Alen Halilovic – The Croatian Record-Breaker (Video)
History was made on Tuesday evening as a 16-year-old named Alen Halilovic became the youngest ever Croatian international in the match against Portugal. He came on after 50 minutes of the game and almost set up an equaliser for his country straight after his introduction.
But who is Alen Halilovic?
The youngster turns 17 next Tuesday but certainly plays beyond his age. He is very mature for one so young and has even been likened to Luka Modric. He plays in a more advanced position than his compatriot but is very similar in size and stature.
It has been a season if record breaking for the Croatian. In September, he became the youngest ever player to represent Dinamo Zagreb and ten days later became their youngest ever goal-scorer. He then made a Champions League appearance which saw him become the second-youngest ever player in the competition behind Celestine Babayaro.
Babayaro was sent-off in the game he broke that appearance record back in 1994 but Halilovic had a much better impact, showing off his fantastic dribbling skills.
He has had the two Manchester clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona amongst others circling around him all season, with all the team sending scouts to watch the youngster. More recently though, it is AC Milan who have been linked with a £12million bid for the Croatian record-breaker.
His passing and shooting ability are exceptional for a 16-year-old and the skills he has are shown in the clip below. There have been many players dubbed ‘the new Messi’ but Halilovic is the closest youngster you will get to replicating the Argentine at 16.
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