Season 2024-25 could be the season of Adelaide United young gun Luka Jovanovic. aleagues.com.au looks at the numbers behind the in-form Reds number nine.
Adelaide United has been a platform for some of Australia’s most exciting prospects to emerge and make a name for themselves – think Mohamed Toure and Nestory Irankunda.
Now, Luka Jovanovic is establishing himself as Adelaide’s main man.
This is the 19-year-old’s third season in the Isuzu UTE A-League but the young gun’s first leading the line for the Reds. Wearing the number nine following Hiroshi Ibusuki’s exit, he does not appear to be feeling the weight of the shirt.
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Another product of Adelaide’s famed production line, Jovanovic already has two goals in two matches to start season 2024-25 – and is eyeing a breakout campaign.
Through two rounds of the current campaign, he is the youngest player to have scored multiple goals on a list that also features Macarthur Bulls’ star captain Valere Germain, Sydney FC’s former Celtic striker Patryk Klimala and Socceroo Brandon Borrello. Keep in mind, Jovanovic has played one game less due to Adelaide’s opening round bye.
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The teenager is catching the eye of not only Adelaide and Aussie fans, but supporters and people from Serbia with his nine goals in 35 A-Leagues appearances, though only 16 of those have been starts.
Since the Isuzu UTE A-League started in 2005-06, only former Adelaide sensation Nestory Irankunda (16) has scored more goals than Jovanovic before their 20th birthday.
An Australia youth international, Jovanovic grew up in a Serbian household. His father played youth team football for powerhouse club Partizan before moving to Australia on a sports visa prior to the launch of the A-Leagues.
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Most goals under 20 in the Isuzu UTE A-League
| Player | Goals |
| Nestory Irankunda (Bayern Munich, GER) | 16 |
| *Luka Jovanovic (Adelaide United) | 9 |
| *Bernardo Oliveira (Macarthur Bulls) | 8 |
| *Thomas Waddingham (Brisbane Roar) | 8 |
| *Archie Goodwin (Adelaide United) | 7 |
| *Clayton Taylor (Newcastle Jets) | 7 |
| Mohamed Toure (Randers, DEN) | 7 |
| Garang Kuol (Newcastle United, ENG) | 6 |
| *Matthew Grimaldi (Western United) | 5 |
| *Aydan Hammond (Western Sydney Wanderers) | 2 |
| *Benjamin Mazzeo (Melbourne City) | 2 |
| *Kaelan Majekodunmi (Perth Glory) | 2 |
| *Max Caputo (Melbourne City) | 2 |
| *Miguel Di Pizio (Central Coast Mariners) | 2 |
That means Jovanovic is also eligible to represent Serbia. Playing for the country of his father’s birth has been at the back of his mind, while Football Association of Serbia (FSS) is believed to be monitoring him.
“As a young kid being Serbian, your dream is to play for your country,” Jovanovic – who is firmly entrenched in Australia’s national youth team setup – told aleagues.com.au last season. “My dream is also to play for Australia. I’m kind of in two worlds now.
“I have been in the Australian squad and I really enjoy it. We have a really good group so I can’t really see myself transferring to Serbia just yet.”
Jovanovic’s start to the season should come as no surprise.
He scored eight goals in the final three rounds of the 2024 NPLM South Australia regular season, including back-to-back hat-tricks.
He carried that goalscoring form over to Adelaide’s first team – scoring twice in the Australia Cup en route to the semi-finals while also bagging a brace for the Young Socceroos in their AFC Under-20 Asian Cup qualifier in October.
That makes it 14 goals in his last 10 games for club and country!
“It’s really important for the nine to score goals, to get his confidence, and Luka took his goal well in the box, and that’s one of his strengths. There’s other parts of his game that we’re still working with,” Adelaide head coach Carl Veart said after Jovanovic’s goal in the 1-1 draw with Central Coast Mariners in Round 2.
Jovanovic’s numbers go beyond 2024-25.
With a minutes-per-goal ratio of 156.3, Jovanovic ranks ahead of the likes of Thomas Waddingham (196.8), Archie Goodwin (161.4), Max Caputo (288), Clayton Taylor (265.4) among players aged 20 or under (minimum five games played) in the competition’s history.
He is only behind Irankunda (154.1) – and not by much.
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A predator in the box who has scored all nine of his goals inside the penalty area – he even cracks the top 10 for goals scored by players 23 or younger (min 5 games) in the Isuzu UTE A-League’s history.
In fact, he sits eighth behind Socceroo Marco Tilio (20), Ben Waine (17), Irankunda, Nicolas Milanovic of Western Sydney Wanderers (16), Central Coast Mariners’ Alou Kuol (12), Western United’s Noah Botic (11) and Lachlan Brook (10).
His nine career A-Leagues goals are from an Expected Goals (xG) of 7.84 xG – third behind Irankunda (9.88) and Waddingham (8.21) among players under the age of 20, who have played at least five games but ahead of Newcastle United’s Garang Kuol (2.57) during his time in the competition.
Of Jovanovic’s goals, seven have been big chances converted. That is more than Irankunda (six), Archie Goodwin (six), Mo Toure (six), Waddingham (five) and Garang Kuol (two).
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Jovanovic – whose 68.6% shooting accuracy is superior to the likes of Irankunda (46.4), Brisbane Roar’s Waddingham (62.9) and Mo Toure (42.3) – is benefiting from Veart and Adelaide’s faith in youth. It is a theme throughout the A-Leagues.
“The new idea that’s gone through A-Leagues teams to give young players a chance is really working at the moment,” Jovanovic told aleagues.com.au previously.
“There’s a lot of talent that is just sitting around at NPL level that are now playing in the A-League and showing they’re good enough. That’s what makes our national teams have these young players who are really, really up to it.”
Since entering the league, Jovanovic has managed 11 goals and assists.
It has him third on the list for players 20 or under (min five games) since the competition began 20 years ago – ahead of Garang Kuol, Waddingham and Mo Toure, and behind Irankunda (24) and Macarthur Bulls’ Bernardo Oliveira (12).
With Serbia’s all-time leading goalscorer Aleksandar Mitrovic his idol and inspiration behind his goal celebration, Jovanovic is poised to well and truly break out this season. It could also lead to a tug-of-war between two nations.
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