Mario Pasalic, born on 9 February 1995 (age 31), is a Croatian centre midfielder whose career has settled most clearly at Atalanta. His early development was shaped by loan football, the sort of route that can either sharpen a player or leave him looking permanently temporary. In his case, it helped produce a midfielder with timing, stamina and a useful habit of arriving in the box.
Atalanta is where the career has properly taken shape. Across nine seasons, Pasalic has made 263 league appearances and scored 50 league goals, a healthy return for a central midfielder rather than a forward dressed up as one. His best league campaign came in 2021-22, when he scored 13 times in 37 appearances.
He remains a regular part of the Atalanta side in 2025-26, with 33 Serie A appearances and three league goals. Across all competitions for the club this season, he has made 43 appearances and scored six times, including three goals in nine Champions League matches. Croatia have also used him regularly, with appearances in World Cup and European qualifying matches this season.
His current market value is around £11m, according to Transfermarkt. Pasalic’s career is a plain example of a player moving beyond a scattered early path and becoming a long-serving, productive midfielder at one club.
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