Josip Šutalo (born 28 February 2000) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Eredivisie club Ajax. Born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he plays for the Croatia national team.
Club career
Dinamo Zagreb
In July 2014, Šutalo moved from Neretva to the youth academy of Dinamo Zagreb. On 1 September 2018, he made his debut for Dinamo Zagreb II in a 3–1 win against Bijelo Brdo. On 30 October 2019, he made his debut for Dinamo's first team in a 3–0 victory against Opatija in the Croatian Cup. On 1 July 2020, he made his Prva HNL debut in a 1–0 win against Inter Zaprešić.
On 18 January 2021, Šutalo joined Istra 1961 on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut on the next day in the league against Gorica, which ended in a 1–1 draw. On 19 May, he played in the Cup final, where he scored an own goal as his team lost 6–3 to his parent club Dinamo.
He later returned to Dinamo for the 2021–22 season. On 23 July 2021, he recorded his first goal and assist for Dinamo in a 4–0 win against Hrvatski Dragovoljac. He made his debut in the Europa League on 16 September, as Dinamo lost 2–0 to West Ham United. He scored his first goal in that competition on 4 November in a 3–1 win over Rapid Wien. On 6 September 2022, he made his Champions League debut in a 1–0 win over Chelsea.
Ajax
On 21 August 2023, Šutalo joined Eredivisie side Ajax for a reported fee of €20.5 million, signing a five-year contract. He made his debut on 3 September and was immediately given the captain's armband for the match, a goalless draw away to Fortuna Sittard.
Šutalo featured regularly in his first season, making 23 appearances and scoring one goal in the Eredivisie, along with 8 appearances in UEFA club competitions as Ajax competed in both the Europa League and Europa Conference League during a challenging season for the club.
In the 2024–25 season, Šutalo continued as a key player in central defence. By late March 2025, he had played 21 league matches, scoring two goals, and made 16 appearances in the UEFA Europa League (including qualifiers), scoring once in the qualification rounds. Known for his ball-playing ability, Šutalo maintained a high pass completion rate (around 93%) and contributed significantly to build-up play. He also recorded strong interception numbers during this period.
International career
Šutalo made his debut for Croatia national team on 10 June 2022 in a 1–0 victory over Denmark in the Nations League, having been named in the starting lineup. On 17 December 2022, he made his debut for Croatia at a major tournament in the 2–1 third place play-off victory over Morocco at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. On 5 June 2023, he was named in the final squad for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals, playing both games as Croatia finished as runners-up to Spain.
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 16 March 2025
International
- As of match played 23 March 2025
Honours
Dinamo Zagreb
- HNL: 2019–20, 2021–22, 2022–23
- Croatian Super Cup: 2023
Croatia
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2022
- UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2022–23
Individual
- Croatian First Football League Team of the Year: 2021–22, 2022–23
References
External links
- Josip Šutalo at Soccerway.com
- Josip Šutalo at WorldFootball.net
- Josip Šutalo at National-Football-Teams.com
- Josip Šutalo at kicker (in German)
- Josip Šutalo at FBref.com
- Josip Šutalo at the Croatian Football Federation
- Josip Šutalo at EU-Football.info
- Josip Šutalo at Fussballdaten.de (in German)
