Dejan Lovren facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dejan Lovren

Lovren with Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2020
Personal information
Full name	Dejan Lovren
Date of birth	(1989-07-05) 5 July 1989 (age 36)
Place of birth	Zenica, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	PAOK
Number	6
Youth career
1996–1999	BSC Sendling
1999–2002	NK Ilovac
2002–2004	NK Karlovac
2004–2006	Dinamo Zagreb
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2010	Dinamo Zagreb	37	(1)
2006–2008	→ Inter Zaprešić (loan)	50	(1)
2010–2013	Lyon	72	(2)
2013–2014	Southampton	31	(2)
2014–2020	Liverpool	131	(5)
2020–2022	Zenit Saint Petersburg	50	(3)
2023–2024	Lyon	27	(1)
2024–	PAOK	7	(0)
International career
2004–2005	Croatia U17	18	(2)
2006	Croatia U18	2	(0)
2006–2008	Croatia U19	10	(1)
2007–2009	Croatia U20	5	(0)
2007–2010	Croatia U21	19	(3)
2009–2022	Croatia	78	(5)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Croatia FIFA World Cup Runner-up 2018 Russia Third 2022 Qatar
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 April 2025

Dejan Lovren (born 5 July 1989) is a professional footballer from Croatia. He plays as a centre-back for the Greek club PAOK.

Lovren started his football journey at Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia. In 2010, he moved to the French club Lyon. He played there for three and a half seasons and helped them win the French Cup in 2012. After that, he joined Southampton in England in 2013.

After one season with Southampton, Lovren moved to Liverpool in 2014. He played 185 games for Liverpool. He was part of the team that won the UEFA Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020. In July 2020, he joined Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia. He became the team's captain within four months.

Lovren also played for the Croatian national team at different youth levels. He made his debut for the senior team in 2009. He played over 70 games for his country. He was part of Croatia's teams for the FIFA World Cup in 2014, 2018, and 2022. Croatia reached the final in 2018 and finished third in 2022. He also played in UEFA Euro 2020.

Dejan Lovren's Early Life and Family

Lovren was born in Zenica, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time. His parents were Croatian. He spent his first few years in a nearby village. When he was three, his family had to leave their home because of the Bosnian War. They eventually found a new home in Munich, Germany.

Later, his family had to leave Germany because they didn't have the right papers. They moved to Karlovac, Croatia. Lovren said it was hard for him to get used to living in Croatia at first.

Dejan Lovren's Club Football Journey

Starting Out in Croatia

Lovren first played football in Germany for a team called BSC Sendling. After moving to Croatia, he played for local youth teams like NK Ilovac and NK Karlovac. In 2004, he joined NK Dinamo Zagreb, a big club in Croatia.

He made his first team debut for Dinamo in May 2006. In July 2006, he was loaned to NK Inter Zaprešić for two seasons. He played 50 league games there and scored one goal. When he returned to Dinamo, he became a regular player. He played 38 games in the 2008–09 season and scored three goals. In the 2009–10 season, he played in all of Dinamo's Champions League qualifying games.

Moving to France: Lyon Years

Lovren playing for Lyon in 2010

In January 2010, Lovren joined the French club Olympique Lyonnais (Lyon). He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract. He played his first game for Lyon on 24 January 2010 in the French Cup. His first league game was on 31 January against Paris Saint-Germain. He played 10 games in the second half of that season. He couldn't play in the Champions League for Lyon that season because he had already played for Dinamo Zagreb in the same competition.

Lovren played more often in the 2010–11 season. He became a regular starter, playing as a centre-back and sometimes as a full-back. This showed he was a very flexible defender. In November 2010, he was named one of the top 100 young players in the world by Don Balón.

In January 2012, Lovren signed a new contract with Lyon until 2016. He started in the 2012 Coupe de France Final, which Lyon won 1–0.

Playing in England: Southampton and Liverpool

On 14 June 2013, Lovren joined Southampton in England. He signed a four-year contract. He played his first game for Southampton on 17 August 2013. He scored his first goal for the club against Liverpool on 21 September 2013, which was the winning goal.

He also helped set up a goal against Manchester United in October. In January 2014, he scored another goal against Sunderland. However, he got injured in that game and was out for six to eight weeks. At the end of his first season, Lovren was ranked among the top players in Europe's major leagues.

Lovren playing for Liverpool in 2014

On 27 July 2014, Lovren joined Liverpool. He signed a four-year deal. He became Liverpool's most expensive defender at the time. He made his debut for Liverpool in a friendly game against Borussia Dortmund and scored a goal. His first official game was on 17 August against his old club, Southampton. He scored his first official goal for Liverpool in October in a League Cup game.

However, he had a tough start at Liverpool. He was sometimes dropped from the team after poor performances. In February 2015, Liverpool lost a penalty shootout in the Europa League, and Lovren missed his penalty. Some news outlets even called him one of the worst signings of the season.

Lovren's performance improved in the 2015–16 season. He helped the team keep three clean sheets in the first three games. In April 2016, he scored a winning goal in the Europa League quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund. By the end of the season, under manager Jürgen Klopp, Lovren was seen as a much calmer and more confident player.

On 28 April 2017, Lovren extended his contract with Liverpool until 2021.

Lovren (right) playing for Liverpool in 2017

He had a difficult start to the 2017–18 season. He was substituted early in a game against Tottenham Hotspur after making mistakes that led to goals. However, he scored his first goal of the season in December. When Virgil van Dijk joined Liverpool in January 2018, Lovren formed a strong partnership with him in defense. He captained Liverpool for the first time in a win against Manchester City. He also scored another goal in May, helping Liverpool qualify for the Champions League. Lovren played a big part in Liverpool reaching the Champions League final in 2018, where they lost to Real Madrid.

Lovren celebrating victory in the UEFA Champions League with teammate Mohammed Salah.

Lovren started the 2018–19 season with an injury. He returned to the squad for a League Cup match. In December, he scored a goal against Newcastle United. In January 2019, he made a mistake that led to a goal against Manchester City, and Liverpool lost the game. He then got injured again and lost his regular starting spot. Liverpool finished second in the Premier League that season. However, they won the Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur, making Lovren the tenth Croatian player to win the Champions League.

In the summer of 2019, Lovren wanted to leave Liverpool because he wasn't playing regularly. He was left out of the squad for the 2019 UEFA Super Cup, which Liverpool won. He returned to the team in September. He scored a goal in a Champions League group stage match against Napoli in November. However, he got another knee injury in December and missed the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, which Liverpool won. In January 2020, he captained the team in an FA Cup game. On 25 June, Lovren became the first Croatian to win the Premier League when Liverpool finished first in the 2019–20 Premier League.

Moving to Russia: Zenit Saint Petersburg

Lovren with the 2020 Russian Super Cup trophy

On 27 July 2020, Lovren signed a three-year contract with Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia. He played his first game for Zenit on 7 August in the 2020 Russian Super Cup against Lokomotiv Moscow. Zenit won 2–1, so Lovren won a trophy in his very first game with the club! He made his league debut on 11 August and scored his first goal for Zenit four days later.

In October, he played his first Champions League game for Zenit. In November, Lovren became the captain of Zenit for the first time. In April 2021, Lovren got a muscle injury. While he was out, Zenit won the league title on 2 May.

Lovren started the 2021–22 season by winning another Super Cup in July. He played 19 games in the first half of the season due to injuries. Zenit won the league again that season.

Back to Lyon and PAOK

On 2 January 2023, Lovren returned to France to play for Lyon again. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, almost ten years after he first left the club.

On 16 September 2024, Lovren joined Super League club PAOK on a two-year deal.

Dejan Lovren's International Career

Lovren played 54 games and scored six goals for various Croatian youth national teams. He was first called up to the senior Croatian national team in August 2009. He made his debut against Qatar in November 2009.

On 2 September 2011, Lovren scored his first goal for Croatia in a Euro 2012 qualifying match. He was in the training camp for UEFA Euro 2012 but missed the final squad due to an injury. He scored his second goal for Croatia in March 2013 against Wales in a World Cup qualifying game.

In May 2014, Lovren was chosen for Croatia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In the opening match against Brazil, a controversial penalty was given against him, which led to Brazil's winning goal. Croatia was knocked out of the tournament after the group stage.

Lovren was not selected for Croatia's squad for UEFA Euro 2016 due to problems with the manager.

Lovren playing for Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

In May 2018, he was named in Croatia's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. In a group stage match against Iceland, a handball by Lovren led to a penalty for Iceland. Despite this, Croatia won the match and topped their group. He played throughout the tournament as Croatia reached the final, where they lost to France 4–2.

In September 2018, Lovren missed Croatia's first match in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League due to injury. He returned a month later for a game against England. After a match against Spain, Lovren caused some controversy. He was later banned for one international match by UEFA for his actions.

He scored his third international goal in September 2019 against Slovakia. He was suspended for a deciding home game against Slovakia due to yellow cards, but Croatia still won and qualified for the Euros.

In his first appearance at a UEFA European Championship in June 2021, Lovren caused a penalty against the Czech Republic.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Lovren played in almost all of Croatia's matches. Croatia finished third in the tournament. On 23 February 2023, Lovren announced that he was retiring from the national team.

Dejan Lovren's Personal Life

Dejan Lovren's younger brother, Davor, is also a professional footballer. Dejan was named by his grandmother after a famous Montenegrin football player, Dejan Savićević. Dejan can speak Croatian, German, English, and French.

Lovren is married to Anita Sekulić. They have two children, a daughter named Elena (born in 2012) and a son named Josip (born in 2015).

In 2013, Lovren started a fashion brand called Russell Brown. It closed down a few years later. In May 2018, he started another brand called Rock Filius. On 29 May 2018, Lovren opened a four-star hotel called Joel in Novalja, Croatia. He said the hotel is named after his children, Josip and Elena. In December 2020, Lovren offered free temporary housing at his hotel for families who lost their homes in an earthquake.

In February 2017, Lovren shared his experiences as a refugee in a short film. He asked for more understanding and help for refugees. He said, "When I see what's happening today [with refugees] I just remember my thing, my family and how people don't want you in their country. I understand people want to protect themselves, but people don't have homes. It's not their fault; they're fighting for their lives just to save their kids. They want a secure place for their kids and their futures. I went through all this and I know what some families are going through. Give them a chance, give them a chance. You can see who the good people are and who are not."

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances and Goals

Croatia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Lovren goal.

List of international goals scored by Dejan Lovren

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	2 September 2011	National Stadium, Ta' Qali, Malta	10	Malta	3–1	3–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualification
2	26 March 2013	Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales	17	Wales	1–1	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	6 September 2019	Anton Malatinský Stadium, Trnava, Slovakia	54	Slovakia	4–0	4–0	UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
4	8 September 2020	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	59	France	1–0	2–4	2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
5	25 September 2022	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	71	Austria	3–1	3–1	2022–23 UEFA Nations League A

Dejan Lovren's Football Honours

Inter Zaprešić

• Druga HNL: 2006–07 (Second Croatian League)

Dinamo Zagreb

• Prva HNL: 2008–09 (First Croatian League)
• Croatian Cup: 2008–09

Lyon

• Coupe de France: 2011–12 (French Cup); runner-up: 2023–24

Liverpool

• Premier League: 2019–20
• UEFA Champions League: 2018–19; runner-up: 2017–18
• UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2015–16
• FA Community Shield runner-up: 2019

Zenit Saint Petersburg

• Russian Premier League: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
• Russian Super Cup: 2020, 2021

Croatia National Team

• FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2018; third place: 2022

Awards

• Order of Duke Branimir: 2018 (a special award from Croatia)

See also

In Spanish: Dejan Lovren para niños