Mario Mandzukić started playing football in Germany, where he moved with his parents when Croatia was fighting for independence. He joined the club TSF Ditzingen near Stuttgart, where he trained in 1992-1996. At the age of 10, however, he returned to his homeland and spent the most important period of youthful development in NK Marsonia from the city where he was born. It was there that he also entered adult football as an 18-year-old player. He appeared in 23 matches for the second division Marsonia and scored 14 goals. He took 2nd place with the team, and the lack of promotion contributed to his quick transfer.
In the summer of 2005, young Mandzukic became a football player for NK Zagreb. He was an important member of the team for two seasons and made a total of 51 appearances for the team, scoring 13 goals, which allowed the club to finish 3rd in the league. The striker, in turn, opened the door to a great career. The 21-year-old Mandzukic was then approached by the national tycoon – Dinamo Zagreb. The amount of 1.5 million euros convinced local rivals to sell their player.
First medals
Mandzukic has accumulated a considerable number of medals during his career, and not just for anything. He started collecting them as a Dinamo Zagreb player. All three seasons he spent at this club were crowned with the Croatian championship. He also added two domestic trophies. It was a great period for the striker, as he recorded excellent numbers (he was the top scorer in the Croatian league) and had the opportunity to play regularly in European cups. Thanks to this adventure, the career of the Croatian footballer gained momentum and a foreign transfer seemed to be only a matter of time. By the way, if you are betting on sports and want to get a bonus code, go to melbet promo code in Nepal and collect your bonuses.
The most concrete was in 2010 the German VFL Wolfsburg. Wolves paid Mandzukic around €7 million, which convinced both Dinamo and the striker himself to move. He made a total of 112 appearances for Dinamo Zagreb. He scored 53 goals and made 35 assists.
Adventure in the Bundesliga
In 2010, he began to conquer the Bundesliga. For the first two seasons, he defended the colors of Wolfsburg, which he first helped to maintain, and then finished in the middle of the table. Mandzukić noticeably stood out from his teammates and it was clear that he was a player who aimed much higher. In July 2012, Bayern Munich applied for the Croatian. The “Bavarians” offered 13 million euros, and “Wolves” accepted this offer. He made 60 appearances for the VFL. He scored 20 goals and added 12 assists.
At the Allianz Arena he found himself right away. He immediately became a key player and began to win trophies with Bayern on a regular basis. During two seasons with the Munich club, he won: German Super Cup, 2x German Cup, 2x Bundesliga championship, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Championship. Mandzukic left Bayern when they signed Robert Lewandowski. He played a total of 88 games for Die Roten, scoring 48 goals. He also had 14 assists.
Episode at Atlético and transfer to Juve
The 2014/2015 season was supposed to be a new opening in Mandzukic’s career, but it turned out to be only a temporary transitional period. He joined Atletico Madrid for €22 million. He signed a 4-year contract with Diego Simeone’s team, but spent only one campaign at Wanda Metropolitano. However, he contributed to “Los Colchoneros” winning the Spanish Super Cup. In addition, he reached the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey and the Champions League with the team, and finished third in La Liga. By the way, if you are betting on sports and want to get a bonus code, go to https://odds2win.bet/bonuses/nepal/22bet and collect your bonuses.
He made 43 appearances for Atletico, scoring 20 goals and five assists. In July 2015, he was sold to Juventus for €19 million. It was here that he made the most appearances and won as many as 10 cups. In retrospect, he can say that these 4.5 years were a good time, but without winning the Champions League, although he managed to reach the final.
A string of successes and clipping coupons
Mario Mandzukic made 162 appearances for Juventus. He scored 44 goals and made 18 assists. In the colors of “Bianconeri” he helped win Serie A 5 times. He also added the Italian Super Cup and 3 triumphs in the Coppa Italia. At the beginning of 2020, he ended his stay at Juventus and went to Qatari Al-Duhail SC for 7 months. During this time he played in 10 matches, scoring 2 goals. He terminated his contract in July 2020 and was without a club for six months. The last stop in Mandzukic’s career was AC Milan. A return to Italy also did not prove to be a good idea and parted ways with the Milanese in the summer of the same year, after 11 appearances without a single goal. In September 2021, he announced the end of his football career.
Representative career
One of the legends of the Croatian national team is undoubtedly Mandzukic. The striker played a total of 89 matches between 2007 and 2018, scoring 33 goals. He received the award for the player of the year in Croatia twice (2012 and 2013). The crowning achievement of his achievements is the vice-championship of the world won in 2018. From November 22, 2021, he became an assistant coach in the Croatian national team. This is his first adventure in the coaching staff.