Comparing Vlahovic and Ibrahimovic

Dusan Vlahovic is a much-lauded player in the first years of his career on the pitch. Many have already compared him to the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but does the youngster deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as this giant of the game?

Ibrahimovic’s Achievements

To answer the question in the title we must first consider what Ibrahimovic has achieved on the pitch (and is still achieving, as he’s playing for AC Milan at the grand old age of 40). During his decades of soccer, Ibrahimovic has earned himself the reputation of being one of the greatest strikers the game has ever seen. For clubs alone, his goal tally exceeds 500 and he’s scored 62 more for his national side (from 120 appearances). In Serie A, he’s amassed more than 150 goals.

When it comes to silverware, pity Ibrahimovic’s trophy cabinet as it groans beneath the weight of 31 titles and their accompanying trophies. His senior career began back in 1999 for Malmö FF, and since then Ibrahimovic has played for some of the biggest clubs in the sport, from Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan in Italy, to Dutch giant Ajax, in addition to Manchester United and PSG. In short, his career is long and of glittering success, with a surprising lack of a Champions League triumph practically the only accolade absent.

Dusan Vlahovic, by way of comparison, was born a year after Ibrahimovic’s senior career began, and his own senior career started in 2016. But he’s already caught the eye of many a fan since then, prompting comparisons with the highly-respected Ibrahimovic.

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Vlahovic’s Senior Career – and Comparing it to Ibrahimovic

Given that Ibrahimovic’s career is older than Vlahovic it would be somewhat unfair to compare them directly, but we can look at the early years of Ibrahimovic and see how Vlahovic’s performance stacks up against his illustrious counterpart.

Ibrahimovic’s first two clubs were Malmö FF and Ajax, making 40 and 74 appearances respectively for the two teams (for whom he played from 1999 to 2004). For both of them, he scored just under 50% of the time on average, contributing 16 goals to Malmö FF and 35 to Ajax. This approximate strike rate continued until around 2011 when it leaps to almost 100% at PSG, but this was over a decade after his career began.

From 2016 to early 2022, Vlahovic played for Partizan and Fiorentina. He did only score once in 21 appearances at Partizan and made his debut at just 16. At Fiorentina, however, he made 98 appearances and scored 44 times, a rate very similar to the early days of Ibrahimovic’s career and success enough to earn Vlahovic the attention of Europe’s biggest clubs. In terms of raw goals, Ibrahimovic did score more, and more quickly early on, although he was also a couple of years older when he began his senior career.

On the national stage, Vlahovic has made 14 appearances for Serbia and scored 7 goals, a precise 50% rate and just barely behind the 62 goals from 120 appearances that Ibrahimovic has made for Sweden.

Style on the Pitch

Stats are a key aspect of rating players but they don’t always tell the full story. A player’s personality and their playstyle matter a lot too. One of the reasons why Vlahovic, despite his youth, has already been compared to Ibrahimovic is that he seems to be the total package, with a powerful physical presence and an instinct for goal.

During his long career, Ibrahimovic has proven not only a sure-fire goal scorer, but also adept at passing, physically powerful, and talented in the air (and with both feet). In short, the Swede is not a one-trick pony but a versatile and proficient scoring machine. More than that, he set an early and impressive standard for himself and maintained that high level of play for years. It’s too early to be sure, but right now Vlahovic certainly seems to be worthy of comparison on both the scoring and stylistic level.

Moving to Juventus

In late January 2022, Vlahovic signed a deal taking him from Fiorentina to Juventus until June 2026. His new club is the most successful in the history of Serie A and absolutely dominated the league from 2011 until 2020. However, the most recent title went to Inter Milan. Worse still for Juventus, they just scraped into 4th, just one point ahead of a position that would have excluded them from the Champions League (and a single point behind Ibrahimovic’s AC Milan). For a team with both a fantastic history and a very recent amazing run of titles, it’s vital they strike back quickly. Can Vlahovic deliver for them?

He certainly has the club’s confidence, who spent €70m to secure his services and won the player against competition from multiple other teams in Europe. Although very highly-regarded, Vlahovic is also young (21) and this could be a smart move by Juventus. At Serie A/Coppa Italia games he’s averaged almost a goal a match (20 in the last 24 appearances). It’s certainly been a good investment by his former team Fiorentina, who as recently as 2018 acquired Vlahovic for less than €2m.

Vlahovic has already achieved a lot and is worthy of comparison with Ibrahimovic. But whether he can help turn around Juventus’ form may determine how a lot of people view the player from Belgrade.