Who is Dejan Kulusevski? Juve’s new Swedish striker compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Defending champions Juventus got off to a great start in Serie A under new manager Andrea Pirlo as the Bianconeri cruised to a 3-0 win on Sampdoria on Matchday 1. Dejan Kulusevski opened the scoring for the Old Lady while Leonardo Bonnucci and Cristiano Ronaldo also got on the scoresheet in the second half. Despite the old stalwarts confirming the three points in the second period of the game, it was Dejan Kulusevski who grabbed all the headlines with a superb display on his Juventus debut. The young Swedish forward drew comparisons to the legendary Zlatan Ibrahimovic and netizens were immediately curious to know, 'Who is Dejan Kulusevski?' 

Who is Dejan Kulusevski? Youth career and rise to prominence

Dejan Kulusevski began his youth career at Brommapojkarna, a team based in the suburbs of Stockholm, Sweden, and spent 10 years at the club before moving to Atalanta in 2016. Kulusevski made his Serie A debut on January 20, 2019, in a 5-0 victory over Frosinone. In the summer of 2019, Kulusevski was loaned out to Parma and the youngster soon made a name for himself under then-manager Roberto D'Aversa. 

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Who is Dejan Kulusevski? Dejan Kulusevski stats & praise from Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Kulusevski's impressive displays at Parma attracted interest from several European suitors including Man United, Inter Milan and Arsenal but it was Juventus who managed to snap up the young attacker. Juventus agreed on a permanent transfer for Kulusevski which saw them splash out €35 million for the forward in January 2020, signing the Swede on a four-and-a-half-year deal. Kulusevski spent the remainder of the season on loan with Parma and scored a total of 10 goals, notching up nine assists as well. 

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Earlier this month, Sweden national team coach Janne Andersson was heavily criticized by Zlatan Ibrahimovic for not starting Dejan Kulusevski against France in their UEFA Nations League clash. Although Kulusevski came off the bench for a 20-minute cameo, Ibrahimovic, who retired from international football in 2016, took to social media to slam Andersson's decision for not starting the 20-year-old attacker. Zlatan's tweet led fans to believe that he is a huge admirer of the up and coming Swedish talent whilst many fans have compared Kulusevski to Zlatan due to the youngster's incredible strength and skill. 

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Who is Dejan Kulusevski? Kulusevski Juventus debut and Pirlo's plans

Kulusevski arrived at Juventus this summer and scored on his debut for the club in a 3-0 win over Sampdoria on Matchday 1 of the 2020-21 Serie A campaign. Although primarily used as a winger, the versatile Kulusevski can play as a midfielder or be deployed as a second striker. However, Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo reportedly plans to use Kulusevski as a striking partner alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. 

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Image Credits - Zlatan, Juventus Instagram