Vedran Ćorluka (born February 5, 1986 in Derventa, SFRY) is one of the most famous Croatian footballers – the defender who played for Dinamo Zagreb, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Lokomotiv Moscow. From a height of 1.92 m, he mostly played as a stopper or right winger, and today he is Zlatko Dalić’s assistant in the Croatian national football team. During the war in 1992, Ćorluka left his native Derventa with his family and moved to Zagreb, where he entered Dinamo’s youth school at the age of eight. After a successful education in Dinamo, he entered the senior team in 2003 and soon became a standard first team player and won his first trophies.
Club career
Already at the beginning of his career, Ćorluka showed maturity. In addition to his senior debut in Dinamo in 2003, he completed the 2004/05 season. On loan at NK Inter Zaprešić, where he played 27 games and scored 4 goals. In Dinamo, he made a total of 61 appearances with 7 goals and won two Croatian championships with the club (2005/06, 2006/07), Croatian Cup 2006/07. and Super Cup 2006. Thanks to its proven quality, it moved to England in 2007:
- Manchester City (2007–2008) – He moved from Dinamo to City for around 8 million pounds. He played 38 games in the Premiership and scored 1 goal.
- Tottenham Hotspur (2008–2012) – After only one season in City, Ćorluka signed for Tottenham in 2008. In five seasons (although he was on a short loan at Bayer Leverkusen in January 2012), he played 81 games for Spurs in the Premier League and scored 1 goal.
- Lokomotiv Moscow (2012–2021) – He spent the longest part of his career in the Russian club Lokomotiv. For Lokomotiv, he made 200 appearances and 7 goals in the Russian Premier League, he was often the team captain and an important trademark of the club. With Lokomotiv, he won the title of Russian champion in 2017/18 and as many as four Russian Cups (2014/15, 2016/17, 2018/19, 2020/21) and Supercup In 2019, he celebrated the end of his playing career in the final match of the 2021 Cup, and immediately afterwards he moved to coaching.
Croatian national team
Ćorluka was a standard Croatian representative for several generations. He made his debut for the senior national team in August 2006 against Italy and by the end of 2018 he made 103 appearances (scoring 4 goals), making him among the most played Croatian footballers. He participated in all major competitions in that period: EURO 2008, 2012 and 2016, and in the 2014 (Brazil) and 2018 (Russia) world championships. He achieved the greatest success in his national team career in 2018, when Croatia won a silver medal at the World Cup, and Ćorluka was part of that golden generation of Vatreni.
Results with representation:
- UEFA EURO 2008, 2012, 2016 – qualifications and participation in groups.
- FIFA World Cup 2014 (Brazil) – quarterfinals.
- FIFA World Cup 2018 (Russia) – finalists, silver medal.
Ćorluka said goodbye to the national team after the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when Croatia won second place on the wings of an extraordinary game.
titles and successes
During his career, Ćorluka won numerous trophies both at the club level and at the national team level. The most important are:
- GNK Dinamo Zagreb: 2 × Prva HNL (2005/06, 2006/07), Croatian Cup (2006/07), Croatian Super Cup (2006).
- FK Lokomotiv Moscow: Russian champion (2017/18), 4 × Russian Cup (2014/15, 2016/17, 2018/19, 2020/21) and Russian Super Cup (2019).
- Tottenham Hotspur: Finalist of the League Cup (Football League Cup) 2008/09.
- Croatian national team: Silver at the WC 2018 (finalists against France).
Individually, Ćorluka has been awarded several times within the club. In Lokomotiv, he was declared the player of the year 2015 by the fans’ choice, and for the 2020/21 season. He received recognition for the best stopper of the Russian league. In 2018, he received a high national award – the Order of Prince Branimir – for his contribution to Croatian football and the results of the national team.
personal life
Vedran Ćorluka is privately known for his long relationship and marriage with Croatian pop singer Franka Batelić. They got married in July 2018 in Bale Istria. The couple has two children: son Viktor, born on January 5, 2020, and daughter Greta, born in 2022. It is known that Franka and Vedran try to keep their family privacy away from the media, but occasionally publish touching photos with children on social networks. Despite his fame, Ćorluka remains low-ranking – he often points out that he most appreciates family gatherings and the support of his wife, who helped him balance his career and family.
Coaching career and today’s engagements
After winning the last trophy (Russian Cup) in 2021 and playing the last game for Lokomotiv, Ćorluka announced the end of his playing career and in May 2021 became Zlatko Dalić’s assistant in the professional staff of Croatia. Dalić presented him to the public just before Euro 2020, pointing out that Ćorluka, as an experienced former national team player, brings additional value in working with young players. He also worked briefly as an assistant in the professional staff of Lokomotiv Moscow.
Ćorluka stated that his coaching job fulfills him and that he is planning additional education (he allegedly enrolled in HNS’s coaching academy). As one of the younger coaches in the national team, he tries to pass on his extensive experience from the field to younger players. He is also charismatic in communication with fans, he often states that football represents a passion and a calling in life for him. In addition to working in the national team, Ćorluka is occasionally talked about in the context of possible future club coaching roles, although so far there are no confirmed offers from clubs.
Conclusion
Vedran Ćorluka remains remembered as a reliable and versatile defensive player, one of the most trophy-winning Croats in history and as an example of how top sports results can be achieved with work and dedication. his biography It shows the path from childhood war to a top professional and current coach. He inspires young footballers with everything he has achieved – 103 appearances for Croatia, medals from world championships and numerous club titles. If you liked this story about Ćorluka’s career, share it with your friends and follow our portal for more interesting sports biographies and news.
Sources: We collected data from verified sources and statistics (Wikipedia, sports portals and interviews), among other statements presented and CroatiaWeek’s article about Ćorluk’s transfer to headquarters. Successes and statistics were confirmed by the quoted materials, and personal data (resume, marriage, children) were confirmed from published sources.
Cover photo: Елена Рыбакова, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, Via Wikimedia Commons
