Pjaca Marko
Marko Pjaca is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a winger for the Croatia National team. Pjaca began his professional club career in Croatia with Lokomotiva in 2012, before moving to Dinamo Zagreb in 2014. After winning consecutive domestic doubles with Dinamo, he joined Juventus in 2016, where he also won a domestic double in his first season. Pjaca was then sent on loan, first to Schalke 04 for the second part of the following season, then to Fiorentina during the 2018–19 season, and finally to Anderlecht during the 2020 winter transfer deadline. At international level, Pjaca represented Croatia at UEFA Euro 2016 and at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, winning a runners-up medal at the latter tournament.
Did you Know?
These boots were used by Marko Pjaca in early January 2020 with Juventus F.C. It is a very weird pair of boots with an extra “bubble” on top of the left boot due, probably, to some blister’s issue. Regarded as a talented and promising young prospect, Pjaca is a winger who is capable of playing on either flank, although his preferred position is on the left, where he likes to cut inside from wide positions and either shoot on goal or create chances with his stronger right foot; he has also been deployed as an attacking midfielder or as a second striker on occasion. A dynamic, agile and technically gifted player, Pjaca is known for his direct and offensive style of play. Due to his physique, speed, dribbling skills and ability to change direction quickly, he often takes on players in one-on-one situations, and is also known for his ability to make intelligent attacking runs behind the opponents’ defensive line. On 21 July 2016, it was announced Pjaca signed a five-year contract with Juventus for a €23 million transfer fee to Dinamo. With the transfer, Pjaca became the most expensive ever sale by Dinamo and the Croatian First Football League. Pjaca made his Juventus and Serie A debut on 27 August, coming on as a substitute for Paulo Dybala in the second half of a 1–0 away win over Lazio. In October 2016, Pjaca suffered a cracked fibula while on international duty with Croatia, and was initially expected to miss around six weeks of the season. After being sidelined through injury for almost three months, in January 2017, he returned to action with two half-hour-long substitute appearances against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia and Fiorentina in Serie A. He scored his first goal for Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie against Porto, a 2–0 away win. Pjaca suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury on 28 March while on international duty with Croatia, sidelining him for six months. Pjaca made his senior international debut for Croatia on 4 September 2014, replacing Mateo Kovačić for the last 12 minutes of a 2–0 friendly win over Cyprus at the Stadion Aldo Drosina in Pula. On 3 September 2015, he made his competitive debut for the national team in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Azerbaijan, starting and playing the entire fixture, which ended in a 0–0 draw. On 4 June 2016, he scored his first international goal for Croatia in a 10–0 win over San Marino.