Marcelo Brozović facts for kids
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Brozović with Croatia in 2021
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Marcelo Brozović | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 16 November 1992 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Zagreb, Croatia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defensive midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Al-Nassr | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2010 | Hrvatski Dragovoljac | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Hrvatski Dragovoljac | 22 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Lokomotiva | 33 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Dinamo Zagreb | 64 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2023 | Inter Milan | 261 | (25) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Al-Nassr | 58 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Croatia U18 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Croatia U19 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2013 | Croatia U20 | 5 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2014 | Croatia U21 | 13 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2024 | Croatia | 99 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20:33, 21 May 2025 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marcelo Brozović (born 16 November 1992) is a professional footballer from Croatia. He plays as a defensive midfielder for the Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr.
Marcelo started his career in Croatia with Hrvatski Dragovoljac and Lokomotiva. He then joined Dinamo Zagreb where he played for three seasons. In 2015, he moved to Inter Milan in Italy, first on loan, then permanently. He spent seven successful seasons with Inter, playing over 300 games. He helped them win their first Serie A title in over ten years in 2021. He also played in two major European finals. In 2023, Brozović moved to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
Brozović first played for the Croatian national team in 2014. He has represented his country in three FIFA World Cups (2014, 2018, 2022) and three UEFA European Championships (2016, 2020, 2024). He helped Croatia reach the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 UEFA Nations League final. He retired from international football in August 2024.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Football Journey
Marcelo Brozović was born in Zagreb, Croatia. He grew up playing football in the youth system of Hrvatski Dragovoljac. He made his first professional appearance for the club on 24 July 2010. He scored his first goal for the team in March 2011.
Playing for Lokomotiva
In July 2011, Brozović joined Lokomotiva. He played 27 league matches in his first season, scoring four goals. His strong performance helped Lokomotiva finish comfortably in the middle of the league table.
Joining Dinamo Zagreb
In August 2012, Brozović signed a seven-year contract with Dinamo Zagreb. He quickly became an important player for the team. He made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League just four days after his club debut.
He scored his first goal for Dinamo Zagreb in April 2013. In his first season, he played 30 games and scored two goals. Dinamo Zagreb won the league title that year. He continued to be a key player for them for three seasons.
Becoming an Inter Milan Star
On 24 January 2015, Brozović joined Inter Milan in Italy. He first joined on a loan deal, and then Inter bought him permanently. He quickly became a regular player for the team. He scored his first goal for Inter in a 4–3 win against Empoli.
In his first full season (2015–16), Brozović scored his first league goal in November against Frosinone. He scored another impressive goal in December against Udinese. He even scored two goals in a cup semi-final match against Juventus.
In September 2016, Brozović had a disagreement with his coach, Frank de Boer. This led to him being left out of a league match. However, he worked hard and improved his game under the new coach, Stefano Pioli. He scored his first goal of that season in November 2016. In December, he signed a new contract with Inter Milan until 2021.
Brozović continued to play well for Inter. In the 2017–18 season, he became a fan favorite again. He made his 100th Serie A appearance in May 2018. In the final match of that season, his assists helped Inter win 3–2 against Lazio. This win secured Inter a spot in the UEFA Champions League for the next season.
In the 2018–19 season, Brozović played his first Champions League game for Inter. He scored a winning goal in the 94th minute against Sampdoria. In the 2019–20 season, he scored Inter's first goal of the season. He also captained Inter in a big derby match against Milan and scored in a 4–2 victory. He helped Inter reach the Europa League final, where they finished as runners-up.
On 2 May 2021, Inter Milan won the Serie A title. This was Inter's first league title in over ten years, and Brozović's first trophy with the club. In August 2021, he made his 200th Serie A appearance, becoming the first Croatian player to do so in the modern era.
On 10 June 2023, Brozović was the captain for Inter in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final. He was the first Croatian player to captain a team in a Champions League final. Inter lost the game 1–0 to Manchester City.
Moving to Al-Nassr
_Persepolis_F.C._v_Al_Nassr_FC,_19_September_2023_08.jpg)
On 3 July 2023, Marcelo Brozović joined the Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr. He made his first game for the club in a friendly match on 25 July 2023. His official debut was on 31 July 2023 in the Arab Club Champions Cup. In his first season with Al-Nassr, he wore the number 77 jersey, and in his second season, he changed to number 11.
International Career
Playing for Croatia's National Team
Brozović first played for the Croatia U21 team in September 2011.
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In May 2014, Brozović was chosen for Croatia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made his first appearance for the senior national team on 7 June 2014. Five days later, he played in his first World Cup match against Brazil. Since then, Brozović became a regular starter for Croatia. He scored his first goal for Croatia in October 2014.
In May 2016, Brozović was part of the Croatian squad for the UEFA Euro 2016. He played in Croatia's first match of the tournament. In November 2016, he scored two goals for Croatia in a World Cup qualifier against Iceland.
In May 2018, Brozović was selected for Croatia's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He was a key player as Croatia made it all the way to the final against France. Croatia finished as runners-up in the tournament.
World Cups and Retirement
In May 2021, Brozović was called up for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. In November 2022, he was part of the 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Croatia won the bronze medal in this tournament, beating Morocco in the third-place play-off.
On 7 June 2024, he was named in the squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. Two months later, on 14 August 2024, Marcelo Brozović announced that he was retiring from playing international football for Croatia. He had played 99 games for his country.
How He Plays
Marcelo Brozović is known for his excellent passing, strong tackling, and incredible stamina. He usually plays as a deep-lying playmaker, which means he helps start attacks from deep in the midfield. He can also play as a box-to-box midfielder, running all over the field to help both defense and attack. He is a very smart player who understands tactics well and has great physical strength.
Personal Life
Marcelo Brozović married Silvija Lihtar in 2016. They have a daughter named Aurora, who was born in 2017, and a son named Rafael, born in 2019.
Brozović is also known for his kindness. In 2018, he gave free textbooks to all primary school students in his hometown of Cerić, Croatia. In 2020, he even paid for a hip surgery for a woman from North Macedonia whom he had never met.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Hrvatski Dragovoljac | 2010–11 | Prva HNL | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| Lokomotiva | 2011–12 | Prva HNL | 27 | 4 | — | — | — | 27 | 4 | |||
| 2012–13 | Prva HNL | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 7 | 2 | |||
| Total | 33 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 6 | ||||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2012–13 | Prva HNL | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 30 | 2 | |
| 2013–14 | Prva HNL | 27 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 8 | |
| 2014–15 | Prva HNL | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 3 | |
| Total | 64 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 99 | 13 | ||
| Inter Milan (loan) | 2014–15 | Serie A | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 1 | ||
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 32 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 35 | 7 | |||
| Inter Milan | 2016–17 | Serie A | 23 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 28 | 6 | |
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 31 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 4 | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 42 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 32 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 46 | 3 | ||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 33 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 42 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 35 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 48 | 3 | |
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 28 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 3 | |
| Total | 261 | 25 | 24 | 4 | 44 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 330 | 31 | ||
| Al-Nassr | 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 30 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 48 | 5 |
| 2024–25 | Saudi Pro League | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 2 | |
| Total | 58 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 89 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 438 | 46 | 38 | 6 | 89 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 575 | 58 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 2014 | 7 | 1 |
| 2015 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 11 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 99 | 7 | |
- Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Brozović goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2014 | Stadion Gradski vrt, Osijek, Croatia | 6 |  Azerbaijan |
4–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 2 | 28 March 2015 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia | 8 |  Norway |
1–0 | 5–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 3 | 17 November 2015 | Olimp-2, Rostov-on-Don, Russia | 14 |  Russia |
2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 23 March 2016 | Stadion Gradski vrt, Osijek, Croatia | 15 |  Israel |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 5 | 12 November 2016 | Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia | 24 |  Iceland |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 7 | 4 September 2021 | Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia | 65 |  Slovakia |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Trophies and Awards
Dinamo Zagreb
- Prva HNL: 2012–13, 2013–14
- Croatian Supercup: 2013
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2020–21
- Coppa Italia: 2021–22, 2022–23
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2021, 2022
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2022–23
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2019–20
Al-Nassr
- Arab Club Champions Cup: 2023
- King's Cup runner-up: 2023–24
- Saudi Super Cup runners-up : 2024
Croatia
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2018; third place: 2022
- UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2022–23
Individual
- UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season: 2019–20
- Serie A Best Midfielder: 2021–22
- Serie A Player of the Month: April 2022
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2021–22
Orders
Order of Duke Branimir: 2018
See also
In Spanish: Marcelo Brozović para niños
