Brozovic’s Inter story

It was the 24 January 2015 that a young Marcelo Brozovic first touched down in Milan. Only 22 years old back then, the Croat opted for the shirt number 77. He came to the club on the back of winning back-to-back league titles and a Croatian Super Cup with hometown club Dinamo Zagreb and featuring in the Brazil 2014 World Cup.

Having barely got off the plane Brozovic was handed a Nerazzurri scarf by the fans waiting to greet him; it was on this day that his love story with the club began.

Since first setting foot on the pitch as an Inter player against Sassuolo on 1 February 2015 Brozovic has covered an innumerable number of kilometres. On his debut he showed just exactly what he would go on to offer the Nerazzurri for years to come; great technical skills, a real team player, and tireless running. In fact, the Croat has regularly topped the list of players in Serie A with the most ground covered.

His first goal came that same season against Empoli and Brozovic quickly became a fixture in Inter’s midfield. From the 2015/16 season onwards he’s never made fewer than 28 appearances, his personal best coming in 2019/20 with 46. He’s a big game player, capable of scoring crucial and beautiful goals when it really counts. In 2016 he netted a brace against Juventus in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, as well as twice in derby victories. These came in 2019 as Brozovic scored the opener in a 2-0 win for the Nerazzurri and in 2020 when as captain his long range left-footed strike helped mount a comeback for his team.

His personality and ability to manage the pace of the game have made the Croat a pivotal figure in the team. His 200th appearance for the club came in the Europa League final against Sevilla, an otherwise forgettable occasion for the Nerazzurri. From his position deep in midfield he orchestrates play and starts off attacking mood; Mathias Vecino’s away goal against Lazio which saw Inter return to the Champions League is a great example of his assist-making qualities.

He was both the soul and the schemer behind Inter’s Scudetto victory last season: in that campaign Brozovic featured 33 times, scoring twice and providing six assists. He also covered a hugely impressive average of 11.9 kilometres a game, proving he’s both the lungs and brains behind Inter’s play.

Yet Brozovic’s Inter story is far from over. The 29-year-old has made 279 appearances and scored 26 goals for the club, as well as being capped 70 times for his country, starring in the 2018 World Cup as Croatia finished runners-up to France.

His stats speak for themselves: since 2014/15 he has made more successful passes – both overall and in the opponent’s half of the field – than any other Serie A midfielder. He is also second for assists and third for tackles in this time frame.

This is Marcelo’s story: our number 77 will be an Interista for a long time