Vedran Ćorluka

Vedran Ćorluka was born February 5, 1986 in Modran, a village near Derventa, Yugoslavia. Currently represents FC Lokomotiv Moscow. He plays a defender and can be used either as a central or a right back.

At the age of ten Vedran joined the Dinamo Zagreb youth academy and in 2003 the club awarded him his first senior contract. Soon the player was included in the first squad. Yet in 2004 the young player was loaned to Inter Zaprešić to gain more football practice and there he got acquainted with his future teammate Luka Modrić. Altogether for the new club Vedran scored 4 goals in 27 games thereby playing a vital role in his squad’s taking the silver of the Croatian First League and in the fashion proving his capability to represent the first squad of Dinamo Zagreb.

In the 2005/2006 season the footballer consolidated his success, helping Dinamo to become the champion of Croatia. In all during that season he appeared in 31 games and scored 3 goals. This very year the defender was called up to the senior national team and debuted for it in summer 2006.

The next season appeared to be even more successful than the previous one as Dinamo Zagreb not only managed to defend its champion’s title but also won both the Croatian Cup and the Supercup. In all during that season the defender featured in 30 matches and netted 4 goals.

The scouts from European grandees couldn’t but notice such a success and in 2007 Manchester City offered Vedran Ćorluka a five-year contract. The fee still remains unrevealed but according to some sources the deal was worth around £8 million. In Manchester the defender immediately secured a regular starting spot and ended the 2007/08 season with 1 goal in 38 appearances.

At the beginning of the following season Vedran played six more matches for the Citizens but towards the end of that year’s summer transfer window signed for Tottenham Hotspur where he reunited with his former Inter clubmate Luka Modrić. On signing the contract Ćorluka immediately became a first-choice defender of the squad and together with Tottenham reached the Carling Cup final, the Spurs losing it to Manchester United in the penalty shoot-out, and won the Barclays Asia Trophy.

Next season the Croatian player remained a pillar of the Spurs’ defense. That year the Lilywhites managed to finish the season on the fourth position and in the fashion got the opportunity to play in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League.

The 2010/11 season turned out to be not so successful for Ćorluka as the previous ones. Then Vedran featured only in 15 Premiere League and 4 UEFA Champions League matches, frequently yielding his spot to Alan Hutton, while the Spurs failed to duplicate their previous season success and finished the 2010/11Barclay’s Premiere League campaign only fifth. At the same time Tottenham reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-final where it was beaten by Real Madrid with 5-0 on the scoreboard.

In summer 2011, Vedran’s rival Hutton left for Aston Villa and Ćorluka’s first-choice status was close to be reinstated, but Kyle Walker, the young talent who had already manifested himself by that time, entered the competition with Vedran the Croatian defender failed to withstand. On January 31, 2004 the footballer joined Bayer Leverkusen on a half-a-season loan and on February 4, made his Bundesliga debut in the match against VfB Stuttgart. The agreement was provided with the option to buy it out but the German club did not use it pleading financial problems and on June 2012, Ćorluka signed for Lokomotiv Moscow.

Vedran can boast large stature which enables him to be effective in heading, he is rather sturdy built and well-coordinated and is extremely good at positioning. But his main advantage is his universalism: though he usually plays a right back, he can easily change the position for a central or a left back and if it is necessary features on the spot of a defending midfielder.

Having passed through the Croatia national youth teams of different ages, on August 16, 2006 Vedran made his debut for the senior football squad of his native country in the friendly with the team of Italy. The match took place in Livorno and ended with the 2-0 away victory for the Blazers. Ćorluka’s performance in that game secured him a regular spot in the national squad and since then Vedran has been regularly capped for his country’s main football team wearing number 5 on his national squad jersey. During the UEFA Euro 2008 the defender appeared in all the 4 matches of the tournament and together with his team reached the quarter-final leg the Croatia national team lost to Turkey in the penalty shootout. On October 11, 2011 Ćorluka featured in his 50th match for the national squad. He participated in all the 3 games the Croatia national team played during the UEFA Euro 2012 campaign. Then the Blazers gathered 4 points and finished the group stage on the third position thereby losing its chances to continue the tournament, but still fans and critics awarded Vedran Ćorluka and his teammates with high grades and good references.