Nikola Vlašić is a Croatian professional footballer born on 4 October 1997 in Split. He plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Torino and the Croatia national team.
Born into a prominent sporting family, Vlašić developed under the guidance of his father from a young age and rose through the ranks of Croatian football before establishing himself in major European leagues.
He has represented Croatia at multiple major tournaments, including the UEFA European Championship and FIFA World Cup.
Siblings
Nikola is the youngest of four children born to former decathlete and athletics coach Joško Vlašić and Venera, a former basketball player and cross-country skier.
His older sister is Blanka Vlašić, born in 1983, a celebrated high jumper widely regarded as one of Croatia’s greatest athletes.
Blanka achieved two outdoor world titles (Osaka 2007 and Berlin 2009), two indoor world titles, a European outdoor title, Olympic silver in Beijing 2008, and Olympic bronze in Rio 2016.
Her personal best of 2.08 meters ranks among the highest jumps in history and remains a Croatian record. The family also includes two older brothers, Marin and Luka.
Marin, born around 1986, competed in basketball and later discus throwing in his youth but did not reach elite levels and has largely stayed out of the public eye; he married in 2014.
Luka, born around 1992, is the only sibling who did not pursue competitive sport and studied physiotherapy, with few public details available about his life.
Also Read: Joško Gvardiol Siblings: Meet Lorena and Franka Gvardiol
Career
Vlašić began his youth career at Omladinac Vranjic before joining Hajduk Split’s academy around age 12.
He made his senior debut for Hajduk in 2014 at 16, becoming one of the club’s youngest scorers in European competition and later serving as vice-captain.
In 2017 he transferred to Everton for a club-record fee for Hajduk.
After limited opportunities in the Premier League, he joined CSKA Moscow on loan in 2018, impressing enough for the Russian club to make the move permanent.
At CSKA he developed into a key player, scoring important goals in the Champions League (including against Real Madrid) and the domestic league.
In 2021 he moved to West Ham United, though his time there was less productive.
He joined Torino on loan in 2022, a move that became permanent the following year, where he has since established himself as a regular in Serie A, contributing goals and assists consistently.
Internationally, he debuted for Croatia in 2017 and has become a regular, featuring at Euro 2020 (scoring against Scotland), the 2022 World Cup, Euro 2024, and the 2026 World Cup.
Accolades
With Croatia, Vlašić earned a bronze medal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where he successfully converted penalties in shootouts against Japan and Brazil, and finished as runner-up in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League.
Individually, he was named Russian Premier League Footballer of the Year in 2020 by Sport-Express, the Russian Football Union, and the league itself, after strong seasons with CSKA Moscow that included multiple Player of the Month awards.
He has also been recognized in Serie A selections later in his career.
His club journey includes participation in the Champions League and multiple Europa League campaigns, while his early promise earned him a place on The Guardian’s Next Generation list.
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