Prpic finds his stride with Croatia U21s after 3.5 months out at Porto | OneFootball

It has been almost three and a half months since Dominik Prpic last wore the FC Porto shirt in an official match — it happened on 18 December, when he played the full 90 minutes against Famalicão (4-1) in the Round of 16 of the Portuguese Cup.

Still without a single appearance for the blue and whites in 2026, the young Croatian got his first minutes of the year in service of his country’s under-21 side, in a comfortable win over Turkey (3-0) in a qualifier for the European Championship of that age group.

The left-footer was, moreover, among the standout performers in the team coached by Ivica Olić, the former Bayern striker. He showed defensive consistency and leadership ability, contributions that helped the team keep a clean sheet and extend their near-flawless campaign in Group H of the qualifying stage, with four wins and one draw. The 21-year-old FC Porto defender was also one of Croatia’s spokesmen in the build-up to the clash with the Turks, alongside the national team coach.

It is therefore in the familiar white-and-red checkered shirt that Prpic is building up match fitness and gathering arguments to once again earn the trust of Francesco Farioli at the Dragão. The Italian coach had already offered very strong praise for the former Hajduk Split player just two weeks ago.

“We have a very close-knit group, where everyone works for one another. I’ll give the example of Dominik [Prpic]: he hasn’t had many minutes lately, but he comes to training every day with a big smile and lots of energy. This is what we need to maintain the level until the end,” the Italian stressed ahead of the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 against Stuttgart.

If, in the first half of the season, the left-footed player had some prominence at FC Porto, making 11 appearances across the four competitions the Dragons were involved in and winning the appreciation of the fans, especially for the attitude and commitment he showed on the pitch, everything changed from January onwards.

With Thiago Silva’s arrival in Porto and, later, Pablo Rosario’s occasional move back into central defence, Prpic slipped down the pecking order, although he still retains Farioli’s full confidence, with the coach repeatedly saying that he is counting on everyone for this decisive stage of the season, with the league, the Portuguese Cup and the Europa League still at stake.

It is also worth noting the return of Nehuén Pérez to competition, having been sidelined since September, when he suffered a complete rupture of the Achilles tendon. When the Argentine returns to the options — it is expected that he may recover in time to still play this season — the Croatian could lose even more space in the team, which may complicate his playing time next season.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.