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Vedran Ćorluka

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Vedran Ćorluka
Ćorluka with Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name Vedran Ćorluka[1]
Date of birth (1986-02-05) 5 February 1986 (age 38)[1]
Place of birth Derventa, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Height 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back, right-back
Team information
Current team
 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)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Croatia
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 2018
Representing  Croatia (assistant coach)
FIFA World Cup
Third place 2022
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Vedran Ćorluka (Croatian pronunciation: [ʋědran tɕǒrluka];[3] born 5 February 1986) is a Croatian football coach and former player who played as a centre-back or right-back. He is an assistant to Zlatko Dalić in the Croatia national team.

Ćorluka graduated from the Dinamo Zagreb Youth Academy, before making his professional debut for the senior team in 2003. In 2007, he made a £8 million move to Premier League club Manchester City, and after a season moved on to Tottenham Hotspur. He spent four seasons there before joining Lokomotiv Moscow, where he eventually retired in 2021.

As a Croatia international, Ćorluka has earned 103 caps for the country, making him one of the nation's most capped players. He represented Croatia at various youth levels before making his senior debut in August 2006, in a friendly match against Italy. He was part of the country's squad at the UEFA European Championships in 2008, 2012, 2016 and at the FIFA World Cups in 2014 and 2018. In August 2018, Ćorluka confirmed his retirement from international football.[4]

Club career

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Early days

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Ćorluka was born in Derventa, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia. His parents, Jozo and Anđa, come from Modran, a village near Derventa. Due to the Bosnian War, in 1992 the family moved to Zagreb, where his father still works as an engineer in addition to being Ćorluka's manager. His mother is a judge. Vedran has one brother.[5] Ćorluka began playing football in Dinamo Zagreb's youth teams when he was eight years old, impressing many scouts from the youth academy.[6] His professional career began in 2003, but during that season he made no appearance for the first team. He was sent on a one-year loan to Inter Zaprešić, helping the team place second in the league, before returning to Dinamo in 2005. After establishing himself as a key player for Dinamo, he helped the club win the Croatian First League title three seasons in a row from 2005–06. He also played a dominant part in his side capturing the Croatian Cup in the 2006 season.

Manchester City

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After consistently strong performances, Ćorluka was signed by English Premier League side Manchester City on 2 August 2007.[7][8] City did not reveal the fee, though Croatian media reports suggested the deal was worth around £8 million, with the 21-year-old penning a five-year deal.[9]

As usual, Ćorluka consistently found a starting spot for his side in the Premier League. Despite a nightmare blunder during his side's shocking 6–0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, he remained strong during his first season in England as his side finished ninth in the league and gained entry to a UEFA Cup qualifying round via the UEFA fair play ranking. On few rare occasions, he was also used as a defensive midfielder during the season, proving to be a factor for opposing attackers.

Ćorluka scored his first goal in the 4–2 loss at Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the 2008–09 season.[10] In the UEFA Cup second qualifying round match second leg, Ćorluka scored the decisive spot kick in the dramatic 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory over Danish minnows Midtjylland after the tie had ended 1–1 on aggregate. He played his last match for City against Sunderland on 31 August 2008, throwing his shirt into the crowd at the end of the match.[11]

Tottenham Hotspur

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Ćorluka taking a throw-in for Tottenham Hotspur

On 1 September 2008, it was announced that Ćorluka had signed for Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £8.5 million on a six-year contract, joining his fellow Croatian international and best friend Luka Modrić at the club.[12] During the match against Stoke City on 19 October, Ćorluka was severely injured; kneed under his chin by teammate Heurelho Gomes, he was immediately knocked unconscious. After ten minutes of on-field treatment, he was rushed to hospital where it was announced no serious damage was evident.[13] In the League Cup final on 1 March 2009, Ćorluka scored his and Tottenham's only penalty in the shootout loss to Manchester United, receiving a runners up medal for his efforts.[14][15]

Ćorluka scored his first Premier League goal for Spurs during a 2–2 draw against Bolton Wanderers on 3 October 2009. On 2 February 2011, he started and played the full 90 minutes at right-back ahead of the injured Alan Hutton in the 1–0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.[16]

Bayer Leverkusen (loan)

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In the January 2012 transfer window, Ćorluka signed on loan for German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen for the remainder of the 2011–12 season on 31 January, with the option to buy out his contract in the summer transfer window.[17]

Ćorluka made his debut for the club in a 2–2 home draw against VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena on 4 February, playing the full 90 minutes.[18] In his only Champions League appearance for the club, Ćorluka provided the cross for Michal Kadlec's leveler in the 52nd minute in a 3–1 loss to Barcelona.[19] On 25 February, the defender provided an assist for the first of Lars Bender's brace in the 2–0 win over 1. FC Köln.[20]

Lokomotiv Moscow

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Ćorluka with Lokomotiv Moscow in 2017

On 27 June 2012, Lokomotiv Moscow announced the signing of Ćorluka from Tottenham for £5.5 million. The signing came in light of recent naming of former Croatia national team Slaven Bilić as the manager of Lokomotiv. Ćorluka signed a three-year contract following the successful completion of his medical examination.[21] At Lokomotiv, he also reunited with Roman Pavlyuchenko, with whom he had previously played for Tottenham Hotspur from September 2008 until January 2012. He scored on his debut against newly promoted Mordovia Saransk in a 3–2 victory. In September 2012,[22] March 2014,[23] and December 2014[24] Ćorluka won the monthly poll among Loko supporters in the social networks and was named the best club player of the month. In June 2015, after Ćorluka helped Lokomotiv to win Russian Cup, fans named him team's Player of the Year.[25]

On 1 April 2021, Ćorluka announced his departure from the club at the end of the season.[26] He played his last game for Lokomotiv in a 1–0 victory over Ural Yekaterinburg.[27]

International career

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Ćorluka playing for Croatia against Portugal in 2013

He started to play for the Croatia under-21 team and eventually progressed to his country's national team, for which he soon made his debut in the friendly match against world champions Italy on 16 August 2006 in Livorno. Croatia won the match 2–0 and Ćorluka, aged 20 during his debut, entered the game in the second half and satisfied critics with his very good, solid performance against experienced Serie A forwards.

During Croatia's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, he became one of the key players under head coach Slaven Bilić. Croatia finished first in Group E, notably ahead of Russia and favourites England, who eventually failed to qualify from the group.

Ćorluka was in the final match of the tournament where Croatia's exit came against Turkey in extra time and penalties.[28] Turkey winger Arda Turan revealed in an interview with UEFA that Ćorluka is the most difficult right-back he has ever played against, whom he came up against during this match.[29]

The defender was included for the preliminary squad for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine after impressive performances in his loan spell at Bayer Leverkusen.[30]

Ćorluka was included in Croatia's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[31] On 21 June, he came on as an added-time substitute for Mario Mandžukić in a 3–0 group stage win over Argentina at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, earning his 100th cap.[32]

On 10 August 2018, Ćorluka retired from international football, confirming his retirement via social media.[4][33]

Managerial career

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On 17 May 2021, Ćorluka was officially presented as Zlatko Dalić's assistant for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2020, succeeding Ivica Olić. At the press conference, Ćorluka expressed his wish to enroll in a coaching academy after the tournament.[34]

On 6 July 2021, he returned to Lokomotiv Moscow, also as an assistant coach, while still remaining the assistant coach of Croatia.[35] On 19 July, he left Lokomotiv due to family reasons.[36]

Personal life

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Ćorluka married his long-time girlfriend, Croatian singer Franka Batelić on 21 July 2018.[37]

On 5 January 2020, Ćorluka and Batelić became parents of a baby boy they named Viktor.[38]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of 16 May 2021[39][40]
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

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Appearances and goals by national team and year

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[41]
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

Honours

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Dinamo Zagreb[39]

Tottenham Hotspur

Lokomotiv Moscow

Croatia

Individual

Orders

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: Croatia" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Vedran Corluka: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  3. ^ "vȅdar". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 17 March 2018. Vèdran
  4. ^ a b "Vatreni velikan Vedran Ćorluka oprostio se od reprezentacije!" (in Croatian). Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  5. ^ "ĆORLUKA (Vedran Ćorluka) – Manchester City and Croatia". footballdatabase.com. Archived from the original on 28 August 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  6. ^ "Vedran Corluka – Manchester City's New Croatian International". Soccerphile. Soccerphile.com. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  7. ^ "Elano heads Man City triple swoop". British Broadcasting Corporation. BBC Sport. 2 August 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  8. ^ Oscroft, Tim (2 August 2007). "Sven welcomes Corluka". Manchester City F.C. mcfc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  9. ^ Bailey, Graeme (2 August 2007). "City land Croatian stopper". Sky Sports. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  10. ^ Bevan, Chris (17 August 2008). "Aston Villa 4–2 Man City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  11. ^ Stevenson, Jonathan (1 September 2008). "Transfer deadline day". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
  12. ^ "Spurs sign Corluka from Man City". BBC Sport. 1 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  13. ^ Hughes, Ian (19 October 2008). "Stoke 2–1 Tottenham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  14. ^ "FT: Man United 0 Tottenham 0 (MU win 4–1 on penalties)". Sky Sports. 1 March 2009. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  15. ^ a b Phil McNulty (1 March 2009). "Man Utd 0-0 Tottenham (aet) – Man Utd win 4-1 on penalties". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  16. ^ Lyon, Sam (3 October 2009). "Bolton 2–2 Tottenham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  17. ^ "Vedran Corluka leaves Tottenham to join Bayer Leverkusen on loan". BBC Sport. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
  18. ^ "Bayer Leverkusen 2–2 VfB Stuttgart". ESPN Soccernet. 4 February 2012. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  19. ^ Ornstein, David (14 February 2012). "Bayer Leverkusen 1–3 Barcelona". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  20. ^ "Rhine revenge for Leverkusen". bundesliga.de. 25 February 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  21. ^ Ведран Чорлука подписал контракт с "Локомотивом" (in Russian). fclm.ru. 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  22. ^ Ведран Чорлука – игрок сентября! (in Russian). FC Lokomotiv Moscow. 8 October 2012. Archived from the original on 28 March 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  23. ^ Ведран Чорлука – игрок марта! (in Russian). FC Lokomotiv Moscow. 7 April 2014. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  24. ^ Ведран Чорлука – игрок декабря! (in Russian). FC Lokomotiv Moscow. 15 December 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  25. ^ Ведран Чорлука – лучший игрок «Локомотива» в сезоне! (in Russian). FC Lokomotiv Moscow. 8 June 2015.
  26. ^ Kačan, Matej (1 April 2021). "Ćorluka najavio odlazak iz Lokomotiva: 'Loko je zauvijek stekao istinskog navijača'". Sportnet (in Croatian). Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  27. ^ mn (17 May 2021). "Slomile ga emocije, pogledajte kako se Ćorluka oprostio od Lokomotiva". Direktno.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  28. ^ Kay, Oliver (20 June 2008). "Slaven Bilic left dazed by reversal of fortune". Vienna: The Times Online. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  29. ^ "Arda stronger and wiser". UEFA. 4 March 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  30. ^ "Bilic drops Petri and Klasnic from Croatia squad as he reveals he will step down as manager after Euro 2012". rte.ie. 11 May 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  31. ^ "World Cup 2018: Dejan Lovren named in strong Croatia squad". BBC Sport. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  32. ^ "Argentina 0–3 Croatia". Sky Sports. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  33. ^ "Vedran Ćorluka on Instagram: "Dragi navijaci Hrvatske reprezentacije, nakon 12 godina i 103 nastupa u najdrazem dresu došlo je vrijeme da se oprostim od Hrvatske…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  34. ^ "Dalić progovorio o Sosi i otkrio kako stoje stvari!; Ćorluka objavio kraj karijere: 'Bilo je teško'". Sportske novosti (in Croatian). 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  35. ^ "Крыховяк и Чорлука присоединились к «Локомотиву» на втором сборе" (in Russian). FC Lokomotiv Moscow. 6 July 2021.
  36. ^ "Чорлука покидает "Локомотив"" (in Russian). FC Lokomotiv Moscow. 19 July 2021.
  37. ^ Benčić, Luka; Ban, Barbara (21 July 2018). "Vedran izrekli sudbonosno 'da' na hrvatskom vjenčanju godine!". Jutarnji (in Croatian). Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  38. ^ "STIGAO JE SINČIĆ: FRANKA JE RODILA, VEDRAN ĆORLUKA POHVALIO SE FOTKOM IZ BOLNICE". Gloria (in Croatian). 5 January 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  39. ^ a b "V. Ćorluka". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  40. ^ "Vedran Corluka" (in German). kicker.de. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  41. ^ "Vedran Ćorluka profile". eu-football.info. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  42. ^ "Lokomotiv beat FNL champions Krylia to win Russian Cup". Russian Premier League. 12 May 2021.
  43. ^ McNulty, Phil (15 July 2018). "France 4–2 Croatia". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  44. ^ Ведран Чорлука – лучший игрок «Локомотива» в сезоне! (in Russian). 8 June 2015.
  45. ^ "Vedran Ćorluka dobio nagradu 'Vatrena krila'" (in Croatian). www.nacional.hr. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  46. ^ "Итоги Исполкома РФС". Российский футбольный союз (in Russian). Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  47. ^ "News: President Decorates Croatian National Football Team Players and Coaching Staff". Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia. 13 November 2018. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2018. the Order of Prince Branimir with Ribbon was awarded to...
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