Editor's Note: This was one of the quietest weekends in the past decade for Croatians at club level, so I will focus on some key young players and their playing time in this edition of CAE. Mateo Kovačić got the start for Chelsea in a 4-1 victory over Cardiff City on Saturday but was subbed off in the 50th minute with an apparent thigh injury, The Sun reported. … [Read more...] about Croatians Around Europe IV
Croatians Around Europe
Modrić, Ronaldo, Salah Nominated For Best FIFA Men’s Player Award
By 23 CommentsIt's official! Croatia's Luka Modrić will go up against former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah for the FIFA Player of the Year award, formerly named the Ballon d'Or, Goal.com reports. Modrić has already captured the Champions League title with Real Madrid this season, the Golden Ball - best player at the World Cup - and the UEFA … [Read more...] about Modrić, Ronaldo, Salah Nominated For Best FIFA Men’s Player Award
Croatians Around Europe III
By 90 CommentsAndrej Kramarić has returned! After a lengthy rest following the World Cup and being sat in Hoffenheim's season opener vs. Bayern Munich due to a minor knock, Kramarić came off the bench in the 44th minute for Hoffenheim and scored a late injury time insurance goal to seal the 3-1 victory over Freiburg. With the Freiburg goalie all the way up the field in a last ditch … [Read more...] about Croatians Around Europe III
Modrić Wins UEFA Player Of The Year!
By 43 CommentsCroatia captain Luka Modrić, who led the Vatreni to the World Cup Final in 2018 and Real Madrid to their fourth Champions League title in five years, was named UEFA Player of the Year today, UEFA reports. Modrić beat out the likes of former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah for the prestigious award: being named best player in … [Read more...] about Modrić Wins UEFA Player Of The Year!
Croatians Around Europe II
By 89 CommentsIvan Perišić and Inter Croazionale were in full effect Sunday vs. Torino but blew a 2-0 first half lead in a 2-2 draw. Perišić, Marcelo Brozović and Šime Vrsaljko all got the start for Inter with Vrsaljko being subbed off in the 72nd minute. Perišić opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a one-timer inside the box from a long sideline pass, but Inter couldn't hang on to … [Read more...] about Croatians Around Europe II
Croatians Around Europe I
By 9 CommentsMateo Kovačić is officially on the board as a Chelsea player. The Real Madrid loanee made his Stamford Bridge debut Saturday in a 3-2 victory over Arsenal; coming off the bench in the 59th minute with the game level at 2-2. Kovačić was rated an '8' in his half an hour of play as he "made some crunching tackles after his introduction and looked a brilliant bit of business by … [Read more...] about Croatians Around Europe I
Santini Scores 7th Goal Of Season…It’s August 12th
By 31 Comments29 year-old Ivan Santini scored his seventh goal of the season for Belgian club Anderlecht, in just their third game of the season. After posting back-to-back hat tricks in his first two games, Santini had an easy one Sunday night as he tapped in the game winner in a 2-1 victory over Sporting Charleroi. Santini was scrapped from Croatia's final 23-man World Cup squad … [Read more...] about Santini Scores 7th Goal Of Season…It’s August 12th
Kovačić Headed To London
By 70 CommentsReal Madrid will be sending 24 year-old midfielder Mateo Kovačić on loan to Chelsea for the upcoming season. In return, Real Madrid permanently receive Belgian goalkeeper and World Cup Golden Glove winner Thibaut Courtois for €38.8 million, ESPN reports. In the long run, this will be a solid move for Kovačić, who has been begging for first-team football at Real … [Read more...] about Kovačić Headed To London
Marko Pjaca Going To Fiorentina On Loan
By 40 CommentsCan Marko Pjaca reignite his promising career in Florence? The 23 year-old Croatian winger is being loaned to Fiorentina from Juventus for the season, with a €20 million option to buy in the summer of 2019, Goal.com reports. Pjaca injured his ACL in a Croatian friendly in 2017 which knocked him out for the season. He was loaned out to German club Schalke … [Read more...] about Marko Pjaca Going To Fiorentina On Loan