Šutalo sees the light of day on February 28, 2000, a few weeks before Ajax’s one-hundredth birthday, in Čapljina, a small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The young Josip moves to Croatia with his family at an early age, where he starts playing at the football club NK Neretva. Šutalo’s talent does not go unnoticed for long. Dinamo Zagreb picks him up from Metković and adds the new Ajax signing to its youth academy.
Stormy development
The talented right-footed player spent years in Dinamo Zagreb’s youth academy, after which he joined Dinamo Zagreb II in the summer of 2018. After gaining some experience in the second team, the record champion of Croatia loans the talented defender to NK Istra, which plays in the highest Croatian division, for one season in the winter of 2021. He goes through a stormy development and plays 26 matches before the centre-back returns to Dinamo Zagreb.
Šutalo’s career is prosperous after his return to the Croatian capital. The then-21-year-old talent conquers a place as a regular starter at Dinamo Zagreb, shines during European matches and is chosen by coach Zlatko Dalić to play for the Croatian national team in the summer of 2022. He has currently played eight games for his national team. With four league titles, one national cup, two Croatian Supercups and a bronze medal at the 2022 World Cup, Šutalo’s trophy cabinet already has a proper stock. At Ajax, he hopes to fill that cabinet further.
Croatia
In Amsterdam, the Croatian international will play with fellow countryman Jakov Medić, who transferred from St. Pauli to Ajax this summer. In the past, there have been three other Croatians with a contract in the Dutch capital. Joey Didulica, Dominik Kotarski and Robert Muric. Šutalo is the fifth Croatian in Amsterdam service.
