As the sound of the song “USA” by Dubioza Kolektiv rang through the Zenica stadium at full-time of Bosnia’s dramatic win over Italy to reach the World Cup, the cameras panned to their 40-year old captain, Edin Džeko, who dropped to his knees in relief and exhaustion. He would get his final chance to play in a World Cup after that penalty shootout, and for many, this was the story-line. However, I thought I saw a different kind of relief on Džeko’s face: the relief of knowing that the next generation had just taken the torch and he no longer had to shoulder the weight of an entire nation on his own. It was fitting, that Džeko (presumably Bosnia’s scheduled 5th penalty taker in this match) didn’t even have to take his penalty kick, as Esmir Bajraktarević converted the 4th spot kick to send Bosnia to the World Cup after Kerim Alajbegović scored just prior. Alajbegović, an 18-year old German-born, Bosnian winger, received his first cap for the Bosnian senior team last year, with the match vs. Italy acting as his 8th cap for country, having already become a mainstay. With the score 1-0 to Italy at halftime, Sergej Barbarez subbed off a defender (Sead Kolasinac) for Alajbegović in an attempt to take advantage of the Bastoni red card and get back in the match. The difference was immediately obvious. Bosnia were struggling to create in their 4-4-2 shape, with their strikers being isolated and marked by the Italian defence. Once Alajbegović took up his position on the left wing, the Italians were in for a long 2nd half. Averaging ~ 1 touch per minute on the pitch, the attacking focus for Bosnia shifted to “get this kid the ball”.

Given the moment and stakes of the match, along with the situation he found himself being subbed into, I cannot say enough good things about the mentality and character shown by Kerim Alajbegović in this match. Time and time again he got open to receive the ball, and turned his attention to attacking the box. He was not scared of the moment, but attacked it without hesitation. This is not a winger who wants to hug the touchline and play backwards passes, he wants to create with the ball at his feet, even under the kind of pressure that would make many players lose their nerve. Never dispossessed and having completed 44/46 passes in this match, Alajbegović showed outstanding composure and vision. More than that, he was able to recognize that the Italian defence would eventually wear down under enough pressure, and delivered 15 cross attempts and 7 more corners in limited minutes. While looking at just the stats would tell you that 1/15 crosses were “accurate”, your eyes tell you the impact an “inaccurate” cross can have in the final third. While not reaching a teammate, Alajbegović’s crosses were not simple clearances that didn’t make it past the first defender, they had pace, whip, and really asked a lot of questions of the Italian CB’s, who often “cleared” these crosses right to Bosnian players around the edge of the box. While I will say that Alajbegović does seem to be more of the type of winger to try and carve out shooting opportunities for himself, his vision and creating is no weakness.

For his player profile, Alajbegović is best operating as an inside forward, from a left-wing position. The closest high-level player comparison I could make based on style is similar to Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo. He identifies central space around the edge of the 18-yard box well and really takes joy out of cutting inside onto his right foot. At times he will keep cutting across the box until you blink and he’s delivering a cutback from the RW’s position on the goal-line. He prefers shorter interplay to get into the box vs trying to get crosses in from the sideline. Note his Bundesliga season shot map below. Not only is it clear how much Alajbegović enjoys cutting inside around the edge of the box, but also my other point mentioned – he ends up on the far side of the pitch in the final third fairly often:

Alajbegović is a right-footed player, but is not weak on his left, having shown several technically strong left-footed strikes in the matches I watched. Alternatively, I could see him operating as a ST in a striker pairing, with the agency to move around the pitch freely. So far this season, Alajbegović has 9 goal contributions in the Austrian Bundesliga with RB Salzburg, having played almost 1400 minutes. He is definitely a volume shooter, averaging ~4.5 shots per 90 for club, and 71 touches per 90, which is fairly high for a forward. While perhaps not the most aesthetically pleasing player with every touch, Alajbegović knows what he wants to do and is very efficient in achieving his goal. You might not get hypnotizing dribble moves out of him, but he can create enough space for himself to do what he does best: shoot.

Alajbegović says his dream is to play for Real Madrid (“but if it’s Barcelona, that’s ok too!”) and given the player he is now at 18, I don’t believe that’s an unrealistic dream. At the very least, he has all the tools necessary to become an impactful player on European football’s biggest stages, and will not be staying at RB Salzburg any longer than this season. Bayer Leverkusen have already exercised their buy-back clause on Alajbegović, willing to pay Salzburg a 6M profit just for giving Alajbegović the playing time to develop. The Bosnian national team attack will almost certainly be lead by Alajbegović and Bajraktarević (their other bright young star, 21-year old RW currently at PSV) for the next decade or so. If Alajbegović can continue his very strong form for his country, then this summer’s World Cup could be his breakout tournament where he becomes a household name.

Get ready for a breakout season, starting at this summer’s World Cup, continuing upon his return to Leverkusen. Kerim Alajbegović is without a doubt, One To Watch.

Thanks for Reading,

-LM