Nikola Tavares

Crystal Palace Tavares joined the academy at Premier League club Crystal Palace in late 2016 and by February 2017 he had progressed to sign a professional contract to be a part of the Eagles' U23 team. Despite suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury, he signed a new contract at the end of the 2017–18 season. He progressed to captain the U23 team during the 2018–19 season and was an unused substitute during the first team's final match of the campaign.

Tavares signed a new one-year contract in July 2019 and was an unused substitute on four occasions during the 2019–20 season, before suffering a quadriceps injury late in the campaign.

Wealdstone On 29 March 2021, Tavares joined National League club Wealdstone on a contract running until the end of the 2020–21 season. He made his debut in a league match versus Solihull Moors the following day and suffered a season-ending thigh injury 62 minutes into the 3–0 defeat. scoring one goal, He turned down a new contract and departed Grosvenor Vale in June 2022.

Dagenham & Redbridge On 10 June 2022, Tavares signed a two-year contract with National League club Dagenham & Redbridge for a compensation fee. The transfer made him a full-time player. He entered the 2023–24 season fit and ended a mid-table campaign with 32 appearances. In May 2024, the club entered discussions with Tavares over a new contract, but he elected to transfer away later that month. He made 39 appearances and scored one goal during the National League championship-winning 2024–25 season. Tavares signed an undisclosed-length contract extension in May 2025. He made 39 appearances during the 2025–26 season,

International career Tavares won six caps for Croatia between U18 and U20 level. Passport issues prevented Tavares from being included in the South Africa U23 squad for two 2019 Africa U23 Cup of Nations qualifiers versus Angola in March 2019. He was named as "passport pending player" for South Africa's 2019 Africa Cup of Nations squad, but was not named in the final selection. In February 2020, Tavares was named in South Africa's preliminary squad for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Personal life Tavares was born in Cape Town, South Africa to a Portuguese father and a Croatian mother. His brother Marco is also a footballer.

Career statistics

Honours Barnet National League: 2024–25