Having previously representedCroatia at various youth levels, Lovren made his senior debut in 2009 and went on to make over 70 appearances for his country. He was selected in Croatia's squads for theFIFA World Cup in2014,2018 (in which they were beatenfinalists againstFrance) and2022, as well asUEFA Euro 2020.
His family eventually had to leave as they did not possess necessary documentation to reside in Germany and settled inKarlovac, Croatia, 50 kilometres southwest of the capital city ofZagreb.[9] Lovren stated that he initially found settling in Croatia difficult.[9]
On 10 May 2006, he made his debut for Dinamo in aPrva HNL match againstNK Varteks. On 17 July 2006, Lovren was loaned toNK Inter Zaprešić for two seasons where he made 50 league appearances and scored one goal. Following his return from loan Lovren regularly featured in Dinamo's starting XI, appearing in 38 matches throughout the2008–09 season and scoring three goals. In the2009–10 season, he featured in all four of Dinamo'sUEFA Champions League qualifiers againstPyunik Yerevan andRed Bull Salzburg, and managed to score a header against Pyunik.[10]
In January 2010, Lovren signed for FrenchLigue 1 clubOlympique Lyonnais for €8 million plus €1.5 million in incentives on a four-and-a-half-year contract.[11] He made his competitive debut on 24 January 2010 in their 2–1 defeat toAS Monaco in theCoupe de France, playing the full match. His Ligue 1 debut came on 31 January in Lyon's 2–1 win at home againstParis Saint-Germain, once again playing the full 90 minutes. During the second half of the season, he made 10 appearances, mostly as a substitute. He was not allowed to participate in Lyon's matches in the UEFA Champions League that season as he had already played in the competition for Dinamo Zagreb.[citation needed]
Lovren's playing time increased during the2010–11 season following the departure of two other defenders,Jean-Alain Boumsong andMathieu Bodmer, in the summer of 2010. During the season, he gradually established himself as a first team regular starter, playing as acentre-back alongsideCris as well as being used as a right or left full-back, demonstrating himself as a versatile defender.[12] In November 2010 Lovren was listed in theDon Balón list of the 100 best young players in the world.[13]
On 23 January 2012, Lovren extended his contract with Lyon for two more seasons, signing with the French club until 2016. He started for Lyon in the2012 Coupe de France Final, a 1–0 win overQuevilly, but was substituted after 18 minutes forBakary Koné.[citation needed]
On 14 June 2013, Lovren signed forSouthampton on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee,[14] which was estimated at £8.5 million.[15] He made his debut on 17 August 2013, in a 1–0 win againstWest Bromwich Albion.[16] He scored his first goal for Southampton againstLiverpool atAnfield on 21 September 2013, a goal which proved to be the winner.[17] On 19 October, he assistedAdam Lallana for the equalising goal againstManchester United in a 1–1 draw atOld Trafford.[18] He added a second league goal in a 2–2 away draw againstSunderland on 18 January 2014,[19] but was stretchered off late in the game and required hospital treatment after the match.[20] On 23 January, it was announced that along with midfielderGastón Ramírez, Lovren would be out for six-to-eight weeks with ankle ligament damage.[21]
At the conclusion of his first season in thePremier League, Lovren was named inBloomberg Sports' Power 50 list, which provides statistical rankings of performances from players inEurope's top five leagues.[22] He was the fifth-highest ranked player from the Premier League in 31st position.[23] After much speculation regarding Lovren's future following the departures of Adam Lallana,Luke Shaw andRickie Lambert from Southampton,Liverpool Echo reported on 25 July 2014 that Southampton had agreed a fee with Liverpool for the sale of Lovren, who was set to undergo a medical at theMerseyside club after reportedly handing in a transfer request at Southampton.[24]
On 27 July 2014, Lovren became the third Southampton player that transfer window to join Liverpool, after Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana. He signed a four-year deal for a reported fee of £20 million, becoming the most expensive defender in Liverpool's history untilVirgil van Dijk joined the club in 2018.[25][26]
On 10 August 2014 he made his debut in a friendly for Liverpool againstBorussia Dortmund at Anfield, scoring the second goal in a 4–0 victory,[27] and made his competitive debut on 17 August in the club's opening game of the Premier League season, playing the full 90 minutes in a 2–1 win over former club Southampton at Anfield.[28] He scored his first official goal for Liverpool on 28 October, when he headed in the game-winner from a free-kick in a fourth roundLeague Cup 2–1 victory overSwansea City.[29] However, following his poor performance in aChampions League defeat toBasel, Lovren was dropped from the first team.[30] As the last penalty taker, Lovren put his attempt over the crossbar as Liverpool lost in apenalty shootout toBeşiktaş on 26 February 2015 as they were eliminated from the last 32 of theEuropa League.[31] TheTelegraph website included Lovren in a feature about the2014–15 Premier League's 20 worst signings which remarked on the number of his errors that resulted in opposition goals.[32]
Lovren regained his place in the lineup for the first three games of the2015–16 season and performed well securing three clean sheets and seven points. However, following a pair of defeats toWest Ham United and rivals Manchester United in which the defence conceded six goals, Lovren again lost his place toMamadou Sakho.[33] On 8 November he came on as a substitute for Sakho in a 2–1 defeat toCrystal Palace at Anfield, with Sakho sustaining a knee injury that ruled him out for two months.[34] On 13 December, in a 2–2 draw against West Bromwich Albion, Lovren was stretchered off the pitch in the 79th minute due to injury and was replaced byDivock Origi.[35] The following 14 April, Lovren scored a stoppage-time winning goal in a 4–3Europa League quarter-final win over Borussia Dortmund.[36] Having endured a difficult start to his career at Liverpool, by the end of the 2015–16 season underJürgen Klopp, Lovren was described as having transformed into a "calm and composed" leader on the pitch byLiverpool Echo.[37]
On 28 April 2017, Lovren extended his contract with Liverpool, until 2021.[38]
Lovren (right) playing for Liverpool in 2017
He had a rocky start to the2017–18 season, being at fault forHarry Kane andSon Heung-min's early goals asTottenham Hotspur defeated Liverpool 4–1 on 22 October 2017. He was substituted forAlex Oxlade-Chamberlain after only half an hour.[39][40] On 17 December, Lovren scored his first goal of the season in a 4–0 win overBournemouth; a result which saw Liverpool become the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive away league matches by a margin of at least three goals.[41] After Virgil van Dijk's arrival on 1 January, he and Lovren built a steady partnership at the heart of Liverpool's defence.[42] On 14 January 2018, Lovrencaptained Liverpool for the first time in a 4–3 win againstManchester City.[43] On 13 May, Lovren scored his second goal of the season in a 4–0 win overBrighton and Hove Albion, which secured Liverpool's qualification for theChampions League next season.[44] Lovren, as well, played a significant role in Liverpool'sChampions League run, where the team reached thefinal, but eventually lost it to the ruling championsReal Madrid.[39][45][46]
Lovren celebrating victory in the UEFA Champions League with teammateMohammed Salah.
Lovren entered the2018–19 season injured following that summer'sWorld Cup.[47] He returned to the squad for anEFL Cup match againstChelsea that Liverpool lost 1–2.[48] On 26 December, he scored the opening goal in the 4–0 win overNewcastle United.[49] During the match against Manchester City on 3 January 2019, Lovren made a crucial error that lead toSergio Agüero's opening goal. Liverpool lost the match 2–1 and ending their unbeaten run in thePremier League.[50][51] Six minutes into theFA Cup game againstWolverhampton Wanderers on 7 January, Lovren got injured and substituted forKi-Jana Hoever.[52] He subsequently lost his spot in the starting eleven playing only two full games for the remainder of the season, as Liverpool lost the Premier League by a single point behind eventual champions Manchester City[53] and won the2019 UEFA Champions League Final against Tottenham Hotspur where he remained an unused substitute.[54][55] He became the tenth Croatian in history to win the Champions League.[56]
During the summer 2019, Lovren demanded a transfer since he did not want to be a substitute. The strongest interest was expressed bySerie A clubsMilan[57] andRoma.[58] He was therefore left out of the squad for2019 UEFA Super Cup, which Liverpool won beating Chelsea on penalties.[59][60] Lovren returned to the squad for anEFL Cup match againstMK Dons on 25 September.[61] He went on to solidify his spot in the starting XI followingJoël Matip's injury.[62] On 27 November, he scored the equalizer in theChampions Leaguegroup stage match againstNapoli, that ended as a 1–1 draw.[63] However, on 10 December, he suffered a knee injury in a game against Red Bull Salzburg and was substituted forJoe Gomez.[64] The injury forced him to miss the2019 FIFA Club World Cup, which Liverpool won beatingFlamengo 1–0 in thefinal.[65] He returned on 26 January 2020 and captained the team in anFA Cup game againstShrewsbury Town that ended as a 2–2 draw.[66] On 25 June, Lovren became the first Croatian to win a Premier League after Liverpool finished first place in the2019–20 Premier League.[67][68]
On 27 July 2020, Lovren signed forZenit Saint Petersburg on a three-year contract for €12 million after a six-year spell with Liverpool.[69][70] He debuted for Zenit on 7 August in the2020 Russian Super Cup againstLokomotiv Moscow. The match ended as a 2–1 victory for Zenit, meaning that Lovren won his first trophy with the club in his first game.[71] He made hisleague debut on 11 August, in a 0–2 win overRotor Volgograd.[72] Four days later, he scored his first goal for Zenit in a 0–2 victory overRostov.[73][74]
On 20 October, in hisChampions League debut for the club, he took a shot from outside of thepenalty area which deflected offEthan Horvath's back into the net, as Zenit lost 1–2 toClub Brugge.[75] On 8 November, Lovren captained Zenit for the first time in a match againstKrasnodar, due toArtem Dzyuba being stripped off captaincy after an explicit video depicting himmasturbating leaked and went viral.[76] In the closing minutes of the game, he won a penalty which was successfully converted byAleksei Sutormin, as Zenit won 3–1.[77] Ahead of Zenit'sleague match againstSochi, played on 11 April 2021, Lovren suffered a muscle injury in training.[78] In his absence, on 2 May, Zenit won the league title after thrashing Lokomotiv Moscow 6–1.[79]
Lovren started the2021–22 season by winning anotherSuper Cup, beating Lokomotiv Moscow 3–0 on 17 July.[80] Due to injuries, he made only 19 appearances during the first half of the season, as Zenit won theleague once again.[81][82]
Lovren made 54 appearances and scored six goals for various Croatian youth national teams.[85] He received his first call-up toCroatia national team in August 2009 by managerSlaven Bilić, who included the player in his match squad againstBelarus. Lovren was an unused substitute, but still was reportedly delighted with the new experience.[86] He made his debut againstQatar on 8 November 2009, coming on as a substitute forDanijel Pranjić.[citation needed]
On 2 September 2011, Lovren scored his first international goal, againstMalta in aUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match. He was included by manager Slaven Bilić in the training camp prior to theUEFA Euro 2012 but was not selected for thefinal squad because of an injury.[87] Lovren scored his second goal for Croatia on 26 March 2013 in aWorld Cup qualifying match againstWales at theLiberty Stadium inSwansea. It was an equalizer that leveled the match afterGareth Bale had given Wales the lead from apenalty which Lovren caused. Croatia eventually won the game 1–2.[88][89]
In May 2014, Lovren was named in managerNiko Kovač's provisional 30-mansquad for the2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.[90] In theopening match of the tournament, on 12 June against the hostsBrazil inSão Paulo, Lovren was judged by the Japanese refereeYuichi Nishimura to have fouledFred in the 69th minute when the score was 1–1. Acontroversial penalty was given, which was converted byNeymar and led to Brazil's eventual 3–1 win.[91][92] He was featured in the other two group stage matches as Croatia crashed out of the tournament following a 1–3 defeat toMexico.[93]
In May 2018, he was named inZlatko Dalić's23-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[95] In the finalgroup stage match againstIceland, after Croatia had already qualified for theknockout stage, his handball in the penalty box caused a penalty that was converted successfully byGylfi Sigurðsson for 1–1. Despite that, Croatia won the match 1–2 and topped their group.[96] He then featured throughout the competition as Croatia reached thefinal where they lost toFrance 4–2.[97]
On 11 September, Lovren missed Croatia's debut match in theinaugural edition ofUEFA's new tournamentNations League, the team's 6–0 historical defeat toSpain, due to injury.[98][99] He came back a month later for a match againstEngland, that ended up as a goalless draw.[100] On 15 November, he took part in Spain's 3–2 defeat. After the match, Lovren sparked controversy after calling the Spain team "a bunch of pussies" onInstagram Live and admitting that he deliberately elbowed Spain's defenderSergio Ramos, whom he had a feud in the media with prior to the match.[101] Three days later, Croatia suffered a 1–2 defeat to England and got relegated from theLeague A to theLeague B of thenext edition of the Nations League.[102]
On 11 January 2019, UEFA banned Lovren for one international match for disrespecting the Spain national team and theirflag, and the deliberate elbowing of Ramos. He could not play in theUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match againstAzerbaijan.[103] He scored his third international goal on 6 September in a 0–4 win overSlovakia.[104]However, his errors in the away fixtures against Azerbaijan and Wales caused Croatia to drop four points and delayed the team's qualification for the tournament.[citation needed] He was suspended for the deciding home fixture against Slovakia as well due to threeyellow cards.[105] Croatia nevertheless won the match 3–1 and secured their spot at theEuros.[106]
Lovren's younger brotherDavor is also a professional footballer who currently is a free agent after playing forKustošija.[110] Lovren was named by his grandmother Ivanka after the Montenegrin football legendDejan Savićević.[111] He speaks Croatian,German,English andFrench.[112][113]
Lovren is married to Anita Sekulić and the couple have two children, Elena, born in August 2012, and Josip, born in June 2015.[111]
In 2013, Lovren founded a fashion brand Russell Brown with hisbest man Lovro Krčar. Three years after, the brand was shut down for unknown reasons. Rumours suggest that the reason for the closure was due to a poor relationship between Lovren and Krčar. In May 2018, he founded another brand Rock Filius.[114] On 29 May 2018, Lovren opened a four star hotel Joel inNovalja, nearZrće.[115] Lovren has stated that the hotel is named after Josip and Elena.[116] On 29 December 2020, Lovren offered free temporary accommodation in the hotel for sixteen families who had lost their homes in the2020 Petrinja earthquake.[117]
During 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, paparazzi leaked explicit photos of several Croatian internationals taking a "skinny dip" in the pool of a Brazilian hotel. Lovren reportedly suffered the most since almost his entire body was exposed.[118]
In February 2017,LFC TV released a shortdocumentaryLovren: My Life as a Refugee where the footballer opened up about his experiences, tough life and traumas and asked for more tolerance for refugees saying:
"When I seewhat's happening today [with refugees] I just remember my thing, my family and how people don't want you in their country. I understand people want to protect themselves, but people don't have homes. It's not their fault; they're fighting for their lives just to save their kids. They want a secure place for their kids and their futures. I went through all this and I know what some families are going through. Give them a chance, give them a chance. You can see who the good people are and who are not."[120][121]
On 2 April 2022, following a statement fromDisney that they wouldincrease diversity and inclusion in their work, particularlyLGBT content—Lovren took toTwitter to announce that he cancelled hisDisney+ subscription, and called for a boycott of the company.[122][123]
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