Vedran Ćorluka facts for kids
Ćorluka with Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 5 February 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Derventa, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.92 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Centre-back, right-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Croatia (assistant coach) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dinamo Zagreb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Dinamo Zagreb | 61 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | → Inter Zaprešić (loan) | 27 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Manchester City | 38 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | 81 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | → Bayer Leverkusen (loan) | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2021 | Lokomotiv Moscow | 200 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 414 | (20) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Croatia U16 | 7 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Croatia U17 | 11 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | Croatia U18 | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Croatia U19 | 12 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Croatia U21 | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2018 | Croatia | 103 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Croatia (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Lokomotiv Moscow (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Vedran Ćorluka (born 5 February 1986) is a Croatian football coach and a former player. He played as a centre-back (a central defender) or a right-back (a defender on the right side of the field). Today, he is an assistant coach for the Croatian national team.
Vedran started his football journey at the Dinamo Zagreb Youth Academy. He then made his first professional appearance for the senior team in 2003. In 2007, he moved to the English club Manchester City for about £8 million. After one season, he joined Tottenham Hotspur. He played there for four seasons before moving to Lokomotiv Moscow, where he retired in 2021.
As a player for the Croatian national team, Ćorluka played in 103 matches. This makes him one of Croatia's most capped players (meaning he played in many games). He played for Croatia at different youth levels before joining the senior team in August 2006. He represented his country in the UEFA European Championships in 2008, 2012, and 2016. He also played in the FIFA World Cups in 2014 and 2018. In August 2018, Ćorluka announced he was retiring from international football.
Contents
Vedran Ćorluka's Club Career
Starting Out in Croatia
Vedran Ćorluka was born in Derventa, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time. His family moved to Zagreb in 1992 because of the Bosnian War. Vedran started playing football for Dinamo Zagreb's youth teams when he was eight years old.
His professional career began in 2003. He was loaned to Inter Zaprešić for one year, helping them finish second in the league. He returned to Dinamo in 2005 and became a very important player. He helped Dinamo win the Croatian First League title three times in a row from 2005 to 2007. He also helped his team win the Croatian Cup in 2006.
Playing for Manchester City
Because of his strong performances, Manchester City in England signed Ćorluka on 2 August 2007. The transfer fee was reported to be around £8 million. Vedran signed a five-year contract with the club.
Ćorluka quickly became a regular starter for Manchester City in the Premier League. Even after a big mistake in a 6–0 loss to Chelsea, he played well in his first season. His team finished ninth in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup. Sometimes, he even played as a defensive midfielder, showing how versatile he was.
Ćorluka scored his first goal for City in a 4–2 loss against Aston Villa at the start of the 2008–09 season. He also scored the winning penalty in a shootout against Midtjylland in a UEFA Cup qualifying match. His last game for Manchester City was on 31 August 2008.
Joining Tottenham Hotspur
On 1 September 2008, Ćorluka signed with Tottenham Hotspur for £8.5 million. He signed a six-year contract and joined his good friend and fellow Croatian player, Luka Modrić, at the club.
During a match against Stoke City on 19 October, Ćorluka got a serious injury. He was accidentally hit under his chin by his teammate Heurelho Gomes and was knocked out. He was taken to the hospital, but luckily, there was no serious damage. In the League Cup final on 1 March 2009, Ćorluka scored Tottenham's only penalty in a shootout loss to Manchester United. He received a runner-up medal for his efforts.
Ćorluka scored his first Premier League goal for Spurs in a 2–2 draw against Bolton Wanderers on 3 October 2009.
Loan to Bayer Leverkusen
In January 2012, Ćorluka went on loan to the German club Bayer Leverkusen for the rest of the 2011–12 season. He made his debut for the club on 4 February in a 2–2 draw. In his only Champions League game for the club, Ćorluka helped set up a goal against Barcelona.
Playing for Lokomotiv Moscow
On 27 June 2012, Lokomotiv Moscow signed Ćorluka from Tottenham for £5.5 million. He signed a three-year contract. At Lokomotiv, he reunited with his former Tottenham teammate, Roman Pavlyuchenko. He scored in his very first game for the club, helping them win 3–2.
Ćorluka was very popular with Lokomotiv fans. They voted him the best club player of the month several times. In June 2015, after he helped Lokomotiv win the Russian Cup, fans named him the team's Player of the Year.
On 1 April 2021, Ćorluka announced he would leave the club at the end of the season. He played his final game for Lokomotiv in a 1–0 victory.
Vedran Ćorluka's International Career
Vedran Ćorluka started playing for the Croatia under-21 team. He then moved up to the senior national team. He made his debut on 16 August 2006, in a friendly match against world champions Italy. Croatia won 2–0, and Ćorluka, who was 20 years old, played very well.
He became a key player for Croatia during their UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. Croatia finished first in their group, even ahead of strong teams like Russia and England. Croatia was knocked out of the tournament by Turkey in a penalty shootout.
Ćorluka was part of Croatia's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On 21 June, he played in a 3–0 win over Argentina. This game was his 100th match for the national team.
On 10 August 2018, Ćorluka announced his retirement from international football.
Becoming a Coach
On 17 May 2021, Ćorluka officially became an assistant coach for the Croatian national team. He works with head coach Zlatko Dalić. He also expressed his desire to study coaching after the tournament.
On 6 July 2021, he returned to Lokomotiv Moscow as an assistant coach, while still helping the Croatian national team. However, he left Lokomotiv on 19 July for family reasons.
Personal Life
Vedran Ćorluka married Croatian singer Franka Batelić on 21 July 2018. On 5 January 2020, they welcomed their baby boy, Viktor.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Inter Zaprešić (loan) | 2004–05 | Prva HNL | 27 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 27 | 4 | |||
| Dinamo Zagreb | 2005–06 | Prva HNL | 31 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 33 | 4 | |||
| 2006–07 | Prva HNL | 30 | 4 | 8 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 45 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | Prva HNL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 61 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 8 | ||
| Manchester City | 2007–08 | Premier League | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | ||
| Total | 38 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 1 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2008–09 | Premier League | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 29 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 1 | |||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Total | 81 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 109 | 1 | ||
| Bayer Leverkusen (loan) | 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | ||
| Lokomotiv Moscow | 2012–13 | Russian Premier League | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 28 | 1 | |||
| 2013–14 | Russian Premier League | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 28 | 1 | ||||
| 2014–15 | Russian Premier League | 26 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 2 | |||
| 2015–16 | Russian Premier League | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 3 | ||
| 2016–17 | Russian Premier League | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 21 | 0 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Russian Premier League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Russian Premier League | 21 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | Russian Premier League | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Russian Premier League | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 1 | ||
| Total | 200 | 7 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 242 | 9 | ||
| Career total | 414 | 20 | 37 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 512 | 23 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | |||
| 2006 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2013 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 103 | 4 | |
International Goals
- Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 October 2009 | Stadion Kantrida, Rijeka, Croatia | 35 |  Qatar |
1–0 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 2 | 11 November 2011 | Türk Telekom Arena, Istanbul, Turkey | 52 |  Turkey |
3–0 | 3–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 3 | 25 May 2012 | Stadion Aldo Drosina, Pula, Croatia | 54 |  Estonia |
1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 12 October 2012 | Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia | 60 |  Macedonia |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Football Achievements
Dinamo Zagreb
- Croatian First League: 2005–06, 2006–07
- Croatian Cup: 2006–07
- Croatian Super Cup: 2006
Tottenham Hotspur
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2008–09
Lokomotiv Moscow
- Russian Premier League: 2017–18
- Russian Cup: 2014–15, 2016–17, 2018–19, 2020–21
- Russian Super Cup: 2019
Croatia National Team
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 2018
Individual Awards
- Lokomotiv Moscow Player of the Year (voted by fans): 2015
- Vatrena krila heart of the supporters Award: 2016
- Russian Premier League Centre-back of the Season: 2020–21
Special Recognition
Order of Duke Branimir: 2018 (This is a special award given by the President of Croatia for contributions to the country.)
See also
In Spanish: Vedran Ćorluka para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
