Nikola Hrvatsko Tavares (born 17 January 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a central defender for National League club Barnet.
Tavares is a product of the Crystal Palace and Brentford academies and began his senior career in non-League football with National League clubs Wealdstone and Dagenham & Redbridge.
A central defender, Tavares began his career in youth football in Cape Town,[3][4] before moving into the academy at English club Brentford.
[1] 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.
[12][13] Tavares signed a new one-year contract in July 2019 and was an unused substitute on four occasions during the 2019–20 season,[13][14] before suffering a quadriceps injury late in the campaign.
[15][16] 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.