PLAYER
BIOGRAPHYWords:Nick BidwellThe most expensive transfer of the year
has aspirations for goalscoring greatness
R
apier-sharp Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic, recently acquired by Italian
giantsJuventus from Fiorentina for a hefty€75 million, is experiencing
that black-and-white-striped feeling once again. Six years after emerging
as a teen sensation with hometown club Partizan Belgrade, he is now
sporting exactly the same colours atJuventus.
Nicknamed “DV9” for his goalscoring prowess wearing the No.9 shirt at both of his
former clubs, Vlahovic has been furnished with the No.7 jersey atJuventus. But it is
undoubtedly a matter of time before he eventually inherits his favourite number
at his new club too. You could say this was a move written in the stars.
The powerful yet adroit Vlahovic, fresh from scoring 37 Serie A goals in18 months
for Fiorentina, faces the ultimate challenge atLaVecchiaSignora.Juventus see the
22-year-old as the man to spearhead their much-needed relaunch and to this
end have invested a reported€150m on the complete financial package, with
the eye-watering figure made up of transfer fee, wages and bonuses.
Already in double figures for caps for Serbia, Vlahovic would waste no time
presenting his calling card at theJuventus Stadium, scoring just13 minutes into his debut,
a 2-0 home win over Verona. A couple of weeks on, he would repeat the dose, scoring
just 33 seconds into his Champions League debut in a1-1 draw with Villarreal.
Fiorentina fans have held a long-standing hatred ofJuventus; an enmity