Mateo Kovačić, Austrian-Croatian footballer
Mateo Kovačić (Croatian pronunciation: [matěo kǒʋatʃitɕ]; born 6 May 1994) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea and the Croatia national team. He is usually deployed in a central or box-to-box role, but can play in deeper positions. He also adapted to playing either wide on the left or as an attacking midfielder earlier in his career.Kovačić began his professional career with Dinamo Zagreb at the age of 16, with whom he won two consecutive league titles, before joining Inter Milan in 2013. After the 2014–15 season, he moved to Real Madrid, where he won the 2015–16, 2016–17 and 2017–18 Champions Leagues. He joined Chelsea on one-year loan in 2018, signing permanently for the London club at the end of the season. With Chelsea, Kovačić won the 2018–19 Europa League and the 2020–21 Champions League, as well as the Chelsea Player of the Year after the 2019–20 season.
A full Croatian international since 2013, Kovačić represented the nation at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups, as well as the UEFA Euro 2016 and 2020, reaching the final of the 2018 tournament. He was nicknamed Il Professore (The Professor) by the Italian sports journalists.