Full name Luka Zahovic Weight 63 kg Number 15 Height 1.77 m | Playing position Role Footballer Name Luka Zahovic Date joined 2013 | |
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Date of birth (1995-11-15) 15 November 1995 (age 20) Parents Zlatko Zahovic, Jelka Zahovic Siblings Sara Zahovic, Maja Zahovic | ||
Place of birth Guimaraes, Portugal | ||
Luka zahovi the young star goals skills
Luka Zahović (born 15 November 1995) is a Slovenian footballer who plays as a forward for Slovenian club NK Maribor.
Contents
- Luka zahovi the young star goals skills
- Luka zahovi goal maribor 1 1 sporting lisbona
- Youth
- Maribor
- Heerenveen
- Loan and return to Maribor
- International career
- Personal life
- Honours
- References
Luka zahovi goal maribor 1 1 sporting lisbona
Youth
Born in Portugal, Zahović began his career in Valencia, playing for Spanish club Valencia CF before moving to Portuguese club Benfica, where he remained until 2007. After his family returned to Slovenia, 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. 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.
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. He increased the lead three minutes later, securing all three points for the home side. He scored his third goal of the season in late August against Zavrč and continued his good form in early September when he netted a hat-trick for Maribor B in a match against Šentjur in the Slovenian Third League. 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.
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. 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. His father Zlatko has scored a total of 11 goals in 32 UEFA Champions League appearances during his career. For his performances Zahović was nominated for the 2014 Golden Boy Award. 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. The transfer fee paid by Heerenveen was undisclosed, but it is believed to be around €0.7 million. Zahović earned eight appearances for the club in all competitions in the 2015–16 season.
Loan and return to Maribor
On 24 August 2016, Heerenveen loaned Zahović to Maribor. On 27 February 2017, it was reported that Zahović will not return to Heerenveen and will continue his career at Maribor.
International career
His international debut came in August 2010, when he played for Slovenia U16 in a friendly match against Austria U16. Zahović represented Slovenia U17 at the 2012 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, where he played in all three group stage matches. He also scored the only goal for Slovenia in a 3–1 defeat against the Netherlands U17, who later won the competition. He debuted for Slovenia U21 on 2 June 2015 in a friendly match against Greece U21, where he scored one goal and helped his team in a comfortable 3–0 victory. He was capped eight times for the team during the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers, and also scored one goal against Andorra U21 in the first round.
Personal life
Zahović was born in the Portuguese city of Guimarães 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 Guimarães. He holds Slovenian and Portuguese citizenship.