Vedran Ćorluka facts for kids
Ćorluka with Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Vedran Ćorluka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 February 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Derventa, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back, right-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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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) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Croatia (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Lokomotiv Moscow (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vedran Ćorluka (born on February 5, 1986) is a Croatian football coach and former player. He used to play as a centre-back or right-back. Today, he works as an assistant coach for the Croatia national team, helping head coach Zlatko Dalić.
Ćorluka started his football journey at the Dinamo Zagreb Youth Academy. He made his first professional appearance for the senior team in 2003. In 2007, he moved to the English Premier League club Manchester City. After one season, he joined Tottenham Hotspur. He played there for four seasons before moving to Lokomotiv Moscow, where he finished his playing career in 2021.
Vedran Ćorluka played for the Croatian national team 103 times. This makes him one of the players with the most appearances for his country. He played for Croatia in youth teams before joining the senior team in August 2006. He represented Croatia 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
Playing Career Highlights
Early Football Days
Vedran Ćorluka was born in Derventa, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time. His family moved to Zagreb in 1992 because of the war. He started playing football for Dinamo Zagreb's youth teams when he was eight years old. Many scouts were impressed by his talent.
He began his professional career in 2003. He was loaned to Inter Zaprešić for one year, helping them finish second in the league. After returning to Dinamo in 2005, he 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.
Time at Manchester City
Because of his strong performances, Ćorluka was signed by the English club Manchester City on August 2, 2007. He signed a five-year contract.
Ćorluka quickly became a regular starter for Manchester City in the Premier League. Even after a tough 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 (now Europa League). Sometimes, he even played as a defensive midfielder, showing his versatility.
He scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 4–2 loss against Aston Villa at the start of the 2008–09 season. He also scored a winning penalty in a shootout against Midtjylland in a UEFA Cup qualifying match. His last game for City was on August 31, 2008, against Sunderland.
Joining Tottenham Hotspur
On September 1, 2008, Ćorluka signed with Tottenham Hotspur on a six-year contract. He joined his good friend and fellow Croatian player Luka Modrić at the club. During a match against Stoke City on October 19, he was accidentally hit by his teammate and knocked unconscious. He was taken to the hospital but thankfully had no serious injuries. In the League Cup final on March 1, 2009, Ćorluka scored Tottenham's only penalty in a shootout loss to Manchester United.
He scored his first Premier League goal for Spurs in a 2–2 draw against Bolton Wanderers on October 3, 2009. He often played as a right-back, especially when other players were injured.
Loan to Bayer Leverkusen
In January 2012, Ćorluka moved to the German club Bayer Leverkusen on loan for the rest of the 2011–12 season. He had the option to join them permanently later.
He made his debut for Bayer Leverkusen on February 4, 2012, in a 2–2 draw against VfB Stuttgart. In his only Champions League game for the club, he helped set up a goal in a match against Barcelona.
Years at Lokomotiv Moscow
On June 27, 2012, Lokomotiv Moscow signed Ćorluka from Tottenham. This move happened shortly after his former Croatian national team coach, Slaven Bilić, became the manager of Lokomotiv. Ćorluka signed a three-year contract. He also reunited with Roman Pavlyuchenko, a player he had played with at Tottenham. He scored a goal in his very first game for Lokomotiv, helping them win 3–2 against Mordovia Saransk. Fans of Lokomotiv Moscow voted him the best 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 April 1, 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 against Ural Yekaterinburg.
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 August 16, 2006, in a friendly match against world champions Italy. Croatia won 2–0, and Ćorluka, who was 20 years old, played well.
During Croatia's qualifying campaign for Euro 2008, he became a key player for coach Slaven Bilić. Croatia finished first in their group, even ahead of strong teams like Russia and England. Ćorluka played in the final match of the tournament where Croatia lost to Turkey after extra time and penalties. A Turkish player, Arda Turan, later said that Ćorluka was the toughest right-back he had ever played against.
Ćorluka was part of Croatia's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. On June 21, he came on as a substitute in a 3–0 win against Argentina. This game marked his 100th appearance for the national team.
On August 10, 2018, Ćorluka announced his retirement from international football through social media.
Coaching Career
On May 17, 2021, Ćorluka was officially introduced as an assistant coach to Zlatko Dalić for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. He took over from Ivica Olić. At a press conference, Ćorluka shared his goal of attending a coaching academy after the tournament.
On July 6, 2021, he returned to Lokomotiv Moscow as an assistant coach. He continued to be an assistant coach for Croatia at the same time. However, on July 19, he left Lokomotiv due to family reasons.
Personal Life
Vedran Ćorluka married his long-time girlfriend, Croatian singer Franka Batelić, on July 21, 2018.
On January 5, 2020, Ćorluka and Batelić welcomed their baby boy, whom they named 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 |
Awards and Achievements
Dinamo Zagreb
- Prva HNL: 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 by club supporters: 2015
- Vatrena krila heart of the supporters Award: 2016
- Russian Premier League Centre-back of the Season: 2020–21
Orders
Order of Duke Branimir: 2018
See also
In Spanish: Vedran Ćorluka para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
