FM13: Mateo Kovačić - The Croatian Messi

Name: Mateo Kovačić

Nationality: Croatian

Position: Attacking midfielder

Starting Club: Dinamo Zagreb

Age at the start of the game: 18

Value: €4.2M

Price tag: €10-12M

Current ability:

Potential ability:

Real life information:

Mateo Kovačić (born 6 May 1994) is a Croatian professional footballer who currently plays for Prva HNL team Dinamo Zagreb.The young midfielder started his football career at Linz football academy, and his debut for Dinamo first squad was in November 2010. He scored on his first official game in the league, which made him the youngest player who ever scored in the history of Croatian first division. He is a member of the Croatia national under-19 football team and Croatia national under-21 football team. As of October 2010 he is a regular member of the Croatia U17 team. His fast development and huge talent drew comparisons with Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney by local sports pundits, and the Croatia under-17 manager Martin Novoselac reportedly said of Kovačić: "I haven't seen a youngster with so much talent since the days of Robert Prosinečki".

In the first part of the 2011/12 season Kovačić played with Dinamo in the Champions League group stage, scoring a goal against Olympique Lyonnais and thus becoming the second youngest ever scorer in the Champions League.

FM13 profile:

With a great potential ability, this young star is truly one of the best wonderkids in the game. Touted as the next Zvonimir Boban early in the game, he's got everything to succeed at top level if nurtured properly. Your target is to get him at the start of first season and to turn him into the best attacking midfielder in the world. It's as simple as that.

Mateo Kovačić in 2017, age 22, playing for Liverpool and already a world-class player. AI developed.

Looks like he develops marvellously as in previous years. Going to look into getting him for my new Newcastle save.

I would call him the Croatian Modric

Excellently developed. Though I'd train him as a wide player too.

If only his finishing was slightly better, then he would be near damn perfect. But he'll still make a beast of an advanced playmaker, 17 passing and 20 creativity.

Also would be tempted to retrain him out wide, but his crossing isn't his strong points. So actually I think I'd keep him in the centre where he can be more influential.

Arsenal, Man United and Udinese are fighting for him in real life. He won't stay too long at Dinamo Zagreb.

Kovačić is brilliant! Someone should also post a thread about the other great talent Dinamo Zagreb has in Alen Halilović. I'm playing as Dinamo, and those guys are really good, gonna be hard holding on to them when the offers start coming in.

Kovačić is brilliant! Someone should also post a thread about the other great talent Dinamo Zagreb has in Alen Halilović. I'm playing as Dinamo, and those guys are really good, gonna be hard holding on to them when the offers start coming in.

I'll second that, Halilović just broke in to my first team first season replacing Adryan as he wasn't performing. He also did well in Champs League against Bayern in first knockout round.

Aged 32 at the start of his 9th season in Milan where he moved for £29.5m from Sporting.

Aged 32 at the start of his 9th season in Milan where he moved for £29.5m from Sporting.

Wow wish he would end up like that on my Dinamo save but really need a good tutor to get his development kick started.