Primavera: uncovering Vanja Vlahović

With his two goals on matchday 3, Vanja Vlahović sealed Atalanta Primavera’s 4-1 comeback win over Cagliari, making it his third brace ever since joining the Primavera. "I’m very pleased to have scored my first seasonal goals and, hopefully, I’m just getting warmed up. Nonetheless, what really matters is the team’s victory: from now on we just have to keep pushing, one game after the other”. Out of his two goals, the former definitely stands out for its beauty and execution: after the gentle touch back to the goal to shrug off the opposing defender, Vanja loosened a superb left-footed shot to the far corner. "It was a great goal, probably one of the best I’ve ever scored. Anyway, as I said before, it’s the team’s result that matters most. If we keep going this way, more goals will come".

Goals have always been a staple of Vanja’s career. "Scoring is a key component of a striker’s job. Even though I started as a winger, with no preference between left and right, it was Zvonko Popović who first placed me on the spearhead of the attacking line: I can’t thank him enough since it was love at first sight with the role. I always keep my eyes peeled on all the first team's strikers to steal some of their trade secrets. As such, I never miss one of their matches, either at home on TV or, foremost, live at the stadium, to unravel all their movements on the field, especially how they attack and exploit the spaces around them, and to better make out their approach in many game situations".

Vanja's knack for football started young, also due to the sport being a family matter for the Vlahovićs: "While my mother Dragana played professional basketball, my father Vladimir featured Serbia's Junior volleyball teams. I've been kicking a football for as far as I remember, ever since I turned four. Following in the footsteps of my brother  Igor, who is three years older, I fell in love with this sport. We never skipped a chance to practice together, even in our own bedroom at home: fortunately, we seldom did any damage also courtesy of our mother, who nipped everything in the bud by stripping the room of any fragile and valuable object. Being very close to my family, I dedicate each and every goal I score to them" the black-and-blue number 9 answers cheerfully. Moving on to his football upbringing at Partizan Belgrade: "I joined the club when I was 10 or 11 years old and after three years of commuting between my hometown Vršak and Belgrade, I moved to the capital. I owe them my first growth as a footballer, which eventually resulted in Atalanta's call last January".

Vanja made himself at home in next to no time: "Here every accommodation is top-notch and already sorted out, freeing us from any qualms: board, lodging, transportation, you name it. Fresh off the plane, I was immediately assigned an Italian teacher: I've been taking lessons every day without fail to learn the language pronto. I currently live at the Casa del Giovane (Youth House) and I really like it there: not only do they look after us and provide for our every need, but foremost I live together with my teammates, which makes forging deeper friendships easier. Other than that, I consider myself a very outgoing person, with no particular hobby aside from being a cat person: back in Serbia, we have several of them roaming around the house (he smiles, ed). I also fancy spending my spare time together with my family and my lifelong friends".