Vušković after his Brighton debut
The 19-year-old Croatian defender played a half in the win against Roma, and revealed his Poljud tattoo to English journalists, admitting he would one day like to play in Spain.
The 19-year-old Croatian defender played a half in the win against Roma, and revealed his Poljud tattoo to English journalists, admitting he would one day like to play in Spain.
Luka Vušković made his debut for Brighton & Hove Albion in a convincing 3-0 friendly victory over Roma. The most expensive signing in the history of the south coast club played one half at the Amex Stadium, and after the match, his Poljud tattoo intrigued journalists.
On the young centre-back's left arm, most of the tattoos are dedicated to family members and important dates in his life, but a special place is reserved for the Split stadium. "This is the first stadium I played in, and it's my favorite stadium. It's a bit run-down now. It needs some renovation, but it's really beautiful," The Athletic quotes Vušković as saying.
Brighton paid a significant amount for his arrival from Tottenham. According to Sportske novosti, the transfer cost €54 million plus 20% of any future sale, while Slobodna Dalmacija reports €58 million including bonuses. The player himself is not weighed down by the figure.
"The price isn't that important, because it's just a number. I have to prove myself and give my all, and I'll try to do that," Vušković said.
The 19-year-old noted that his adaptation to the new environment went surprisingly smoothly. "It was really easy because my teammates, the coaching staff, and the whole club have been helping me since I arrived. Whoever is best in matches and training will start. It's great to have competition. In my position, we have a lot of good players, and whoever is best will play-it's that simple," he explained.
He is convinced that Brighton is the ideal choice for the next step in his career. "I think this is the best move for my career. Brighton is one of the biggest 'factories' in the world for producing young players, as we've seen in recent years and will see in the future. I think it's a top club; they showed me a top project, and it was very easy to decide."
Although he will soon make his debut in the world's strongest league, Vušković admitted that it wasn't his biggest dream. "I'm looking forward to playing in the Premier League, but it wasn't my biggest dream. It's, of course, the best league in the world, and I'm more than happy to play my first match soon. I'm very happy and, let's say, proud in a way."
When asked where he would one day like to play, he replied: "I never think about it that way. Maybe Spain, because the lifestyle is most similar to Croatia."
He reached the Premier League after three loan spells while under contract with Tottenham. He spent the second half of the 2023/24 season at Polish club Radomiak, then played for Belgian side Westerlo in 2024/25, and impressed at German club Hamburg last season.
"My time in Poland helped me a lot as a player. Then Westerlo, then Hamburg. All those moves were very important, and I'm very happy I went through all of it. I'm only 19, so there are so many things to work on, so much room for improvement. I'll try to work as much as possible to unlock all of it," he said.
He also reflected on facing Harry Kane at the World Cup. "Every little mistake costs a lot. He's obviously one of the best strikers in the world, so it was really tough. It was nice to be at the World Cup, even though, obviously, we weren't happy with the result."
His development has also been aided by the self-analysis app Smart 11, which he has used for the past two years. "They're really amazing; I'd recommend them to anyone. They've helped me a lot, but now at Brighton we also have a lot of analysis, so we'll see what happens," Vušković concluded.
