Mario Pasalic, born on 9 February 1995 (age 31), is a Croatia international midfielder whose career has been shaped less by one dramatic breakthrough than by gradual hardening across different leagues. His early loan spells mattered: they gave him senior football, tactical variety and the sort of education that tends to be more useful than glamorous.
Atalanta changed the scale of his career. Across nine seasons he has made 263 league appearances for the Bergamo club and scored 50 league goals, a return well above the ordinary for a central midfielder. His best league campaign came in 2021-2022, when he scored 13 times in 37 appearances.
He remains more than a name from a good spell. In 2025-2026, Pasalic has made 46 appearances for Atalanta in all competitions, scoring 10 goals, including regular involvement in Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League. He has also continued with Croatia, appearing in World Cup and European qualifying fixtures this season.
His current market value is around £11m, according to Transfermarkt. Pasalic’s career is now firmly tied to Atalanta: a long-serving midfielder, still involved, still contributing goals, and still useful in a side that asks plenty from players in his area of the pitch.
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