Ante Palaversa (born 6 April 2000) is a Croatian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
who plays as a
defensive midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...
for club
Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
.
Club career
Hajduk Split
Born in
Split, Croatia
Split (, ), historically known as Spalato (; ; see #Name, other names), is the List of cities and towns in Croatia, second-largest city of Croatia after the capital Zagreb, the largest city in Dalmatia and the largest city on the Croatian coast ...
, Palaversa started his youth career with the Hajduk Split academy. At the end of the 2016–17 season, he won the Best Player of the Youth League award and was subsequently promoted to the reserve team. After playing regularly for the reserve team in the second tier, he was promoted to the senior team in June 2018 by manager
Željko Kopić
Željko Kopić (born 10 September 1977) is a Croatian professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Liga I club Dinamo București.
Playing career Club
In his playing days, Željko Kopić played as a midfielder ...
.
On 26 July 2018, Palaversa made his first team debut, coming on as a substitute in a 1–0 victory over Bulgarian club
Slavia Sofia
PFC Slavia Sofia 1913 () is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Sofia, which currently competes in the top tier of the Bulgarian football league system, the First League. Slavia's home ground is the Stadion Aleksandar Sh ...
in a
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
qualifying match. On 26 August, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw against
Inter Zaprešić
Inter may refer to:
Association football clubs
* Inter Milan, an Italian club
* SC Internacional, a Brazilian club
* Inter Miami CF, an American club
* Inter Playa del Carmen, a Mexican club
* FC Inter Sibiu, a Romanian club
* FC Inter Turku, a Fi ...
, scoring a volley from 21-metres.
Manchester City
On 28 January 2019, it was announced that Palaversa would be joining
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
for an eventual fee of €7 million, instantly returning to Hajduk on loan. He completed the move on 31 January.
Loan to Getafe
On 31 August 2020, Palaversa joined
Getafe
Getafe () is a municipalities in Spain, municipality and a city in Spain belonging to the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 180,747, the region's sixth most populated municipality.
Getafe is located 13 km south of Madrid's city c ...
on loan.
Loan to KV Kortrijk
On 26 January 2021, Palaversa moved to Belgian club
KV Kortrijk
Koninklijke Voetbalclub Kortrijk (often simply called KV Kortrijk or KVK) is a Belgian professional football club based in Kortrijk, West Flanders. They play in the Belgian First Division, and they achieved their best ranking ever during the 20 ...
on loan until the end of the season.
Troyes
On 31 August 2022, Palaversa joined
Troyes
Troyes () is a Communes of France, commune and the capital of the Departments of France, department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within ...
, another club within the
City Football Group
City Football Group Limited (CFG) is a British-based holding company that administers association football clubs. The group is owned by three organisations, of which 81% is majority-owned by Abu Dhabi United Group, 18% by the American firm Silve ...
, on a three-year contract.
Aberdeen
On 8 August 2024, Palaversa signed for
Scottish Premiership
The Scottish Premiership, also known as the William Hill (bookmaker), William Hill Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Scotland and the highest level of the Scottish football league system. Th ...
club
Aberdeen
Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
on a one-year contract, with the Scottish Premiership club having the option of a further two years, which was exercised in January 2025 with the club extending his stay until summer 2027.
Career statistics
Honours
Aberdeen
*
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,2024–25