Mario Pašalić

Mario Pašalić ( born 9 February 1995) is a professional footballer who plays as an midfielder for side Atalanta.

Born in Germany, he plays for the Croatia national team.

Pašalić started playing football at county club NK GOŠK Kaštel Gomilica before joining the Hajduk Split's youth academy in 2006.

A youth international, he first gained wider recognition in the 2011–12 season, scoring 17 goals for the under-17s, despite being a midfielder, and scoring the winner for the under-19s in a 3–2 success against Hrvatski Dragovoljac, which secured the club's championship trophy.

During the pre-season, however, Pašalić was diagnosed with a staphylococcus infection, being sidelined for the first half of the 2012–13 campaign.

He played his first match as a professional on 14 April 2013 replacing Ivan Vuković in the 90th minute of a 2–1 home success against Cibalia.

In summer 2013, Pašalić signed a four-year professional contract with Hajduk and went on to make 36 appearances in all competitions during the 2013–14 season, scoring 11 goals and assisting a further five.

On 14 September 2013, he scored two goals in a derby 2–0 victory against Dinamo Zagreb, and repeated the same fate on 8 February the following year, in a 2–1 win at city rivals RNK Split.

Pašalić began his career at Hajduk Split before moving to Chelsea for a reported £3 million in 2014.

Chelsea loaned him to Elche, Monaco, AC Milan, Spartak Moscow and then Atalanta.

Pašalić made his senior international debut for Croatia in 2014, representing the side at UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

On 9 July 2014, Chelsea announced the signing of Pašalić for an undisclosed fee.

Upon signing, Pašalić said, "I am very happy because I am now a Chelsea player."

On 22 July 2014, Pašalić joined Elche on a season-long loan deal.

He made his La Liga debut on 25 August, starting and being booked in a 0–3 away loss against Barcelona.

On 12 April 2015, Pašalić scored his first goal in the top flight of Spanish football, netting the last in a 2–0 win over Córdoba.

On 29 April 2015, Pašalić scored in a 4–0 victory over Deportivo de La Coruña.

On 3 May 2015, he scored a late goal which turned out to be the winner in the match against Málaga in a 2–1 victory.

On 3 July 2015, it was announced that Pašalić will spend the 2015–16 season on loan at Monaco.

Striker Radamel Falcao went on loan to Chelsea as part of the loan agreement for Pašalić to join the Monégasque side.

During an interview about his loan move to Monaco, Pašalić stated that staying at Chelsea this season was never an option and that he "needs to improve, grow and then hope to get a chance with Chelsea".

On 28 July, Pašalić made his Monaco debut in a 3–1 victory against Swiss side Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, in which he scored the final goal to make it 3–1.

On 8 August, Pašalić made his Ligue 1 debut after playing 25 minutes in a 2–1 win over Nice.

On 19 August, Pašalić scored against Valencia, but it was not enough to stop Monaco from losing 3–1 in the first leg of the Champions League play-off.

On 17 September, he made his Europa League debut in a 1–1 away draw with Anderlecht.

In the 2015–16 Coupe de France, Pašalić scored twice in two appearances.

On 27 August 2016, Pašalić joined Serie A side AC Milan on a season-long loan.

A month after the loan was completed, there were reports that stated Milan was looking to cut the loan short and return Pašalić in January.

He made his debut off the substitutes' bench on 30 October 2016 in a 1–0 win against Pescara.

In the following game, Pašalić made his first start in a 2–1 win over Palermo.

Pašalić scored his first goal for Milan in a 2–1 home victory against Crotone.

Pašalić scored the winning penalty in the 2016 Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus, bringing Milan its first major trophy since 2011 after the regular match finished in a 1–1 draw (4–5 penalties).

On 8 February 2017, Pašalić scored an 89th-minute winner against Bologna in Milan's 1–0 away win.

On 2 April, Pašalić scored the equalizer in Milan's 1–1 away draw with Pescara.

On 2 August 2017, Pašalić signed a new four-year deal with Chelsea and joined Russian champions Spartak Moscow on loan for the 2017–18 season.

On 12 August, he scored his first goal for Spartak in a 2–1 away defeat to CSKA Moscow.

He made his Champions League debut on 13 September in a 1–1 away draw with Maribor.

On 27 November, he scored in a 3–1 home victory over Zenit Saint Petersburg.

On 10 December, he once again scored in the Main Moscow derby, as Spartak won 3–0 at home.

Following two seasons at the Bergamasque club between 2018 and 2020, he was signed permanently ahead of the 2020–21 season.