Mateo Kovačić is a Croatian born professional football player. The versatile midfielder plays for Spanish club Real Madrid FC as well as his country’s national football team. The talented player started his professional career as a teenager at Dinamo Zagreb in his native Croatia, where he won back-to-back league titles. Kovačić then had a one-season stint with Italian Inter Milan, after which he moved to Real Madrid.
Although he was given limited playing time, Mateo Kovačić’s run at Real Madrid is considered to be his greatest success in his club career after winning an unprecedented three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles with the club. Kovačić made his international debut with the Croatian national team in 2013 and represented the country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2016 and 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Mateo Kovacic’s bio
Mateo Kovačić was born in Linz, Austria on May 6, 1994. Both of her parents are Bosnian Croats who emigrated from Kotor Varoš in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Young Kovačić started playing football at a very young age at LASK Linz, an Austrian association football club located in his hometown of Linz. In 2007, 13-year-old Kovačić caught the attention of many European scouts. However, following his parents’ advice, he decided to join Croatian serial champion Dinamo Zagreb.
professionnal career
At Zagreb, Mateo Kovačić spent three seasons (uninjured) with the club’s youth teams before qualifying for the senior team in October 2010. On his League debut on 20 November 2010, aged 16 and 198 days, Kovačić made history as the youngest goalscorer in league history as he scored the team’s 4th goal in the 6-0 win over Hrvatski Dragovoljac. Thanks to Kovačić’s contributions, the team won two consecutive league titles, two Croatian Cup titles and also reached the 2011–12 Champions League group stage for the first time in 12 years. Kovačić was honored with the Croatian Football Hope of the Year trophy in December 2011.
After a stellar 2012 with Dinamo Zagreb, MateoKovačić joined Italian Serie A giants Inter Milan, a transfer that came as a shock to many observers. Kovačić showed impressive form during his three seasons with Inter, although they failed to win any trophies. In August 2015, in accordance with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) Regulations, Inter Milan were forced to sell Mateo Kovačić to Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid. In his first season (2015–16), Kovačić played regularly under former Real manager Rafael Benítez for a total of 34 appearances.
However, his playing time became rather infrequent after the emergence of manager Zinedine Zidane, who took over at the start of 2016. Kovačić only made 8 appearances in the 2015 Champions League campaign win- 16 and was a part-time starter for La Liga 2016-17. / Double in the UEFA Champions League. Kovačić even had less playing time as he made six appearances in Real Madrid’s 2017-18 Champions League campaign, in which his club won their 13th title.
On the international front, Mateo Kovačić made his debut for the Croatian national team in an under-14 friendly against Slovakia. This young talent has also represented Croatia at U-15, U-17, U-19 and U-21 levels. Kovačić finally received his first call up with the senior team in August 2012.
The talented player took part in the Croatian competition in the qualifying matches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and was also part of the squad for the 2014 World Cup finals. After a not so impressive outing at Euro 2016, Kovačić’s Croatia qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where they qualified for their first FIFA World Cup final in Moscow and lost 4-2 to France.
Mateo Kovacic woman
Mateo Kovačić is currently married to the stunning Swiss-born model, Izabel Andrijanic. Along with her thriving modeling career, Izabel also has a college degree in economics and a business specializing in baby products. The couple married in June 2017 at St. Antun Padua Church located in the Croatian village of Sesvetska Sela. The duo had met several years before as teenagers in the same church where Kovačić was an altar boy and his wife Izabel was a choirboy. After the official ceremony, the couple invited their guests to a lavish reception at the Westin Hotel in the Croatian capital, Zagreb.
Height and other body measurements
Mateo Kovačić stands at a height of 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm). The Croatian-born soccer star also maintains a weight of 73kg. Recognized for his technical qualities, Mateo Kovačić also stands out for his versatility. As a result, he thrives in virtually any midfield position.