Luka Zahović

Luka Zahović
Personal information
Full name Luka Zahović[1]
Date of birth (1995-11-15) 15 November 1995
Place of birth Guimarães, Portugal[2]
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current team
 Heerenveen
Number 15
Youth career
2001–2007 Benfica
2007–2013 Maribor
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2013–2015 Maribor 45 (13)
2013–2014 → Veržej (loan) 10 (3)
2014 → Maribor B 1 (3)
2015– Heerenveen 5 (0)
National team‡
2010 Slovenia U16
2011–2012 Slovenia U17 10 (2)
2013 Slovenia U18
2013 Slovenia U19 5 (3)
2015– Slovenia U21 8 (3)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 13 February 2016.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 March 2016

Luka Zahović (born 15 November 1995) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Heerenveen in the Eredivisie.

Club career

Youth

Born in Portugal, Zahović began his career in Lisbon playing for Portuguese club Benfica where he remained until 2007 when he joined Maribor youth selections, after his father Zlatko became director of football at the Slovenian club.

Maribor

He made his professional debut in the final round of the 2012–13 season during a match against Aluminij when he came on as a late substitute.[3] In the following year he spent part of the season playing on loan at the Slovenian Second League squad Veržej, scoring three goals in ten matches, until being given more opportunities by Maribor's coach Ante Šimundža during the second part of the season, eventually making 11 appearances during the 2013–14 PrvaLiga season.[4]

The 2014–15 was his breakthrough season. He made his PrvaLiga season debut in the second round when he came on as a late substitute in the 78th minute during a match against Radomlje. Maribor was struggling at home against the PrvaLiga newcomers with the score being 1–1 and less than ten minutes of regulation left. However, after only spending seven minutes on the pitch Zahović scored his first official goal for The Violets.[5] He increased the lead three minutes later, securing all three points for the home side.[5] He scored his third goal of the season in late August against Zavrč[6] and continued his good form in early September when he netted a hat-trick for Maribor B on a match against Šentjur in the Slovenian Third League.[7] A week later, on his fifth PrvaLiga appearance of the season, he scored another double on a match against Krka, becoming the league's top goalscorer with five goals after eight rounds.[8]

Only four days later, on 17 September 2014, in Maribor's first match of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage at home against Sporting CP, Zahović made his debut in UEFA competitions when he came on as a substitute for Dare Vršič after Nani had put Sporting ahead in the 80th minute. He then equalised in added time.[9] This was only the second time, first time among Europeans, since 1992 when the UEFA Champions League was established in its current format, that a father and son have both scored in the competition.[10] His father Zlatko has scored a total of 11 goals in 32 UEFA Champions League appearances during his career.[10] For his performances Zahović was nominated for the 2014 Golden Boy Award.[11] He finished the 2014–15 season on second place among the club goalscorers with 15 goals in all competitions, 12 of which he has scored in the PrvaLiga.

Heerenveen

In August 2015 Zahović moved to the Eredivisie club Heerenveen and signed a three-year deal with the Dutch squad, with the possibility of a two-year extension.[12][13] The transfer fee paid by Heerenveen was undisclosed, but it is believed to be around €0.7 million.[13]

Personal life

Zahović was born in the Portuguese city of Guimarães[2] where his father Zlatko, a former professional footballer and all-time top goalscorer for the Slovenia national team, was at the time playing for Vitória S.C..[2] He holds Slovenian and Portuguese nationalities.

Honours

Maribor[14]

References

  1. ↑ NK Maribor. "Luka Zahović - osebni karton" [Luka Zahovic - personal card] (in Slovenian). NK Maribor official website. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Maribor v Sporting background". UEFA. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "Zlatko Zahović 2012–13 PrvaLiga profile" (in Slovenian). Slovenian PrvaLiga. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "Zlatko Zahović 2013–14 PrvaLiga profile" (in Slovenian). Slovenian PrvaLiga. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Uradni zapisnik: Maribor vs Radomlje" [Official record: Maribor vs Radomlje] (in Slovenian). Slovenian PrvaLiga. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Uradni zapisnik: Maribor vs Zavrč" [Official record: Maribor vs Zavrc] (in Slovenian). Slovenian PrvaLiga. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  7. ↑ Andrej Lončarič (7 September 2014). "Dravo reševal Tisaj, Maribor ne pozna milosti" [Tisaj was saving Drava, Maribor knows no mercy] (in Slovenian). SNPortal.si. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  8. ↑ Peter Dominko (14 September 2014). "Luka Zahović: "Zmaga bi lahko bila tudi izdatnejša!"" [Luka Zahovic: "A win could have been higher!"] (in Slovenian). SNPortal.si. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "Last-gasp Zahovič earns Maribor a Sporting draw". UEFA. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  10. 1 2 Rok Plestenjak (18 September 2014). "Zlatko in Luka Zahović kot edina Evropejca" [Zlatko and Luka as the only Europeans] (in Slovenian). Siol. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  11. ↑ Richards, Alex (28 October 2014). "England pair Raheem Sterling and Calum Chambers join Adnan Januzaj in Golden Boy award nominations". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  12. ↑ "Luka Zahović v Heerenveen" [Luka Zahović to Heerenveen] (in Slovenian). Maribor official website. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  13. 1 2 Peter Dominko (6 August 2015). "Uradno: Zahović v Heerenveen" [Official: Zahović to Heerenveen] (in Slovenian). SNPortal.si. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  14. ↑ "L. Zahovič". Soccerway. Retrieved 2 June 2015.

External links

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