When Juventus paid €35m for the 19-year-old Parma star in January 2020, Dejan Kulusevski became the second most expensive Swedish footballer of all time. The first one, of course, was the King, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who transferred from Inter Milan to Barcelona in 2009 for about €70m. Dejan was not a king—only a young boy from Stockholm.
Now he is playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They call him “Deki” in North London. This is a nickname that Antonio Conte gave to his apprentice. Well, former apprentice. Spurs number 21, who plays for the Londoners as an attacking midfielder or right winger, is known as one of the most talented Swedish footballers in the world right now.
You’re in the Dejan Kulusevski biography. Here is everything about Dejan Kulusevski. Let’s take a look at his life and his career. He is an interesting guy.
Dejan Kulusevski Biography
He was born on April 25, 2000, in Stockholm. Dejan Kulusevski’s family, his mother, Katica and his father, Stefan, were both born and raised in Macedonia. But Dejan and his sister Sandra were both born in the capital of Sweden.
Dejan is a common name among the Balkan people. This Serbian name means “to act, to do”. From his name to his lifestyle, Dejan Kulusevski has remained dedicated to his Macedonian roots. He once said in an interview:
“This country holds a special place for our family. My mother always said you should never forget where you belong. I travel to Macedonia regularly and constantly during holidays, and I love this country. I’ve always said that if it was possible to play for Sweden and Macedonia at the same time, I would do that. But human beings are inevitable by choice, and I chose Sweden. Because it’s where I was born and raised.”
So, let’s see how a Swedish guy made his way to Western Europe, now on to the next part of the Dejan Kulusevski biography.
Bergamo: the City of the Thousands
Dejan Kulusevski’s career in Swedish football ended too soon. He, who was a member of Stockholm’s IF Brommapojkarna youth team since the age of six, caught the attention of Atalanta’s scouts in 2016 and joined the club’s youth team. Kulusevski’s residence at Bergamo lasted three years, and he eventually left Atalanta for Parma.
He played in just three matches for the main team in these three years, all as substitutes. Kulusevski played just 102 minutes for Atalanta in total.
Parma: Serie A Best Young Player
On July 19, 2019, 18-year-old Dejan Kulusevski left Atalanta for Parma on a loan deal. Later, when Dejan Kulusevski biography is published, the author will undoubtedly remember this transition as a turning point in his professional career.
Dejan played 36 out of 38 games in his only season in Parma. He recorded a brilliant record of 10 goals and 9 assists at the end of the campaign and was named Serie A’s best young player of the season. Suddenly, his value increased by tens of millions.
Juventus: Coppa Italia Hero
Turinians paid €35m for him. In the following season, Kulusevski was in the starting lineup for half of the league matches. 4 goals and 3 assists didn’t look too bad for a start. But the peak of his shine in the Bianconeri shirt was not in the Serie A, but in the Coppa Italia. He scored a goal and delivered an assist in the competition’s final against Atalanta. Juventus beat Atalanta 2-1, and Dejan Kulusevski reminded Bergamois what a gem they missed.
In the following season, Massimiliano Allegri became the manager of Juventus. And the Italian did not like this guy. Dejan Kulusevski’s era in Turin seemed to have come to an end with Deki joining Spurs on a loan deal, entering the heart of the Premier League excitement.
Tottenham: a Dream Start
Dejan Kulusevski left for Tottenham Hotspur in January and played as a starting player for Spurs in just 14 matches until the end of the season. But the record of 5 goals and 8 assists marked a dream start for the Swedish youngster. Kulusevski had only played for Tottenham for a half-season, but at the end of the campaign, he was considered one of Spurs’ most influential players of the season. Obviously, Dejan Kulusevski stats improved in the white shirt.
Dejan suffered a serious thigh injury in the first period of the current season and missed so many games. This injury, unfortunately, kept him away from his ideal condition. Dejan has been back in the business since early 2023 and is slowly getting back to his proper form. So far, he has played in 18 games in the Premier League as a starting player, scoring 2 goals and delivering 6 assists. Deki’s contract with Spurs is expected to become permanent at the end of the season.
Personal Life
Let’s continue this Dejan Kulusevski biography with some points of his personal life. Dejan Kulusevski is a disciplined footballer. He’s still not married and has no children. He is a serious fan of rap music and is fond of American singer Eminem. Dejan’s best friend is his sister Sandra. He also has a cute dog named Nala. Dejan Kulusevski real name is Dejan Kulusevski! With no suffix or prefix, nor any middle name. Kulusevski doesn’t have tattoos and his body is pretty much clean. His favorite car is Audi, and his favorite pastime is watching football games. The Swedish guy says it helps him learn a lot.
Dejan Kulusevski’s Girlfriend
This part of Dejan Kulusevski biography may surprise you: His girlfriend is 6 years older than him. Eldina Ahmić, who was born on August 21, 1994, is just like her boyfriend, a footballer. Eldina was born in Sweden and has Bosnian roots. She is now playing in the IF Brommapojkarna team, the same team that Dejan played for (refer to the early parts of this Dejan Kulusevski biography). You can see several photos of Dejan Kulusevski’s girlfriend by referring to her Instagram page.
International Career
Although Dejan Kulusevski has played for the Macedonian U17 national team, he decided to play for his home country, Sweden, at the senior level. He played his international debut on November 18, 2019, against the Faroe Islands. Kulusevski has played 29 international games so far, recording 2 goals and 6 assists. Dejan was also present in the Sweden national team in Euro 2020 tournament.
the Most Valuable Swedish Footballer in the World
The Transfermarkt estimates the current value of Dejan Kulusevski at €55m. This means that he’s currently the most valuable Swedish player in the world, ahead of Alexander Isak and Anthony Elanga. Tottenham’s winger has a stable place in his club squad and is expected to continue to improve.
That’s all. That was Dejan Kulusevski life story. Let’s end this article with a very interesting to read section.
Dejan Kolosevski’s best games
We finish the Dejan Kulusevski biography by reviewing his best performances in the beautiful game.
1- Juventus vs. Atalanta / Coppa Italia Final – May 19, 2021
This game can be considered the most important game of Dejan Kulusevski’s career record to date. Dejan was in the Old Lady lineup for this match. In the 31st minute, he scored Juventus’ first goal. Atalanta drew the game ten minutes later, but Dejan did not give up. He delivered an assist to Federico Chiesa in the 73rd minute to give the Bianconeri their last trophy.
2- Parma vs. Napoli / Serie A Matchday 16 – December 14, 2019
It was considered a very difficult game for Parma. The game was held in Naples at the Napoli Stadium. Kulesevski scored for the visitors at the beginning of the match, in the 4th minute. Napoli tied the game with Arkadiusz Milik’s goal in the 64th minute. While the match was expected to end with a draw, Dejan Kulusevski handed the ball to Gervinho in the 94th minute, and he managed to find the target.
3- Tottenham vs. Manchester City / Premier League Matchday 26 – February 19, 2022
The match against Man City at the Etihad Stadium will probably be the toughest game of the season for any team. But at the very beginning of the match and in the fifth minute, Dejan Kulusevski opened Ederson’s goal with a left-foot kick. Ilkay Gundogan’s goal helped the Citizens to get back to level before halftime.
In the second half, Antonio Conte’s team was first led by Harry Kane in the 59th minute. But Pep Guardiola’s side gained a penalty in extra time, which was delivered by Riyadh Mahrez to the back of the net. The final act of the game was the Spurs’ attack from the right wing, designed by our friend, Dejan Kulusevski. A superb delivery from him for Harry Kane, and as you can guess, Spurs won the game. It was the Premier League match of the season.
4- Tottenham vs. Southampton / Premier League Matchday 1 – August 6, 2022
A brilliant performance in the first game of the season and in the presence of over 60,000 spectators at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium promised that the new season for Dejan Kulusevski would follow even better than the previous one. But an injury ruined it all.
Dejan scored a goal and assisted another against Southampton and was the best player on the field.
5 – Sweden vs. Poland / Euro 2020, Group Stage – June 23, 2021
Let’s end this Dejan Kulusevski biography by reviewing his performance in an important international game.
It was the third match of the Euro 2020 group stage for Sweden. Kulusevski was absent for the first two games due to injury and stepped in at the third one’s second half. Sweden would have failed to qualify for the knockout phase if they would lose this game. And when Dejan came on, they were one goal behind. But Deki’s two assists helped Sweden win the game 3-2.
