David Čolina
Country: Croatia
Date of birth: 19/07/2000 (18 years old)
Place of birth: Zagreb (Croatia)
Height: 175cm
Youth career: Hrvatski Dragovoljac, Dinamo Zagreb (since 2009)
Current club: Dinamo Zagreb
Squad number: —
Current national team: Croatia U-19
Position: left-back
Preferred foot: left
Market value (by transfermarkt.de): —
Tournaments participated in: 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification elite round (3/0), 2017 UEFA European Under-17 Championship (3/1)
Contract until: 30.06.2019
Player’s agent: Boanerges
Transfer rumours: Manchester City & Arsenal
Similar type of player: Patrice Evra
Strengths:
– pace and acceleration 
– tackling and intercepting
– technique
– passing
– crossing 
– ball control 
– dribbling
– tactical intelligence
Weaknesses:
– should improve his concentration balance during the matches to eliminate small errors he makes sometimes
Style of play:
– complete full-back
– creative player with great technical ability, 1vs1 short-dribbling skills, close ball control and fast direction shifts in possession
– likes to cross
– very good at breaking down opposition plays due to his positional sense, defensive attributes, tactical intelligence, and ability to read the game
– impacts the game at both the ends of the pitch
– equally competent offensively as defensively
– very comfortable & elegant with the ball at his feet
– known for his understanding of the game & an above-average technical capacity
– great timing and game reading ability when going forward
– likes to be involved to build-up process thanks to his great technique, tactical intelligence & passing ability at all distances
– endless energy and his powerful running make him an incredibly useful asset as he brings an offensive value to a team, with a lot of activity during 90 minutes in the left side
– able to deliver pin-point passes and crosses
– provides fluidity and dynamism going forward
– significant long throwing ability
– tactically astute and technically capable of playing in various demanding tactical systems
He is best suited to playing as:
Left-back in 4-3-3.
Video:
Achievements:
—
League summary (as for 26 August 2018):
No senior team appearances yet.
Description:
David Čolina started his career with Hrvatski Dragovoljac before moving Dinamo Zagreb in 2009. He is considered to be one of the most talented players to come out of famous Dinamo’s academy in recent years. In 2017, he featured on a list entitled “TOP 60 young talents in world football” by The Guardian. It is well known that many European top clubs, including giants Arsenal & Manchester City, have recently shown interest in him, but it seems that it would be best for his development if he could stay in Croatia and play regular first-team football for Dinamo.
Quotes:
“Dynamic, tactically sound in defence and attack, possessing a very good sense of space and a killer shot, Colina may be the worthy successor in the left-back position to Robert Jarni that Croatian football has been desperate for since Colina was a toddler. He has been a mainstay for Dinamo Zagreb’s and Croatia’s youth teams, and his golazo against Spain – a powerful stunner from outside the box – provided a silver lining to the otherwise bleak Croatia home performance at this year’s European under-17 championship. After that clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester City allegedly came calling. Colina cites Real Madrid’s Marcelo as his role model but dreams of playing in the Premier League ‘because that’s where the play is the fastest and the best’.”
(The Guardian)
Football Talent Scout potential rating:
8/10 
First team material in a top European club.
Links: