Dejan Lovren Biography

Dejan Lovren nationality

is Croatian. Croatia’s football is well known for producing powerful football players and it is highly regarded as one of the best leagues in the world. They took their national team to the third place during the 1998 World Cup and made their way to the finals at the 2018 World Cup. Dejan is originally from Croatian roots. He is an agile player with excellent technic on the pitch.

Dejan first set foot on the road to fame at Germany in the Munich based club BSC Sendling. He worked hard and fully dedicated himself to the task while making a name for himself as a talented player. His unique style of play has turned him into a tough opponent to go up against. Learn all the details about Dejan Lovren life story in this article.

Details About Dejan Lovren Biography You Probably Didn’t Know 

In an interview with Sky Sports the footballer stated about road to fame and his current position in football industry: “I think you should use your platform, especially when you have millions of people who are following you. I want to be recognized also as a man who is spreading love and positivity. I’m looking at myself and it’s like I have a duty. Sometimes it’s positive, sometimes it’s negative, but I will not stop with it.”

Dejan Lovren Information

Before we get into the details of

Dejan Lovren childhood

and early life, we will fill you in with the details of his bio and other information.

Dejan Lovren Bio

Full name: Dejan Lovren

Nickname: The Bull

Personal information

Dejan Lovren date of birth: July 5, 1989

Body measurements

• Dejan Lovren date of birth: July 5, 1989

• Zodiac sign: Cancer

• Place of birth: Zenica, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia

• Dejan Lovren religion: Christian

• Father’s name: Sasa Lovren

• Mother’s name: Silva Lovren

• Dejan Lovren nationality: Croatian

• Marital status: married

• Wife’s name: Anita Sekulic

• Date of marriage: 2012

• Children: Josip Lovren, Elena Lovren

Football Information

• Height: 1.90 M

• Weight: 84 Kg

• Hair color: Black

• Eye color: Black

Dejan Lovren Early Life  

Dejan Lovren was born on July 5, 1989 at Zenica, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia to both Croatian parents Sasa Lovren and Silva Lovren. According to

Dejan Lovren date of birth

his zodiac sign is Cancer. He spent his first years in the village of Kraljeva Sutjeska. In order to escape from the Bosnian War Dejan’s family traveled from dissolving Yugoslavia to Munich. The family faced a lot of hardship. Dejan later stated upon the hard times: “The family left because of the war. If we stayed, somebody would be killed.”

He added: “It was horrible in this time – we were prepared to go to Germany, my parents took the decision and said: ‘We don’t have a choice anymore.’ My father and mother’s parents were already there so we were the last. We took the bags, one little car, and we were in Germany. There was an attack on the market a year after we left. A lot of people were killed. It showed to me it is a difficult life. It was really difficult for my parents to leave the country at 27, 28 years old, and say: ‘Come on, we need to go to Germany.”

At the time Dejan was three years old and he spent his childhood at Germany until he was seven years old. Eventually the family had to leave due to the fact that they didn’t have enough documents. As a result, they went to Karlovac which is located 50 kilometers southwest of the capital city of Zagreb in Croatia. At the time Dejan had a hard time settling in Croatia as he didn’t know how to speak Croatian language. As a child, Dejan had great passion for playing football and dreamed of one day becoming a professional footballer. Stay tuned for more details about Dejan Lovren biography in the following. 

Dejan Lovren Profile

Over the years the footballer came a long way and made a name for himself as a skilled footballer. Based on

Dejan Lovren bio

he played as a Centre-back. We have gathered all the details about his career both in clubs and on the international level. Join us in this journey and find how the footballer set foot on the road to fame in the following.

Early Career

Dejan first set foot on the road to fame at Germany with Munich-based BSC Sendling. Following his move to Croatia he featured for local teams NK Ilovac and NK Karlovac before he joined

in 2004. On 10 May 2006, he debuted for the club in a Prva HNL game over NK Varteks. On 17 July 2006, the footballer was loaned to NK Inter Zapresic.

He stayed at the club for two season and featured in 50 league game while aiming the net for one goal. During the 2008-09 season he featured in 38 games and secured his position as a regular player in the squad. In the 2009–10 season, he made appearances in all the four Dinamo's UEFA Champions League qualifiers over Pyunik Yerevan and Red Bull Salzburg. He managed to score a goal via a header over

. Stay tuned for more details about Dejan Lovren biography.

Lyon

In January 2010, the footballer reached an agreement with French League 1 club Olympique Lyonnais for nearly €10 million and signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with the side. Dejan made his competitive debut on 24 January 2010 in a 2-1 loss to AS Monaco in the Coupe de France while featuring in the game for the whole 90 minutes. On 31 January 31 he played in a 2-1 home victory over

in the Coupe de France. Dejan wasn’t allowed to play in the UEFA Champions League that season as he had already played in the competition for Dinamo Zagreb.

 In an interview Dejan recalled his days at the club and commented: “They criticized me in many ways. Even from the beginning when I arrived. They were asking: ‘Why is this guy €10m?’ It was always: ‘Why this? Why this? Why this?’ Always something. When I was playing good, nobody was saying I was playing good. When I was playing bad, I would be the first one on the front of the journal. It wasn’t easy for me. They didn’t respect me as a player.” Stay tuned for more details about Dejan Lovren biography in the following.

Southampton

On 14 June 2013, Dejan reached an agreement with Southampton and signed a four-year contract with the side. He was handed with his debut on 17 August 2013 in 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion. He aimed the net for his first goal on 21 September 2013 which was the winning goal of the game. On 19 October, he provided an assist for Adam Lallana’s equalizing goal in a 1-1 draw with Man United. On 18 January 2014 he aimed the net for the second goal in a 2-2 away draw with Sunderland.

The footballer sustained a serious injury in the game which required immediate medical assistance. On 23 January, the club declared that Dejan along with Gaston Ramirez were off the pitch for the next eight weeks due to their ankle ligament damage. Following the departure of Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Rickie Lambert from the club there were rumors that Dejan was going to leave the club too. Find out more details about

Dejan Lovren biography

in the following.

Ronald Koeman: Liverpool Has to Make the Right Offer

Ronald Koeman then-manager of Southampton, made it clear that they are not taking an ordinary offer from Liverpool and the club has to make the right offer. He told the Daily Echo, after

's 1-0 victory over Swindon on Monday in a preseason friendly: “If they are interested, they have to come with a bid, and a good one, and then we can speak about that, because the player likes to move. Players have to be happy in Southampton -- they have to fight for the colours of Southampton -- and if not, OK, but always if there is a good bid on the table.”

He further added: “We have had no bid from Liverpool for Lovren, that is the situation. If that does not change, he will continue to play at Southampton. We know there is a lot of interest in our players, I think that is normal, but we have to wait, we work on the team. These are rumors. I didn't say anything about Ron Vlaar. I only said I know him as a player. He's a good player. Maybe we need one of them [if Lovren leaves] the club, but still there is no bid in the last week from Liverpool, and normally he will continue.”

The Most Expensive Defender in Liverpool History 

On 25 July 2014, Southampton declared that they had reached an agreement with Liverpool to sale the footballer. Following Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana, Dejan became the third Southampton player that transfer window to join Liverpool. Prior to Virgil van Dijk, Dejan became the most expensive defender in Liverpool history. He debuted for the side on 10 August 2014 in a friendly game over

while aiming the net for the second goal in a 4-0 win. His competitive debut for the side came on 17 August in a 2-1 victory against his former club Southampton.

Dejan aimed the net for his first goal on 28 October in a 2-1 win against Swansea City. His goal was a perfect header from a free kick which was the winning goal of the game. However, his form on the pitch began lacking the previous quality as he made a number of errors which led to opposition goals. As a penalty taker he couldn’t feature well and on 26 February 2015 Liverpool was eliminated from the last 32 of the Europa League. The Telegraph website listed the 2014–15

's 20 worst signings, and Dejan was one of the unlucky players.

A Calm and Composed Leader On the Pitch  

Dejan started to work on his performance and once again he regained his position in the first team. In the 2015–16 season he showed great form on the pitch while maintaining three clean sheets and seven points. However, he eventually gave it all up to Mamadou Sakho. On 8 November Dejan replaced Sakho in a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace due to the fact that the player sustained a knee injury and couldn’t feature in any game for the next four months.

Later in a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion Dejan too sustained an injury and was substituted by Divock Origi. In 14 April, the footballer aimed the net for the winning goal in a 4-3 Europa League quarter-final victory against Borussia Dortmund. Dejan faced a lot of difficulties while starting his career at Liverpool. At the end of 2015-16 season under the supervision of Jurgen Klopp Dejan was described as a player who has been transformed into a "calm and composed" leader on the pitch by

Echo.

Captain of Liverpool 

On 28 April the footballer extended his contract with the side keeping him at the club until 2021. On 17 December Dejan aimed the net for his first goal of the season in a 4-0 victory against Bournemouth. His goal saw Liverpool become the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive away league matches by a margin of at least three goals. In 2018, as

arrived at the club, Dejan formed a good relationship with him and they made a good defensive line.

On 14 January 2018, Dejan wore the captain’s armband for the first time in a 4-3 victory over Manchester City. On 13 May, he aimed the net for his second goal of the season in a 4-0 victory against Brighton and Hove Albion. This victory qualified Liverpool for the Champions League next season. The footballer made an impact and built a reputation for himself as the team’s vital player in Liverpool's Champions League run where the side reached the final. However, they were defeated by

.

Zenit Saint Petersburg

On 27 July 2020, Dejan reached an agreement with Zenit Saint Petersburg and signed a three-year contract with the side. He debuted on 7 August in the 2020 Russian Super Cup over

. The game was a 2-1 win for Zenit and as a result Dejan won his first trophy with the side. On 8 November, the footballer wore the captain’s armband for the first time in a game over Krasnodar due to the fact that Artem Dzyuba lost his position as the captain of the team. Dzyuba was stripped off captaincy after a video of him while masturbating went viral.

Style of Play 

Dejan is a strong footballer with great form. His unique style of play has turned him into a tough opponent to go up against on the field. In the summer of 2010 while he was part of Lyon’s squad he secured his position as a first-team regular starter, playing as a center-back. He also featured as a right of left full-back which made him a versatile player. Stay tuned for more details about

Dejan Lovren biography

in the following.

Reception 

Dejan had a great form on the pitch which made him a valuable player in the squad. Thanks to his great performance in November 2010 he was listed in the Don Balon list of the 100 best young players in the world. At the time Dejan served at Southampton he was named in Bloomberg Sports' Power 50 list. The list provided statistical rankings of performance from footballers in Europe's top five leagues. Dejan was the fifth-highest ranked player from the Premier League in 31st position. While he was a member of Liverpool squad he became the tenth Croatian in history to win the

.

Goal Celebration

As for the footballer’s goal celebration, Dejan runs toward the fans and slides on the grass with open arms as a sign of victory.

International Career

The footballer received his first call up to the Croatian national team in August 2009 by manager Slaven Bilic. He debuted for the side on 8 November 2009, in a game over Qatar while replacing Danijel Pranjic. In an interview when Dejan was asked why he never played for Germany national team, the footballer answered: “There are times in your life when certain things happen and they are very important. I think I ended up in Germany at the wrong time, maybe too early.”

He further added: “I was a child, I learned the language and went to school there, but when I was ready to play football I had to return back to Croatia. It was very hard for me to accept it and I had to battle. I had fights in school, because I didn’t really speak Croatian and could not write in this language, I really couldn’t communicate.” Stay tuned for more details about

Dejan Lovren biography

in the following. 

Dejan Lovren Outside Football

Outside the football pitch Dejan is an outdoor person and a family man who often spends time with his family. He also loves to hang out with his friends on the pitch. Dejan is widely followed on Instagram. 2.5 million people follow the Croatian footballer on this platform and keep up with his daily routine. He is available by the username of @dejanlovren on Instagram.

Dejan Lovren Personal Life

As they say behind every successful man there is a woman. The same goes for the footballer as well. Dejan met the love of his life, Anita at the age of 16. After a long term relationship, they decided to celebrate their commitment and tie the knot in 2013. Anita walked down the aisle while wearing a beautiful wedding dress in a simple wedding ceremony among their family and close friends. Find out more details about

Dejan Lovren life story

in the following.

Family Children and Relationships

The couple is blessed with two children, Elena who was born in 2012 and Josip who was born in 2016. He does share pictures of his love toward his children on Instagram however he prefers to keep his personal life private.  The footballer has a younger brother named Davor who also is a footballer. Dejan is nine years older than Davor. Find out more details about Dejan Lovren biography in the following.

Philanthropy

Dejan Lovren religion

is Christian. The good hearted footballer has been part of several charity works. On 29 May 2018, he opened a four-star hotel named Joel in Novalja, near Zrce. On 29 December 2020, the footballer declared that the hotel is open for families who lost their house in the 2020 Petrinja earthquake, to stay for free.

He stated upon the subject: “I think the help of ordinary people, our countrymen, is more important and more helpful. The government has helped the victims of course, but it is much more important that ordinary people have helped, they wanted to work, give food, and this has helped a lot. I am grateful to those people for that.”

Legal Issues

The footballer was accused of lying under oath upon his transfer to Lyon back in 2010.

Dejan Lovren Career Statistics

Over the years Dejan worked hard in the football industry and managed to fulfill his dream. He made a name for himself as a talented centre-back. We have gathered all the information about his career statistics in the following.

Club 

Dejan started his career at Dinamo Zagreb back in 2005. He stayed at the club for three Prva HNL seasons. Overall, he made 68 appearances and aimed the net for four goals. For the 2006-07 season the footballer went on and joined Inter Zapresic on a loan. Dejan stayed there for two seasons while featuring in 56 games and scoring one goal for the side. For the 2009-10 season the footballer reached an agreement with Ligue 1 club

. He remained at the club for four seasons and featured in 102 games while aiming the net for three goals.

The next season, Dejan found his way to the Premier League. He joined Southampton however he stayed at the club for only one season while making 31 appearances and scoring three goals. In the 2014-15 season Dejan reached an agreement with Liverpool. He stayed at the club for six premier league seasons and aimed the net for eight goals during his spell. For the 2020-21 season the footballer joined the Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg. So far Dejan has made 43 appearances for the side during two seasons while scoring two goals.

International

On international level so far Dejan has featured in 70 matches while scoring 7 goals.

Dejan Lovren Honors

Over the years Dejan managed to fulfill his childhood dream and became a professional footballer. He earned experience both on club and international level. We have listed his achievements in the following. Stay tuned and find out the details.

Club

Inter Zapresic

Druga HNL: 2006–07

Dinamo Zagreb

Prva HNL: 2008–09

Lyon

• Prva HNL: 2008–09

• Croatian Cup: 2008–09

Liverpool

Premier League: 2019–20

Zenit Saint Petersburg

• Premier League: 2019–20

• UEFA Champions League: 2018–19; runner-up: 2017–18

• UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2015–16

Russian Super Cup: 2020, 2021

Croatia

• Russian Premier League: 2020–21

• Russian Super Cup: 2020, 2021

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