German media call him a monster as he becomes Croatia’s leading striker

Igor Matanović has quickly become the leading Croatian striker by market value, at €22 million. The 23-year-old Freiburg forward is worth €10 million more than Dion Drena Beljo and Petar Musa.

Matanović has helped Freiburg win its first four competitive matches of the season. He stood out in a 4-1 Bundesliga victory over Werder Bremen, scoring once, assisting another goal and earning player-of-the-match honors. German newspaper Bild called him “attacking monster.”

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attacking monster

He had already scored four goals and supplied two assists in the season’s first three matches, including Conference League qualifying games against Motherwell and a German Cup match against Fortuna. His form follows strong performances late last season and at the World Cup, where he played an important role for Croatia.

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It’s great to have that feeling in such moments, to know where your teammate is. It shows the team’s coordination. A lot of players in Igor’s position would have finished the move themselves.

One of his most praised moments against Werder came when he chose not to finish an attack himself. Instead, he delivered a blind pass to Yuito Suzuki, setting up Freiburg’s fourth goal. Coach Julian Schuster said the decision showed Matanović’s awareness and his understanding of the team’s play. “A lot of players in Igor’s position would have finished the move themselves,” Schuster said.

Transfer speculation linked Matanović with Manchester United and Tottenham as the summer window neared its close. He dismissed the rumors, saying, “For me, the situation is that I’m at Freiburg at the moment. There has been no contact from my side.” Matanović joined Freiburg from Eintracht after struggling for a starting place during the first half of the 2025-26 season, when he mostly came off the bench.

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For me, the situation is that I’m at Freiburg at the moment. There has been no contact from my side.