21 July 2016
The transfer of Marko Pjaca from Dinamo Zagreb on a five-year deal sees the arrival of an immensely talented player reinforce a Juventus midfield brimming with quality and class.
Pjaca attracted the attentions of an entire continent with sterling displays for Croatia at this summer’s European Championships in France. One statistic that puts the 21-year-old’s technical qualities beyond any doubt is that only Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard managed better than his average of 3.33 successful dribbles per match during the tournament.
Despite his tender age, Pjaca has proved with the utmost consistency just what a danger he can be from the flanks. Indeed, he has switched seamlessly between the left and right wings over the course of a career that has seen him star for Lokomotiva Zagreb (between 2011 and 2014) and Dinamo Zagreb (2014-16) as well as Croatia’s youth sides before making his mark with the Balkan nation’s first-team.
Crucially, Pjaca has backed up his talent with key contributions in the final third, scoring 33 goals and providing 19 assists during his last three seasons at club level.
With Dinamo, meanwhile, the Zagreb-born player also got his hands on two Croatian league titles and as many cup crowns, thus completing domestic doubles in consecutive campaigns – a feat famously achieved too by the Bianconeri.
A fine omen, if ever there was one, that both player and club can reach many more successful milestones in the future.
