He is enthusiastic, loyal to his team and enduring in the game he is famous for. Ivan Strinić is a Croatian footballer who plays as a left-back for AC Milan and the Croatia national team. He is praised for his excellent techniques as a defender and his very efficient and effective shooting and tackling skills.
Who is Ivan Strinić?
Ivan Strinić is one of the key players in the world’s Croatia national team and a defender of choice for Italian club AC Milan, which he joined in July 2018, as a free agent after playing a season for UC Sampdoria.
He was born on July 17, 1987 in the city of Split in Croatia, formerly in SFR Yugoslavia. Split is the second largest city in Croatia and the largest city in the region of Dalmatia (one of the four historical regions of Croatia).
Strinic’s football career started at Hajduk Split where he played until 2006. After his tenure with the club ended, he moved to France and played for Le Mans B after which he returned to Croatia. In Croatia, he continued his career with NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac. Having played for several clubs, he became confident and his talent and prowess spoke volumes enough for him to be recognized by the two biggest and most popular Croatian football clubs, Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split.
He joined HS for the second time in summer 2008 and would play there for the next three years even though he almost signed a deal with Dinamo Zagreb. At the club, Ivan Strinić played in the left-back position and proved to be the team’s regular starter. In the same season, he scored four league goals, including one in the Eternal derby against Dinamo Zagreb in a 2–1 win.
The following season was a left-back game. He appeared in all of his club’s matches in the UEFA Europa League campaign, became the national team’s left-back and played in eight Euro 2012 qualifying matches. In early 2011, Strinic left Hajduk Split; he appeared in 77 matches and scored five goals. After his departure, he signed a deal with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk on January 27 for a fee of 4 million euros.
In his first appearance with the club, he scored an extremely impressive goal in a 2-2 draw against Tavriya Simferopol. He made five more appearances that season and another 27 the following season, as well as making all three appearances in Croatia’s Euro 2012 campaign in Poland. He maintained his starting position in the following season (2012-13), both for his club and the national team with 35 appearances in all. His contract with Dnipro ended in December 2014, after which he moved to Italy and signed with Italian club SSC Napoli.
After his career at Napoli, he joined another Italian club Sampdoria in the summer of 2017 for a reported fee of €2m. After playing one season and playing 17 games, Ivan Strinić joined Milan alongside Pepe Reina as a free agent on a three-year contract.
International career
On the international stage, Ivan made his senior debut for his national team in a friendly match against Austria on May 19, 2010 and has been wearing his national shirt ever since. He has been a regular starter since then and has featured in a number of top games. Ivan took part in UEFA 2012 in Poland, where he provided an assist for Mario Mandžukić to tie Italy (1-1) and played in all three group stage matches.
Besides, he performed impressively in the 2014 World Cup qualifying matches, although he missed the finals in Brazil due to a thigh injury.
The Croatian national team choice at fullback was named in Croatia’s squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia and in one of his appearances he was dubbed the man of the match. He was close to lifting the 2018 FIFA World Cup trophy with his team in Russia, but France won 4-2.
What is his height, weight and body
The Milan defender is 1 inch taller than 6 feet (1.86m) and his weight is 78kg. Details of his body measurements are yet to be confirmed, but the football star is in good shape and working hard to stay fit.