We meet him in a skybox at the Johan Cruijff ArenA. The stadium, resting in serene calm, still impresses the Croatian. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he says. "It means a lot to me that I've been able to play one hundred matches for such a big club, with such history. I find it very special. I always want to achieve the highest possible goals, and one of those is the Club of 100. You want to reach that as quickly as possible, and I’m very happy with it," Šutalo begins.
A special start
We take a flight back to 2023. Šutalo signs his contract with Ajax on August 21, 2023. His debut follows on September 3, 2023, away against Fortuna Sittard. The captain that day? Šutalo. The Croatian starts laughing. "I didn't expect that, no. I had just arrived, and several other new players had as well. I had been told I would be the third captain, but the first two weren't there for that match. I was a bit surprised to wear the armband immediately on my debut, but I wore it with pride."
From Limburg to Zwolle: during one hundred appearances for Ajax's first team, there have been ups and downs, he says. "When I look back on those hundred matches, there were a lot of ups and downs. But that is not unusual in the football world. It will probably stay that way in the future as well. All those moments have shaped me into the person I am now. That period has made me stronger."
Instead of pointing to one absolute highlight from those hundred matches, he prefers to take a broader view. "I can't really pick out one match, but last season I felt really good. I was playing well, and our team often reached a very high level. Especially the bigger matches last season were special. This year, unfortunately, it has been more inconsistent. At the start of the season, I had some injury problems, which in my opinion slowed down my development a bit."
Criticism from outside
In his two and a half years at Ajax, Šutalo has become mentally stronger. "At the beginning, I found the criticism difficult, but I can deal with that much better now. How did I learn that? People from outside look at footballers differently than we look at ourselves. They are often more critical, and I've learned to accept that. At first, I found it difficult, and it affected me. Now I let it slide, and I understand better why things happen the way they do. My experience also helps me in many situations, both on and off the pitch."
Does he do things differently now compared to when he arrived? "No, not really." When asked whether anything in his off-the-pitch routines has changed since his arrival, the conversation turns to nutrition, pancakes, to be precise. "I never used to eat them before matches. Now I do. And not with Nutella, but with syrup. I like it," he says with a smile.
"I feel at home here, I can say that," Šutalo continues. "I've really come to know the club and the culture here. At Dinamo Zagreb, I already knew Ajax was a big club, and that’s one of the reasons I came here. I've experienced that even more since arriving. Dinamo Zagreb is the biggest club in the country. Ajax is the same here. So the pressure at Ajax is something I already felt there as well. I also had to perform and win the league there. The club is known for its youth academy, and I see that many young players get the opportunity to play for Ajax's first team. I think that's great to see."
A calm presence for others
When we ask Šutalo how his teammates see him, he speaks openly about himself. "The most important thing is that the guys accept me and truly see me as part of the team. I also want my teammates to feel that they can always come to me, on and off the pitch. I’m there for them, and they can always rely on me."
Only the Dutch language still proves difficult. He shakes his head with a smile. "No, it's hard. I know a few words, but nothing special. But Amsterdam is great. I really enjoy doing things here with friends from Croatia or with teammates. I've already done the escape rooms, as you know," he says with a wink.
We then briefly dive into the statistics with the defender. Who has played most often alongside Šutalo? "Wait, wait, let me think." The defender pauses for a moment and cautiously names two players. Somewhat to his own surprise, he gets it exactly right. "Kenneth and Jorrel? Yes? There you go." Kenneth Taylor (73) and Jorrel Hato (70) have been on the pitch most often with the Croatian.
Connection with Baas
"And from the current squad?" Once again, he gets it right. "Youri Baas." 44 times. We ask him about his connection with Baas in central defence. "Francesco Farioli brought us together last season. We were given tasks and expectations towards each other. That connection has grown, and it’s now very strong between us." Alongside Baas, Godts has also shared the pitch with Šutalo 44 times in those hundred matches.
Finally, the focus turns to the future, on to the next hundred. "I don't want to look too far ahead. Right now, it's about this season, because we need to get out of this situation and finish the season well. But of course, I want to achieve the highest possible goals in the future. From a football perspective, I want to keep developing and become better and stronger."
