Dejan Lovren reveals when he will hang up his boots for Croatia
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Dejan Lovren (Photo: HNS)
Liverpool and Croatia defender Dejan Lovren has been spending the lockdown making homemade ice-cream, helping his daughter with her homework, and playing a bit of football in his backyard with his son.
Lovren, who will turn 31 this July, spoke to daily Sportske Novosti about the current situation with COVID-19, the postponement of Euro 2020, and his future with the national team.
“I’ll play for the national team until my knees pop! I will retire from the ‘Vatreni’ when they have to push me in a wheelchair! I’ll go on for as long as I can and until I am able to,” Lovren said.
The centre-back also believes captain Luka Modric will not only captain Croatia at the Euros next summer but continue on even after.
“I’ll reveal something. I talked to Luka Modric. I told him, “Luka, you’re like wine, the older you get, the better you are.” And he himself knows it would be crazy to say goodbye to the national team now. How could he say “goodbye” after going through the qualifiers? Luka has the energy, he’s ready in his head, he’s a top professional. I firmly believe that they will continue to be with us. Not only at Euro 2020 but also after the Euros! I know how he thinks, he’s always with the national team,” Lovren said.
Lovren says that postponing Euro 2020 with the current situation was a logical decision and believes Croatia will benefit from an extra year to prepare.
“Some national team players, like me, will probably play more games for their clubs. It’s not the same when you’re playing or when you’re not playing. For example, before the World Cup in Russia, I played the season of my life, I played in the Champions League final. I felt powerful. Maybe the delay of Euro 2020 will be good because of us players who have not played too much this season,” he added.
Dejan Lovren, Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric (Photo: HNS)
With Liverpool tantalisingly close to winning their first league title in 30 years, Lovren is keen for the season to restart.
“It must be completed! It would not be normal for it not to end. Finance is involved in the whole story, so it just has to end. After all, we are now talking about ten games till the end of the Premiership. A solution will be found. I don’t know if the remainder of matches will be played in one or two stadiums, whether it will be played every three or four days. But I’m sure the Premiership will be completed in a month. We have played 80 percent of the league, it would be really bad if it could not be completed.
