Mateo Kovačić is the European champion with Chelsea! The Croatia national team player played the last 15 minutes in Chelsea’s Champions League final win against Manchester City (1:0).
Kovačić had previously won three consecutive Champions League titles with Real Madrid, but never entered the pitch in any of the finals. He has thus played the Champions League final for the first time.
“Winning the Champions League is impressive. I did it three times with Real Madrid, but unfortunately, I never played in those finals. Despite that, I was there. And it’s the team that wins. We all win and lose, as a team. Playing in the final would mean a lot to me,” said the 27-year-old before the final, and coach Thomas Tuchel fulfilled his wish by bringing him on at the end of the match.
Croatia has had a Champions League winner every year since 2013, and Kovačić has extended this series for the ninth season. First, Mario Mandžukić celebrated with Bayern in 2013, followed by Luka Modrić with Real and Ivan Rakitić with Barcelona. After that, Luka Modrić and Mateo Kovačić were the best in Europe three times in a row, but Liverpool and Dejan Lovren broke Real’s dominance in 2019. Last year, Ivan Perišić was better than PSG in the final against Bayern.
Source: Index.hr
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