- Vedran Corluka
Biography
Super-consistent Croatian international full-back, Vedran started 29 of our first 30 games in the Premier League until injury ended his campaign early.
Affectionately known as ‘Charlie’, he’d established himself as the Club’s first choice right-back and opened his goalscoring account for us in a 2-2 Premier League draw at Bolton Wanderers in October 2009.
Vedran joined us from Manchester City in August, 2008 and enjoyed an impressive first season at The Lane, making 41 appearances and operating right across the back-line.
A regular for Croatia, he played in every match of his country’s campaign at Euro 2008 where, along with Spurs team-mates Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar, Slaven Bilic’s side reached the quarter-final stage.
Back home in Croatia, Vedran came through the ranks at Dynamo Zagreb and after a season on loan at NK Inter Zapresic, winning successive titles with Dynamo in 2006 and 2007.
He left for the English Premier League and Manchester City in August 2007, making 41 appearances in all competitions before joining Spurs.
Vedran Ćorluka (born 5 February 1986) is a Croatian footballer who plays in the English Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur as a defender. He is also a part of the Croatia national team. Equipped with a strong physical presence and excellent understanding of the game, he is a regular player in the Croatian national team and is a regular player for Tottenham Hotspur where he is affectionately known as ‘Charlie’.
Club career
Manchester City: After consistently strong performances, Ćorluka was signed by Manchester City on 2 August 2007. City did not reveal the fee, but Croatian media reports suggested the deal was worth around £8 million, with the 21-year-old penning a five-year deal
As usual, he consistently found a starting spot for his side in the Premier League. Despite a nightmare blunder during his side’s shocking 6–0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, he remained strong during his first season in England as his side finished 9th in the league and gained entry to a UEFA Cup qualifying round via the UEFA fair play ranking. On few rare occasions, he was also used as a defensive midfielder during the season, proving to be a factor for opposing attackers.
He scored his first goal in the 4–2 loss at Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the 2008–09 season. In the UEFA Cup second qualifying round match second leg, Ćorluka scored the decisive spot kick in the dramatic 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory over Danish minnows Midtjylland after the tie had ended 1–1 on aggregate. He played his last match for City against Sunderland on 31 August 2008, throwing his shirt into the crowd at the end of the match.
Tottenham Hotspur: On 1 September 2008, it was announced that Ćorluka had signed for Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £8.5 million on a six-year contract, joining his fellow Croatian international and best friend, Luka Modrić at the club. During the game against Stoke City on 19 October, Corluka was severely injured. Kneed under his chin by teammate Gomes, he was immediately knocked unconscious. After ten minutes of on field treatment he was rushed to hospital where it was announced no serious damage was evident. In the Carling Cup final on 1 March 2009, Ćorluka scored his first and Tottenham’s only penalty in the shootout loss to Manchester United.
Ćorluka scored his first Premier League goal for Tottenham during a 2–2 draw against Bolton on 3 October 2009.