June the 26th, 2022 - Very well-known Croatian footballer Marcelo Brozovic has entered the often turbulent waters of entrepreneurism with a product that will likely help many athletes and recreationalists.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, over more recent days, the MB77 brand cream called MB77 regenerating cream for joints and muscles with CBD has arrived on the shelves of Zagreb County pharmacies in the Velika Gorica branch, as well as on their webshop.

This is otherwise a brand new product that is an ideal choice to help with muscle recovery after training and it is recommended to massage it into the skin both before and after engaging in physical activities, particularly if they're physically demanding. Applying the cream intensely warms and revitalises the muscles from the surface, while the massage relaxes them and improves circulation and as such offers pain relief.

As a professional athlete, Croatian footballer Marcelo Brozovic is constantly faced with needing to put in a lot of tiring physical effort and owing to that, he's no stranger to products for muscle regeneration, pain relief and relaxation every day. That's why he came up with the idea to contribute to the development of such a product for top athletes by creating his own brand, MB77, which he did in collaboration with Kirocorps.

“When choosing the products I use, the most important thing for me is that they're natural, safe to use and of course - that they work. That's why I decided on this business move because there was a lack of such products on the market. This product is intended for top athletes, recreational athletes, but also for all those who have to deal with various joint and muscle pains,'' said Croatian footballer Marcelo Brozovic.

This is just the first product he has decided to introduce and he has added that he will continue to develop new ones until the end of the year. Brozovic presented the new cream in cooperation with the company Kirocorps, which deals with treatments for regeneration and recovery, both for professional athletes and recreational athletes, and they also deal with facial and body care treatments, and will use this cream on them.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

May 12, 2022 -  Ivan Perišić scored two goals for Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia final against Juventus, celebrating the 4:2 victory after extra time!

After it was 2:2, the Croatian footballer scored for 3:2 from the penalty spot in the 98th minute. Then in the 102nd minute, he scored brilliantly for 4:2 and thus brought the trophy to the current Italian champion.

Perišić fired fantastically from the outside and defeated Matti Perin to become a great hero of his team. In the end, he was deservedly named the best player in the final. 

Previously, Nicolo Barella put Inter in the lead in the seventh minute. Juventus turned it around in the 50th minute with goals from Alex Sandra and Dušan Vlahović two minutes later. Inter came back from the penalty spot through Hakan Calhanoglu in the 80th minute, and then Perišić broke the Turin team in extra time and led Inter to their 8th Cup in history.

The cult Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport praised Perišić.

"The Croat was the best player in the match. Perišić was elusive, unstoppable, unconquerable, and what he did in extra time is incredible," writes Gazzetta and reminds that Perišić is also responsible for Inter's second goal, which saved his team in the 80th minute, with Juventus leading 2:1. "Then Dumfries centered, Perišić jumped from heaven and thus allowed the ball to reach Martinez. He was knocked down by De Ligt, which is why Inter got a penalty that Calhanoglu turned into a goal."

However, extra time offered the best game for the Inter star, who is in his 30s:

"We should check the authenticity of the documents of the 33-year-old from Omiš because it is impossible for someone to play like this at that age. Ivan is unstoppable and untouchable, he is one of the oldest on the pitch, but that doesn't stop him from playing great in the most exhausting position.

His role requires him to run 60-meter sprints repeatedly, but he is consistently decisive and devastating. While others were falling from exhaustion, he was beginning to have fun and destroy Juventus. With the first goal from the penalty spot, which he scored as if pressing a button on the remote, he destroyed Inter's half of the stadium and soon after caused ecstasy.

Although practically a veteran, he showed that he certainly has the fuel for another assault and triumphantly scored a bullet from the left. After he scored, the Inter bench flocked to the field to celebrate Ivan the Untouchable." 

Gazzetta concludes: "Two goals to win and a trophy in extra time, a sky jump to save Inter towards the end of the regular season, and a thousand other useful things. Perišić is a champion who can afford to prosecute the club after a game like this because he has not yet renewed his contract, which expires in a month."

Like Perišić, Marcelo Brozović played all 120 minutes for Inter to secure their 8th Cup title and the first after 2011. 

Brozović was rated 7.5 in the Cup final match. "Inter can't do without him, and Brozović once again showed why. The Croat ensured quality and quantity. Controlled the pace of the match as a maestro. He was great at everything he did, brilliantly."

Interestingly, this was only the third match between Inter and Juventus in the Cup final. 

Source: Index.hr

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March 24, 2022 - Croatia national team midfielder Marcelo Brozović has extended his contract with the current Italian football champion Inter Milan until the summer of 2026!

Brozović arrived at Inter from Dinamo Zagreb in January 2015, and has so far played 279 games for Inter Milan in all competitions, reports Sportske Novosti. 

"I am really happy to have extended my contract with Inter. Out of respect for the club, I didn’t even want to talk to other clubs. I would only do that if Inter told me they didn't need me anymore. I am proud to be a part of this club with a great tradition and history, and I am determined to strive to achieve new great successes with this club. Our only goal is to win and I am sure that we will do everything in our power to defend the title of champion and win the Cup," said Brozović after signing a new contract.

"Inter fans have always loved me. I can't wait to get back on the pitch and keep celebrating with them."

Although the new contract brings him better financial conditions, Marcelo Brozović points out that this has never been a problem in the negotiations.

"Money has never been why I play football, and it never will be. When I see people's suffering and disease, especially now in Ukraine, I realize how happy I am to play for a club like Inter and live in such a top city as I spent some tough moments at Inter, both for the club and me. Still, we continued to fight to be better. All this was rewarded when we won the title last year. I am here to become an even better player and help Inter win more trophies," concluded Brozović.

Inter is currently in third place in the Serie A rankings with six points behind the leading city rival Milan, of which they have one game less. On April 20, they will play against Milan in the Cup semifinals. 

Brozović has played 70 games for the Croatia national team so far and was part of the team that won a silver medal at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

To read more about sports in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

December 28, 2021 - The Guardian, which has been making a list of the 100 best footballers of the year since 2012, recently published its ranking for 2021. Two Croatian players made the list. Find out who they are and where they rank.

Since 2012, The Guardian publishes a list of the 100 players who stood out the most in the year. The collective achievements with both their clubs and national teams, as well as their individual performance, are decisive factors in assembling the ranking. In 2021, two Croatian players have been included in the top 100 footballers of the year: Luka Modrić and Marcelo Brozović. You can check the full list here.

Despite the fact that the Croatian national team failed to repeat in EURO 2020 what they achieved in the last World Cup in Russia in 2018, they managed to secure their ticket to the next World Cup in 2022 in Qatar. In this way, Croatia finishes in 15th place in the last FIFA ranking of the year, being 11th in Europe.

But 2021 was, despite everything, a year of very good results for Croatian players around the continent. For example, Mateo Kovačić managed to lift his fourth Champions League, his first with Chelsea FC. However, the two Croatian players on The Guardian's list were Real Madrid's Luka Modrić and Inter Milan's Marcelo Brozović.

Photo: Davor Javorovic/PIXSELL

The historic captain of the Croatian national team continues to defend the Real Madrid crest with the same energy and passion as in the past decade, despite his 36 years. Years pass and the Zadar-born footballer continues to own his position in the white midfield, well ahead of young footballers who have come to the club in recent years such as Federico Valverde, Martin Odegaard, or Dani Ceballos. Luka is ranked 40th on the list, and The Guardian writes the following about his inclusion:

‘‘Ah, Luka, don’t ever go. At the start of last season it looked like he might, like time had finally caught up with him, like Madrid’s midfield was about to be renewed, and that was reflected in this list: he was 71st. But then he returned to the heart of everything good and this season he has been superb. Up 31 places – and he could be even further up than that. Aged 36, he’s still better than the rest. Just don’t say the word rest to him. “I feel happier when I’m playing,” he says.’’

Indeed, Luka did not get any title with Real Madrid at the end of the 2020/21 season, but he was chosen as the Player of the Season by the club and the fans. Likewise, in the course of this season (which is also taken into account when drawing up the list at the end of the year), Luka has been decisive in placing Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table, much less in front of their eternal rivals, Atlético de Madrid and FC Barcelona. For his teammates, Luka continues to play as a promising youngster and that is, in addition to motivating, important for the team's performance both in attack and defense.

Marcelo Brozović is the second national representative on the list of the 100 best footballers in 2021. The 29-year-old Zagreb-born midfielder won the Serie A title with his club, Inter Milan, thus breaking the dominance of his eternal rivals, Juventus, who had just won 9 Scudettos in a row. Brozović was in fact one of the determining players in Antonio Conte's team, along with Nicolo Barella in midfield, and Lautaro Martínez and Romelu Lukaku in attack, all of them also included among the 100 best footballers of the year.

''Brozo'' arrived on the neroazzurro team in 2015 from Dinamo Zagreb, and it has been the passage of time that has managed to forge his maturity as a footballer. Thus, the midfielder has gone from being a discreet player to one of the most notorious for his involvement both in defensive work, as well as when providing assists to his teammates and even scoring goals on his own.

About Brozovic, who was ranked 81st on the list, The Guardian wrote:

‘‘Antonio Conte defined Brozović as “the darling of the [Inter] team” that won the Scudetto for the first time since 2010. Even in a side that prided themselves on hard graft, the Croatian pushed himself further than the rest – covering more distance per game than any other player in Serie A last season. Yet Brozovic is much more than a domestique peddling away anonymously so that teammates can shine. His vision and incisive passing were fundamental to Inter’s fast-break approach under Conte, and remain so now that Simone Inzaghi is adapting the Nerazzurri to a more possession-focused approach.’’

Marcelo Brozović continues to be decisive in the functioning of the Italian team, and this is how they are currently positioned at the top of the Serie A table. Inter is currently working on the renewal of the Croatian midfielder's contract, as they consider him as a fundamental piece of the neroazzurro project. It should be noted that the two Croatian players faced each other in the group stage of the Champions League, and both made it to the round of 16.

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

May 13, 2021 - It was an incredible evening for Croatian footballers in Serie A on Wednesday, with an Ante Rebić hat-trick and goals for Marcelo Brozović and Mario Pašalić among the highlights. 

Croatian footballers were extremely efficient in the 36th round of Serie A on Wednesday, and they were led by an Ante Rebić hattrick which he achieved in just 12 minutes! 

On Wednesday night, the 36th round matches of the Italian football championship were played, and the most convincing was Milan, who won 7:0 away against Torino.

Milan's last three goals were scored by Ante Rebić (67', 72', 79'), who previously recorded one assist when he played Theo Hernandez for 4:0 in the 62nd minute. The Croatian striker played until the 80th minute when Mario Mandžukić replaced him. Rebić has now recorded 11 goals this season. 

The newly crowned champion of Italy also joined the Croatian scoring spree as Marcelo Brozović scored Inter's leading goal in the home clash against Roma. He was precise in the 11th minute, and Inter won 3:1. Brozović played from start to finish, and Ivan Perišić left the match in the 59th minute. 

This was Brozović's second goal of the season and the first after October 31 last year in Inter's draw against Parma.

Mario Pašalić scored in Atalanta's victory against Benevento just eight minutes after entering the game in the 59th minute. The Bergamo side celebrated 2:0. This was Pašalić's fifth goal of the season. Boško Šutalo remained among the reserves. 

Genoa beat Bologna with the same result on the road, with Milan Badelj assisting Zappacosti for the leading goal after 13 minutes of play. However, Badelj soon came off due to an injury, and Marko Pjaca played in the final ten minutes.

Inter has already won the title, but the fight for the Champions League is more than dramatic. There are three spots and four candidates. For now, Atalanta (75), Milan (75), and Napoli (73) are in, while Juventus is fifth with 72 points. 

Source: HNS

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November 14, 2020 - The latest from HNS, as Marcelo Brozovic tests positive for coronavirus and misses the Nations League match against Sweden tonight.

HNS reports that on Friday evening, the Croatia national football team medical service received the results of the additional testing for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

After national team member Domagoj Vida tested positive on Wednesday in Istanbul, on Friday in Stockholm, the Croatia national team performed additional testing before the match against Sweden on Saturday.

The test results showed two positive results, one national team member Marcelo Brozovic and one member of the national team's wider staff, which is likely to be a positive due to an old infection (prolonged positivity). Both were immediately isolated from other members of the national team.

Brozovic's club Inter, as well as Swedish epidemiologists, were informed about the positive test result. Following UEFA's Return to Play protocol, i.e., epidemiological measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, none of the other national team members need self-isolation.

Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic held a press conference in Stockholm on Friday, where the current World Cup finalists will compete against the national team of Sweden.

"We came to play a good game, to ensure our stay in the elite group, but we will not play for a point but a victory. If we play for a point, we will lose. A tough opponent awaits us - we respect Sweden; they were better in the second half of the Zagreb game, even though we won. We will not be comfortable, but I believe in my team, and I believe that we can achieve our goal. "

The defense requires progress

"Sweden surprised me in Zagreb in the second half, when they were much better than in the first, even though we know their quality. Berg is their leader, Kulusevski imposed himself, Forsberg is there - someone can always do something. Our goal is to save our net, to be better in the defense phase."

Everyone is ready to play

"So far, the situation is fine; no one is injured. Livakovic and Petkovic have joined us, and I think we will be able to play the best possible squad."

To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

Who are Croatia’s highest-paid footballers today?

Croatia’s victory against Iceland further consolidates the advantage in the ranking of Group I and is first in the group until further qualifications are pursued in March. Although almost everything went in Croatia's favor during the match, one thing did not: injuries.

In the Group I match in the fourth round for World Cup 2018 qualifications, Croatia led Iceland 2:0, putting them at the top of the group.

Croatia played its first match at the EURO 2016, so it's time to analyse the players.