Son of Srđan Bajčetić, a former Serbian player who played for Celta de Vigo and Braga in the 90s, Stefan Bajčetić had the ideal breeding ground to enter the world of football. The natural talent he has has opened up even greater prospects for him. An 18-year-old central defender who started with Celta de Vigo between 2013 and 2020, he joined the Liverpool academy on July 1, 2021. Slowly finding his place in the young Reds team, he knew how to put himself in obviously last summer in preparation and caught the eye of his coach Jürgen Klopp. Enough to give him his first minutes of play against Bournemouth on August 27, in a 9-0 victory. Entering for about twenty minutes in midfield, he became the youngest foreign player to play for the Reds at the height of his 17 years and 309 days. In addition, he confirmed the good work of his manager in the Reds U18 team, Marc Bridge-Wilkinson.
“We worked a lot with him to play in this position. It’s all about attributes. Stefan is a very gifted footballer. He is a good passer and he is very good at regaining possession of the ball. Changes in position at this kind of age are quite common. As a player develops, it’s all about assessing where you think his qualities will be most effective. It’s about maximizing a boy’s potential. Having him play in what area of the pitch will give him the best chance of succeeding? You also want to give them as many strings to their bow as possible to increase their chances of playing with the big boys. I wasn’t surprised at how successful he was because I know what he is capable of. He has the best potential. Did it arrive earlier than expected for him? Possible, but as a young player, you always have to be ready to take your chance. He has a good attitude and I know he will continue to give his all. We all know there’s a lot more to come from him.”said the English coach for The Athletic. A first with the Reds which therefore announced others.
Proven beginnings
This was not lacking since the disappointing performances of Liverpool in the league and especially in the midfield have reshuffled the cards. Taking advantage of poor form and injuries, Stefan Bajčetić played two Carabao Cup matches against Derby County (0-0, 3-2 at Tab) and Manchester City (3-2 defeat). Then in the league, on Boxing Day, he offered a nice gift to Liverpool by going to score a nice goal for a 3-1 victory against Aston Villa. What deserve the praise of Jürgen Klopp: “Stefan is an exceptional talent. He’s cheeky as hell, he’s not afraid of anything.” Then entered against Leicester then launched into the deep end against Chelsea (0-0) for his first tenure in the Premier League, on January 21, he has not left the eleven since and settled alongside Fabinho and Jordan Henderson in midfield. Four tenures in a row that confirm his takeover. Enough to deserve a nice reward.
Already extended during the summer, he signed a long-term contract on January 26 in order to extend his lease until June 2027. A great proof of confidence for the player who had trouble retaining his joy on Reds website : “Obviously I’m so, so happy, so excited to continue playing for this club and I hope to be able to play more years together. Me and my family are very proud to sign a new contract with this club. It’s incredible. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about for the two years I’ve been here and something I’ve worked hard for too. It’s crazy, a year ago I was playing football in U18 and now I’ve started a few games, made my debut and even scored a goal, it was something I never imagined would happen this year . It’s amazing how quickly it happened. But I keep working hard and I hope there will be more to come.”
La Roja in sight
Excellent during the derby won against Everton (2-0), where he was voted man of the match, he still hasn’t come down from his cloud, as he admitted to Sky Sports : “I would say yes. We all knew it was a very important victory for us and now hopefully we will continue and win more games. It’s crazy, to be fair! I always say that a year ago I was playing under-18 football and now I’m playing at Anfield. It just happened in a year and it’s so crazy. I have a lot of fun here.” Former Reds player, Czech Patrick Berger was not stingy with compliments and even made a daring comparison: “Stefan Bajcetic is only 18 years old. However, the way he played last night felt like he had all the experience in the world. He was confident and excellent with the ball.
“If he can work hard, I don’t see why he couldn’t be one of the key midfield players at Liverpool. Steven Gerrard also revealed himself at only 18 years old., continued the finalist of Euro 1996. The future therefore looks bright for Stefan Bajčetić to whom the next steps do not scare. Already, he will discover the Champions League this Tuesday against Real Madrid. Difficult to do more in terms of pressure and exposure. This is already the opportunity to show himself in the eyes of the coach of La Roja, Luis de la Fuente. Of Serbian origin, but a native of Vigo, Stefan Bajčetić is currently playing with the Spain U19 team. He would also like to wear the jersey of the Hispanic selection one day and has already expressed it to the Spanish Federation. The shock against Real Madrid promises to be important for Stefan Bajčetić and is a real test.
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Stefan Bajčetić, the light in the darkness of the Reds 24hfootnews.
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