Mateo Kovačić

Mateo Kovačić was born in Linz. He rose through the Dinamo Zagreb academy and made his professional debut in November 2010, becoming the youngest goalscorer in Croatian Prva HNL history at 16 years and 198 days old. Before he left for Italy he had already won three straight league titles and a Croatian Cup, scoring in that cup final.

Inter Milan paid €15 million for him in 2013. It was there that Kovačić built the collection that now defines his career: three Champions League titles, two La Liga championships and two Club World Cups among them.

A loan at Chelsea in 2018–19 turned into a permanent €45 million move after he helped the club win the Europa League. He added the Champions League, the FA Cup and the League Cup to his medal collection, and was named the club's Player of the Season in 2019–20. In 2023 he moved to Manchester City, where he has added a Premier League title, an FA Cup and a League Cup.

With Croatia, Kovačić has been capped since 2013 and has gone on to reach a World Cup final and a World Cup third-place finish, along with a Nations League final.