Why Hamburg's Luka Vušković is one of the most exciting youngsters in Germany
Eighteen matchdays in, Hamburg find themselves 14th in the table with one of the most solid defences in the Bundesliga. At the heart of their backline, Luka Vušković has been imperious, developing into one of the best centre-backs in Germany. The Croatian will be key to HSV’s hopes of staying amongst the elite...
After eight years of trying, Hamburg finally earned promotion back to the top flight last term. Their successful campaign relied mainly on their attack, with their 78 goals scored the highest in the division by at least 14 – while they were hardly leaky at the back, four other teams conceded fewer than their 44 efforts, including 15th-placed Preußen Münster.
Therefore, becoming tighter at the back was a priority for Merlin Polzin and Co. at the start of this season, and so far, it seems they have addressed the issue. The 27 goals they have conceded is the seventh-lowest total in the Bundesliga, with only the division’s current top six more stringent in their own third.
Since joining on loan from Tottenham Hotspur last summer, 18-year-old Vušković has been an ever-present. He received a baptism of fire on his debut, playing the full 90 minutes as Hamburg were put to the sword in a 5-0 defeat to the irresistible Bayern Munich, but such an introduction may well have been the best thing for him – since then, he has barely put a foot wrong as Polzin has concentrated on making his team difficult to beat.
Vušković has been an imposing figure in Hamburg’s back three. His 6’4” frame makes him a physical specimen, and he has put that to good use, winning 69.3 per cent of his duels, including 78.5 per cent of those in the air – both numbers are the highest at HSV and are amongst the best in the division as a whole.
He has not only impressed at the back, either. He ranks second at Hamburg in terms of pass completion percentage (85.41) and has already found the back of the net on three occasions.
The first of those goals – the opener in the 2-1 victory over Heidenheim on Matchday 4 – was Hamburg’s first in the Bundesliga after blanks in their opening three matches, while it also made Vušković the third-youngest goalscorer in the club’s history.
Then, on Matchday 13, he buried a delightful backheel against Werder Bremen, a goal that won him the Bundesliga Goal of the Year award, beating the likes of Luis Díaz, Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. His ability to find the back of the net this season is not a flash in the pan, either, given that he scored seven times for Westerloo in the Belgian top division last season.
Watch: Vušković's 2025 Goal of the Year winner!
All of this has earned him recognition of the highest order. Ahead of the Bundesliga’s return following the winter break, he was voted the league’s Player of the Season so far, winning a huge 60 per cent of the vote and beating none other than Harry Kane to the accolade.
Considering his impact in such a short amount of time at Hamburg, it is easy to forget just how young Vušković is. Still at the start of his career, he is yet to play 100 professional games and will still be a teenager until 24th February 2027.
However, he has already managed to cram a lot into his short time as a footballer. He was just 16 years and three days old when he made his debut for Hajduk Split in 2022/23, and he was hardly bedded in slowly, playing the full 90 minutes against the Croatian outfit’s fierce rivals Dinamo Zagreb.
Watch: Vušković voted best player so far
The game ended in a 4-0 defeat, but it was another immediate learning curve for Vušković, who would play in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final as Split won the domestic cup that same season.
The defender, who has two caps for the Croatian national team, is now playing football in his fourth country, having also spent time in Poland. Add in his switch to Tottenham, for whom he is yet to play, and you understand just how adaptable this star in the making is.
Unsurprisingly, Vušković’s outstanding displays have earned him praise from all quarters, including opposition managers such as compatriot Niko Kovač. Polzin, though, works with him every day and therefore knows him best. And it is fair to say he is enjoying his time with the youngster.
“He has exceptional talent,” he said recently. “But what impresses me even more than his good performances on the pitch is his work ethic. If I’m in the office very, very early in the morning, he’s there just before or after me, working out in the weight room. What I really like is his self-criticism.”
The awareness to analyse his own play and correct his mistakes has stood Vušković in good stead, especially ahead of Hamburg's clash with Bayern at the Volksparkstadion this weekend.
His maiden outing for HSV could hardly have gone worse as they were given the runaround by the Bavarians, but he has since settled in well into life in Germany and, given Hamburg’s solid home form and Bayern suffering their first league defeat to Augsburg last time out, Matchday 20 may be the perfect time for revenge.
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