Why isn’t Mario Mandzukic playing for Croatia against Czech Republic today?
CROATIAN World Cup 2018 hero Mario Mandzukic will not be lining up for his country at this summer’s European Championships.
The 2018 World Cup finalist retired from international football after the 4-2 loss to France in the World Cup final three years ago.
In that game Mandzukic became just the second player in World Cup history to score a goal for both sides in the same game – he scored an own goal to put France 1-0 up before scoring Croatia’s second of the 4-2 defeat.
The 35-year-old striker played in four major tournaments for his country – the 2014 and 2018 World Cup as well as Euro 2012 and 2016, but he will NOT be featuring at Euro 2020.
During his eleven year international career Mario Mandzukic racked up 89 appearances, scoring 33 times, and was the joint-top scorer at Euro 2012 with three goals.
He is also Croatia’s second highest scorer of all time behind Davor Suker and was Croatian footballer of the year in both 2012 and 2013.
Who has Mario Mandzukic played for?
- 2004-2005 – Marsonia (23 apps)
- 2005-2007 – NK Zagreb (51 apps)
- 2007-2010 – Dinamo Zagreb (81 apps)
- 2010-2012 – Vfl Wolfsburg
- 2012-2014 – Bayern Munich (54 apps)
- 2014-2015 – Atletico Madrid (28 apps)
- 2015-2019 – Juventus (118 apps)
- 2019-2020 – Al-Duhail (5 apps)
- 2021 – AC Milan (10 apps)
At club level Mandzukic joined three different teams the summer after they lost the Champions League final – Bayern in 2012, Atletico Madrid in 2014 and Juventus in 2015.
He has won the Champions League on one occasion though, lifting the trophy with Bayern Munich in 2013 in part of a treble winning season with the European giants.
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Croatia’s Euro 2020 campaign got underway with a 1-0 loss against England, as the Three Lions earned revenge for the 2018 World Cup semi-final.
Zlatko Dalic’s side line-up in Group D alongside the home nations of England and Scotland, as well as the Czech Republic.