major club and a contending country.