Mateo Kovačić is a 31-year-old Austrian-born Croatian international footballer born to Bosnian-Croatian parents. He began his professional career at the age of 16 and went on to play for clubs such as Inter Milan and Real Madrid. Besides playing first-tier football in England with Chelsea, the central midfielder represents Croatia’s national team.
On the pitch, he is described as a great dribbler and versatile midfielder, while off the pitch, Kovačić is married to his longtime girlfriend Izabel Andrijanić and they are raising their son Ivan together.
Mateo Kovačić’s Bio and Family Background
Mateo Kovačić was born on May 6 1994 in Linz, Upper Austria, Austria to his parents Stipo and Ružica Kovačić, and is currently 31 years old. He is the first of his parent’s three children. He has two younger sisters: Katrina Kovačić and Jelena Kovačić.
Kovačić’s parents Stipo and Ružica Kovačić are both Bosnian Croats. Three years before he was born, they moved from Zabrde after the Yugoslav Wars in 1991 to Linz in Austria. The couple moved to save their family from the warzones of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
While growing up Mateo became passionate about football at a very young age, but his father was carried away with the family’s needs that he did not realize Mateo’s football talent. Nevertheless, his mother saw it and took him to his first training session, and got enrolled at Lask Linz academy at the age of six. This marked the beginning a journey that took him to different clubs, including Dinamo Zagreb, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, and currently Chelsea.
Mateo Kovačić is Married to Izabel Andrijanic Since 2017
The midfield maestro married his long-term girlfriend Izabel Andrijanic in 2017. Three years later, his wife gave birth to their son Ivan(4) on October, 2020.
Before the marriage, Kovačić met Izabel in a Croatian village called Sesvetski. They first met at the church of St. Anthony of Padua in Sesvete. Coming from a devoted catholic family, the midfielder was serving as an altar boy while Isabel was a choir girl when they met. They built a friendship/relationshop that later led to their marriage.
Besides from being his wife and the mother of his son, Izabel Andrijanic is an entrepreneur. She is the co-founder and co-owner of a clothing brand called Lunilou; which she founded alongside her sister. The brand produces a range of organic and eco-friendly baby products like moccasins, pillows, and other things. She is often referred to as the Croatian Shakira because of her blonde and curly hair.
Mateo Kovačić’s Earns Incredibly Well From His Football Career
Mateo Kovačić’s net worth is currently approximated at $22.9 million as of December 2022. He started making the money from the earliest days of his professional career which began some 15 years ago, and has seen him play for top Europeean clubs such as Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea. Similarly, he earned about € 4.5 million and € 16.9 million as salary during his time at Inter and Real Madrid. He currently receives £150,000 and £7.8 million weekly and annually, respectively at Chelsea.
Beyond football, the Croatian makes money from endorsement deals. He has a sponsorship deal with American sportswear brand, Nike.
How Tall is the Croatian Player?
The 31 prolific midfielder stands 5 feet 10 inches tall. Generally, the average height of Midfielders in the Premier League is 5 ft 8.5 inches. Therefore, Mateo is above average unlike attacking midfielders like Luka Modric (5 ft 7.5 inches) and N’Golo Kante (5ft 6in).
His height might have been instrumental to him being a versatile midfielder.
See Also: Hakim Ziyech Bio, Parents, Brother, Salary, Net Worth, Girlfriend, Height, 5 Fast Facts
Here are 5 Intriguing Facts about Mateo Kovačić
1. Kovačić Started His Amateur Career in 2000
The talented soccer player made his career debut immediately after his youth career ended with GNK Dinamo Zagreb.
He proceeded to the senior team of Dinamo. After achieving quite a lot there, Kovačić decided to work his transfer to Inter Milan. Due to financial fair play regulations, his time at Inter Milan involved too much transfer speculation.
Kovačić later joined Chelsea on a one-year loan on 8 August 2018. On July 1, he completed his transfer to Chelsea, and he signed a five-year contract. In September 2020, Kovačić marked his 100th appearance for the club.
Mateo Kovačić sustained a tendon injury and this made him miss the semi-final tie against Real Madrid.
Kovačić played in a champions league final for the first time in his professional career. He came in the 80th minute in place of Mason Mount in the 1-0 defeat against Manchester City. That win earned him his 4th Champions League title. the first three were with Real Madrid.
On the national team, he began playing at various youth levels before he joined the senior team. He cemented his 20th appearance for the team on 7 June 2015. He also had his first international goal in his victory match over Gibraltar.
Mateo has represented his country in different tournaments including the FIFA World Cup. For the third time, the Croatian player and named as one of the players to play for the country during the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
2. Mateo Kovačić Has Played in Different Midfield Positions
Known for his exceptional dribbling abilities, Mateo began playing as an attacking midfielder before he started playing as a central midfielder. Whatever position he plays, the player distributes the ball up on the pitch.
3. His Nickname is ‘Il Professore’
His friends and the Spanish journalists nicknamed him ‘il Professore’ (the professor) because of his skills and talents. Even though he is often likened to Ricardo Kaka, he revealed that he idolizes Robert Prosinečki.
4. He was Ignored by Steven Gerrard
Mateo Kovačić used to work as a ball boy for LASK Linz. While he was there, Liverpool players were there after the champions league game. Kovačić ran towards Steven Gerrad to just shake his hand but to his greatest dismay, Gerrad ignored him. That really broke his heart but it also pushed him to work hard.
Ironically, in 2015 Mateo Kovačić was considered by Liverpool as a replacement for Gerrard but he declined the offer.
5. His Career Honors and Awards
Mateo Kovačić has made his mark in his career. The young star has won some awards and nominations to his name. They include:
- Croatian football hope of the year( 2011)
- Chelsea player of the year 2019-2020
- UEFA Europa League 2018-2019
- FIFA Club World Cup 2016-2017
- He was also decorated as the duke of Branimir in 2018 by the president of the Republic of Croatia.
- UEFA Champions League: 2020-21
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