Get to know Manchester City’s first summer signing with 10 Mateo Kovacic facts the club have shared with us:
History
Born in Linz, Austria in 1994. It was here he started his footballing career at a young age. His undeniable talent was spotted as early as 12 when European giants Bayern showed interest.
However, his family returned to the Croatian capital in 2007 where he signed up to Dinamo Zagreb.
Family
Kovacic met his wife in 2007 and tied the knot in 2017. As a Catholic, he attends Church every Super Sunday. The couple have a young son called Ivan with Luca Modric, fellow national teammate and former Real Marid colleague, as his Godfather.
Nickname
Dubbed the “Professor of Football” by his national teammates, he is known for his intelligence and versatility in midfield. Meanwhile his ability to read the game enables him to play multiple positions.
Sweet talker
The 29-year-old Croatian can speak a whopping four languages. He can speak German, Italian, Spanish and English. This has undoubtedly helped him to settle into his clubs across Europe.
Excellent CV
He has played for some of the top clubs in Europe. After Dinamo Zagreb he signed with Inter Milan. He then made a move to Real Madrid, following which he ended up at Chelsea. Now he’s at the best of them all – Manchester City.
Order of Duke Branimir
Kovacic was honoured with this award in 2018 along with his World Cup runners up teammates.
Record breaker
He emphatically scored in his first team debut, at 16 becoming the youngest goal scorer in the Croatian league.
Croatian Football Hope of the Year
Following establishing himself within Dinamo’s team, he helped the club achieve their seventh consecutive title. Moreover, he became the youngest player to captain the side.
He broke a Champions League record by becoming the second youngest scorer. And took his side to lift the Croatian Cup.
If he likes breaking records, Manchester City is certainly the place to be.
Champions League success
He won three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid and one with Chelsea. More European success for City on the cards perhaps.
Impact at Chelsea
Having won multiple trophies with Real Madrid, he added to his tally with Chelsea. He won the Europa League in his first season in London. Subsequently going on to win the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.
He won Player of the Year for Chelsea in 2020.
He’s here! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/zuyfLJLTvb
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 27, 2023
