Saša Kalajdžić #14

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Kalajdžić’s career reads as an extraordinarily painful series of what-ifs. What if he hadn’t broken his foot in 2018? What if his ankle ligament hadn’t ruptured the same year? What if he hadn’t suffered a torn ACL in 2019, and again in 2022? And yet again in 2024? When fit, Kalajdžić has had a fair claim to be Austria’s best striker, including a goal against eventual champions Italy in their Euro 2020 last-16 game. Standing two metres tall, his ball control and vision is much better than expected. Kalajdzic looks like a playmaker trapped in the body of a striker, his skills a reminder of his footballing education as a midfielder. Austrian legend Ernst Baumeister converted him to the forward line at the age of 20, arguing that “even as a defensive midfielder, he was the most dangerous attacker”.

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