Dejan Lovren's life after Liverpool full of titles, Mohamed Salah tweets and controversy
WORLD CUP 2022 PREVIEW: CROATIA face Morocco in their opening game at the World Cup, with former Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren making his third tournament appearance
Unless they were very young at the time, every England fan will remember the heartbreak of the 2018 World Cup.
The Three Lions were a game away from the final against France before Croatia came to town and spoilt the party with a dogged, hard-fought 2-1 win at the Luzhniki Stadium. Kieran Trippier put Gareth Southgate's side ahead with a fine free kick before Croatia turned the game on its head with goals from Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic.
However, Croatia couldn't get past France as Didier Deschamps' men ran out 4-2 winners with Kylian Mbappe running the show. It wasn't meant to be for Croatia in the final but, nonetheless, it was a tournament to remember and there were some standout performers throughout, including Perisic and Luka Modric.
Someone who went under the radar was Dejan Lovren, with the centre-back playing in all seven games at the competition, starting in six of those. The only one Lovren didn't start was when Croatia had already won their group.
The Checkered Ones had an impressive defensive record as Lovren partnered Domagoj Vida in a centre-back pairing, conceding just five times in six games leading up to the final. Lovren came into the tournament after helping Liverpool to the Champions League final, where they lost against Real Madrid.
Although it proved to be two major final defeats in the same summer for Lovren, the 33-year-old certainly proved his worth for club and country in 2018. He would subsequently play a lesser role for the Reds, but still added Champions League and Premier League winners' medals to his cabinet before his departure.
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In July 2020, Lovren's six-year stay at Liverpool came to an end as he signed for Zenit Saint Petersburg on a three-year contract worth around £11million. It was a sad day for one of his ex-Liverpool teammates, with Mohamed Salah expressing his disappointment to lose Lovren from the dressing room.
In a touching message to his close friend, Salah said: "I don’t know how to say, my friend. You don’t know my feeling right now. We’re really going to miss you a lot, especially me. You’ve been an unbelievable player and a great friend for me. We’re going to miss you a lot. I miss you a lot, I love you so much. You’ve been fantastic outside the field and inside the field.
"So, thank you for everything you did for the club, thank you for everything you did for me. I wish you all the best in the future and I wish you to have a great career as well, enjoying the new club with your family. Thank you very much and see you soon."
A week after his move away from Anfield, Lovren won his first trophy as Zenit defeated Lokomotiv Moscow 2-1 in the Russian Super Cup. He continued that success into his first full campaign in Russia, with Zenit lifting the Russian Super League title - Lovren's fourth domestic league of his career.
The former Southampton man started the 2021/22 season by winning another Super Cup, beating Lokomotiv Moscow 3-0 as Zenit continued their dominance in Russia. Due to injuries, he made only 19 appearances during the first half of the season, as Zenit won the league once again amid the Russia-Ukraine-enforced break in the campaign.
It has been a more positive start to this season on a personal note for Lovren, who has featured 16 times for Zenit, although they are unable to compete in the Champions League due to UEFA restrictions imposed in the wake of Vladimir Putin's much-condemned belligerence. During that time, Lovren took to social media to speak about different topics, including LBGTQ+ issues as he appeared to oppose Disney's public stance against a controversial US bill which many view as discriminatory.
Lovren faced a backlash on social media after tweeting a photo to his 117,000 followers which showed him cancelling his Disney+ subscription. Although he didn't confirm why he cancelled his subscription, many fans believe the reaction came from him after Disney released a statement highlighting their support for LGBTQ+ rights.
Against a backdrop of off-field controversy, Lovren is set to start for Croatia in their World Cup opener against Morocco on Wednesday. Croatia are in a rather intriguing group also containing Belgium and Canada, but the Checkered Ones are still expected to qualify for the knockout stage for the third successive tournament.
