How a refugee from the Bosnian War became a Croatian football legend
In short: Born in Derventa during the Yugoslav era, Vedran Ćorluka's journey took him from the chaos of war to the heights of the Premier League and the FIFA World Cup. A versatile defender with 103 international caps, his career spans from Dinamo Zagreb to the coaching benches of the UAE.
Vedran Ćorluka's life was shaped by the shifting borders of the former Yugoslavia. Born in Derventa, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, his family was forced to move to Zagreb in 1992 due to the Bosnian War. This displacement set the stage for a professional career that would see him become one of Croatia's most capped players, earning 103 international appearances. His father, an engineer, continues to manage him. His mother works as a judge.
His rise was steady. After graduating from the Dinamo Zagreb Youth Academy, he made his senior debut in 2003. Following a successful stint at Dinamo, where he helped secure three consecutive Croatian First League titles between 2005 and 2006, he moved to the English Premier League. He joined Manchester City in 2007 for a fee reported by Croatian media to be around £8 million, before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 for £8.5 million.
At Tottenham, he joined fellow Croatian and close friend Luka Modrić. His career also included a notable loan spell at German club Bayer Leverkusen in early 2012, where he featured in the Champions League against Barcelona. Following a long tenure in Russia with Lokomotiv Moscow, which ended in 2021, Ćorluka transitioned into coaching. He has served as an assistant to Zlatko Dalić for the United Arab Emirates national team and has held similar roles within the Croatian setup. He earned his hundredth cap during a 2018 World Cup match against Argentina. Later, he returned to Lokomotiv Moscow to serve as an assistant coach.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Vedran Ćorluka
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