Josip Šutalo

Josip Šutalo
Šutalo with Croatia in 2026
Personal information
Full name Josip Šutalo[1]
Date of birth (2000-02-28) 28 February 2000[2]
Place of birth Čapljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3]
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Lazio
(on loan from Ajax)
Number 37
Youth career
–2014 Neretva
2014–2020 Dinamo Zagreb
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2020 Dinamo Zagreb II 15 (0)
2020–2023 Dinamo Zagreb 65 (4)
2021 → Istra 1961 (loan) 22 (0)
2023– Ajax 76 (3)
2026– → Lazio (loan) 0 (0)
International career‡
2015 Croatia U15 2 (0)
2015–2016 Croatia U16 15 (0)
2016 Croatia U17 10 (1)
2018 Croatia U18 2 (0)
2018–2019 Croatia U19 4 (0)
2021 Croatia U20 1 (0)
2021–2022 Croatia U21 8 (2)
2022– Croatia 37 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Croatia
FIFA World Cup
Third place2022 Qatar
UEFA Nations League
Runner-up2023 Netherlands
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 August 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 3 July 2026

Josip Šutalo (born 28 February 2000) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club Lazio, on loan from Eredivisie club Ajax, and the Croatia national team.

Early life

Šutalo was born in Čapljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and started playing youth football with NK Neretva in neighbouring Metković, Croatia.[2] In July 2014, he joined the youth academy of Dinamo Zagreb, where he advanced through the junior squads and featured in Dinamo's UEFA Youth League runs, reaching the quarter-finals twice, as well as the final of the 2018–19 Premier League International Cup.[4]

Club career

Dinamo Zagreb

Šutalo with Dinamo Zagreb in 2022

After progressing through the academy, Šutalo made his senior debut for the reserve squad, Dinamo Zagreb II, on 1 September 2018 in a 3–1 win against Bijelo Brdo. On 30 October 2019, he debuted for the first team in a 3–0 victory over Opatija in the Croatian Cup. He made his Prva HNL debut on 1 July 2020 in a 1–0 win over Inter Zaprešić.

On 18 January 2021, Šutalo moved on a six-month loan to fellow Prva HNL club Istra 1961 for the remainder of the 2020–21 season. He made his debut the following day in a 1–1 league draw against Gorica. On 19 May 2021, he started in the Croatian Cup final, scoring an own goal as Istra were defeated 6–3 by his parent club Dinamo.[5]

Šutalo returned to Dinamo for the 2021–22 season and established himself as a starting centre-back. On 23 July 2021, he registered his first goal and assist for Dinamo in a 4–0 league victory over Hrvatski Dragovoljac. He made his UEFA Europa League debut on 16 September 2021 in a 2–0 group stage defeat to West Ham United,[6] scoring his first European goal on 4 November in a 3–1 home win over Rapid Wien.[7] On 6 September 2022, he made his UEFA Champions League debut in a 1–0 group stage victory over Chelsea.[8]

Ajax

On 21 August 2023, Šutalo signed a five-year contract with Eredivisie club Ajax for an initial transfer fee of €20.5 million.[9] He made his debut on 3 September 2023 against Fortuna Sittard in a 0–0 draw, captaining the team on his first appearance for the club.[10][11][12] In his debut season, he made 32 appearances across all competitions, scoring one league goal and making eight appearances across the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League.[13]

Šutalo playing for Ajax in 2024

During the 2024–25 season, Šutalo became a core component of the defensive line under new head coach Francesco Farioli, forming a regular central defensive partnership with Youri Baas. Under Farioli's structured tactical system, which provided clearer defensive instructions and emphasized collective coverage, Šutalo's form saw marked improvement compared to his debut year.[14] He finished the campaign with 45 appearances and three goals across all competitions,[13] and his performances earned him inclusions in the official Eredivisie Team of the Month for September 2024 and April 2025.[15][16]

Šutalo continued as a starting centre-back during the 2025–26 season, recording 24 appearances in the Eredivisie and six in the UEFA Champions League, concluding his third season with Ajax on 108 total appearances and four goals.[13]

Lazio

On 22 August 2026, Italian Serie A club Lazio announced the signing of Šutalo on a season-long loan with an option to make the transfer permanent.[17][18]

International career

Šutalo represented Croatia across various youth international levels, including under-15, under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19, under-20, and under-21 teams.[2] He received his first senior call-up and debuted for the Croatia national team on 10 June 2022, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 away victory against Denmark in the UEFA Nations League.[19]

In November 2022, Šutalo was named in Croatia's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[1] On 17 December 2022, he made his tournament debut, starting and playing the full match in a 2–1 victory against Morocco in the third place play-off to win the bronze medal.[20]

On 5 June 2023, he was selected in Croatia's final squad for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals.[21] He started and played the full match in both the 4–2 semi-final victory over the Netherlands[22] and the final against Spain, which Croatia lost on penalties after a 0–0 draw.[23]

Šutalo was selected in Croatia's squads for UEFA Euro 2024 and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[24]

Style of play

Šutalo is a right-footed centre-back known for his composure in possession, distribution from the back line, and ability to break opposition lines with progressive passing.[25] During his time at Ajax, he frequently functioned as a primary ball progressor during build-up play, utilizing ball-carrying into open spaces and precise passing under pressure.[25] Defensively, analysts have highlighted his positioning, proactive anticipation to execute interceptions and blocks, and tactical effectiveness when operating in a structured defensive collective.[25][14]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 10 May 2026[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Dinamo Zagreb II 2018–19 Druga HNL 50———50
2019–20 40———40
2020–21 60———60
Total 150000000150
Dinamo Zagreb 2019–20 Prva HNL 401000—50
2020–21 301000—40
2021–22 282107[b]1—363
2022–23 HNL 272217[c]000363
2023–24 30004[c]11[d]081
Total 6545118210897
Istra 1961 (loan) 2020–21 Prva HNL 22041——261
Ajax 2023–24 Eredivisie 231108[e]0—321
2024–25 2920016[b]1—453
2025–26 240106[c]000310
Total 76320301001084
Lazio (loan) 2026–27 Serie A 000000—00
Career total 17871124831023812
  1. ↑ Includes Croatian Cup, KNVB Cup
  2. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ↑ Appearance in Croatian Super Cup
  5. ↑ Five appearances in UEFA Europa League, three appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

As of match played 2 July 2026[26]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Croatia 202240
202390
2024100
202570
202670
Total370

Honours

Dinamo Zagreb

Croatia

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Croatia (CRO)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 8. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Josip Šutalo". Croatian Football Federation. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Josip Šutalo". Eredivisie. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Josip Šutalo produljio ugovor s Dinamom". GNK Dinamo Zagreb (in Croatian). 2 March 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "Istra 1961 6-3 (Cup won)". GNK Dinamo Zagreb. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Dinamo Zagreb 0–2 West Ham". UEFA. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
  7. ↑ "Dinamo Zagreb 3–1 Rapid Wien". UEFA. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  8. ↑ "Dinamo Zagreb 1–0 Chelsea". UEFA. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Ajax finalise transfer Šutalo". AFC Ajax. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "Hrvatu ukazana nevjerojatna čast: "Jučer" došao u slavni klub i odmah postao kapetan!". Gol.hr (in Croatian). 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  11. ↑ "Wow! Josip Sutalo draagt de aanvoerdersband bij Ajax-debuut". Sportnieuws.nl (in Dutch). 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Fortuna Sittard and Ajax Draw". Bleacher Report. 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Josip Šutalo at Soccerway
  14. 1 2 van Kempen, Jop (11 August 2024). "Waarom spelers als Gaaei en Sutalo beter gedijen in het Ajax van Farioli". Het Parool (in Dutch). Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Ajax main supplier of Eredivisie Team of the Month for September". Eredivisie. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  16. 1 2 "FC Utrecht dominates Eredivisie Team of the Month". Eredivisie. 2 May 2025. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  17. ↑ "Josip Šutalo joins S.S. Lazio on loan". AFC Ajax. 22 August 2026. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Official: Ajax defender Josip Šutalo joins Lazio". Yahoo! Sports. 22 August 2026. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  19. ↑ "VIDEO Josip Šutalo: Ovo sanjaš cijeli život, da sam zamišljao bolje ne bi bilo ovako". Gol.hr (in Croatian). 10 June 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  20. ↑ HINA (17 December 2022). "Šutalo: Za ovo sam radio cijeli život". Index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  21. ↑ HINA (5 June 2023). "Zlatko Dalić objavio konačan popis za Ligu nacija: Otpao je mladi napadač". Gol.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  22. ↑ "Netherlands 2-4 Croatia (Jun 14, 2023) Final Score". ESPN. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Croatia 0-0 Spain (18 Jun, 2023) Final Score". ESPN. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  24. ↑ "Dalic blends youth and experience with Croatia squad". 18 May 2026. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
  25. 1 2 3 Breaking The Lines (11 September 2023). "Josip Sutalo: Ajax's Croatian Defender". Breaking The Lines. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
  26. ↑ "Josip Šutalo profile". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  27. ↑ "DINAMO – HAJDUK 1:0 Baturina donio Dinamu prvi trofej u sezoni". Index.hr (in Croatian). 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  28. ↑ Smyth, Rob (17 December 2022). "Croatia 2-1 Morocco: World Cup 2022 third-place playoff – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  29. ↑ "Objavljeni laureati Trofeja nogometaš 2022. godine". NACIONAL.HR (in Croatian). 16 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
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