Unfinished Business: Players Who Have Returned to Their Clubs
There are few feel-good stories in football as those of players who have returned to their clubs, finishing the unfinished, or helping in times of need.
While most young players try to get away from the comparisons to their older, legendary predecessors, Fiorentina's Dusan Vlahovic went the other way. Since he was a young player, he claimed he was the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic, his former Partizan teammate Valeri Bojinov revealed to the media.
Bojinov played with Vlahovic in 2015/2016 and a part of the 2016/2017 season at Partizan Belgrade. The Bulgarian stated that the now 21-year-old was brash and likeably strongly confident in himself from his mid-teenage years.
While even going as far as suggesting to the then Viola director of football Pantaleo Corvino to purchase the youngster.
"He said he was the new Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I told Corvino to sign Vlahovic when he was 15 or 16. Vlahovic was crazy, really crazy. He used to tell me: ‘I am a Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Belgrade, I will play for the strongest clubs.’ I liked his arrogance. I thought he would become a strong player, while Milenkovic was calmer," said Bojinov.
His scouting help probably wasn't needed considering how many Partizan players were bought by Fiorentina prior to Vlahovic: Stevan Jovetic, Matija Nastasic, Adem Ljajic, and the mentioned Nikola Milenkovic.
Vlahovic has had quite a disappointing start to the season but started firing off regularly under Cesare Prandelli and reached 12 goals in Serie A, three fewer than his idol. While also becoming the starter for Serbia's national team in World Cup qualifiers. Recently, after the Viola match against AC Milan, Vlahovic shared a photo of the shirt Zlatan gave to him with a signature in Serbian: "To Vlahovic, all the best," wrote Zlatan while replacing the 's' with z.
Vlahovic gave his appreciation online by posting the photo with the caption "thanks to the idol."
In the match prior, against Benevento, Vlahovic scored a hat-trick in the first half and became the first player to do so for Fiorentina since 1964. Not even Gabriel Batistuta managed it.
As far as the Ibrahimovic comparisons, Vlahovic is five centimetres shorter, although his physicality is his biggest strength so far. While reaching the technical proves of Ibrakadabra would be a feat for anyone as for the young Serbian. But the sporting, city-boy arrogance is obviously there. As is the potential and hunger.
