Mario Mandà ¾ukià(; born 21 May 1986) is a Croatian football coach and a former player who was most recently an assistant coach for the Croatia national team. As a player, he played as a forward and became known for his aggressiveness, defensive contribution, and aerial prowess.
Starting his career in 2004 at hometown club Marsonia, Mandà ¾ukiàthen moved to two Zagreb-based clubs: NK Zagreb in 2005 and Dinamo Zagreb in 2007. He was Croatian First League top goalscorer in the 2008âÂÂ09 season. After joining VfL Wolfsburg in 2010, Mandà ¾ukiàmoved to fellow-Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in 2012. He helped Bayern win their first continental treble (Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, Champions League) in his first season, and became the first Croatian to score in a Champions League final. After winning a domestic double the following season, he left Bayern for La Liga club Atlético Madrid in 2014, and a season later was signed by Juventus in the Serie A. Mandà ¾ukiàwon four league titles and three Coppa Italia titles with Juventus, and reached the 2017 Champions League final. He left Juventus in December 2019 for Qatari side Al-Duhail and returned Italy in January 2021, signing with AC Milan. He retired in September of the same year.
At the international level, Mandà ¾ukiàdebuted for Croatia in November 2007 under manager Slaven BiliÃÂ. He participated in four major tournaments with his national side, Euro 2012, the 2014 World Cup, Euro 2016, and the 2018 World Cup, reaching the final of the latter tournament, after which he retired from international football. In total, he made 89 international appearances and, with 33 goals, he is the Croatia national team's third-most prolific scorer of all time. He was named Croatian Footballer of the Year in 2012 and 2013.
Mandà ¾ukiàstarted playing football in Germany, where he and his parents relocated to due to the Croatian War of Independence. In 1992, he joined German club TSF Ditzingen, near Stuttgart. Upon returning to his home country, the newly independent Croatia, he spent the period between 1996 and 2003 at NK Marsonia before spending a season at the city minnows NK à ½eljezniÃÂar. The next season, he returned to Marsonia and in the summer of 2005 he made a move to NK Zagreb.
In the summer of 2007, Mandà ¾ukiàwas bought by the Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb for â¬1.3 million as a replacement for their Arsenal-bound star striker Eduardo da Silva. Upon his arrival, he managed to secure his spot in starting eleven, playing mostly in the position of second striker. On 4 October 2007, he put on an impressive performance against AFC Ajax in Amsterdam when he scored two goals in extra-time to secure Dinamo's 2âÂÂ3 away win, as Dinamo qualified for the group stage of 2007âÂÂ08 UEFA Cup. He finished his first season at Dinamo with 12 goals and 11 assists throughout 29 matches, but also had a poor discipline record, collecting eight yellow cards.
He started the 2008âÂÂ09 season with two goals against Linfield in a qualifier for the UEFA Cup. In the 2008âÂÂ09 Prva HNL, Mandà ¾ukiàwas the league's top goalscorer, bagging 16 goals in 28 appearances. He also scored three goals in the season's UEFA Cup. This was the season of his rise in the Croatia national team as well, as he collected eight caps in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches. After the 2008âÂÂ09 season had finished, he was linked with German side Werder Bremen, but the â¬12 million offer was rejected by the Dinamo board, who were of opinion that Mandà ¾ukiÃÂ's worth was at least â¬15 million. He started the 2009âÂÂ10 season by scoring a goal in a Champions League play-off match against Red Bull Salzburg. Mandà ¾ukiàreceived red card in the last minutes of the game. After he told the referee that he got hit by the bottle that somebody threw from the stands, he gave him his second yellow card and ruled him out of the game. On 17 September 2009, after Dinamo lost 2âÂÂ0 at home to Anderlecht in Europa League, Mandà ¾ukiàwas controversially fined â¬100,000 after being accused of poor effort. It was the first time in the history of the club that a player was financially fined. On 20 September, Mandà ¾ukiàcaptained Dinamo to a 6âÂÂ0 victory against HNK Rijeka in Prva HNL. In a postâÂÂmatch interview, Mandà ¾ukiàrejected any speculation about him leaving the club after the fine, stating that it was his childhood dream to captain the Dinamo side and that he gives his best in any match he plays for the club. During that season, he appeared in 24 league matches, scoring 14 goals. He appeared in five Europa League matches as well.
On 14 July 2010, Mandà ¾ukiàsigned for VfL Wolfsburg for a fee believed to be around â¬7 million. Upon his arrival, in the first half of the 2010âÂÂ11 season, he played regularly but mostly coming on as a substitute. At the time, he was mostly used as left winger under coach Steve McClaren, who played with only one striker, Edin Dà ¾eko. Things changed for Mandà ¾ukiÃÂ, however, after the departure of Dà ¾eko to Manchester City in January 2011. Mandà ¾ukiàscored his first Bundesliga goal for Wolfsburg on Matchday 26 against 1. FC Nürnberg under interim manager Pierre Littbarski. Upon the arrival of manager Felix Magath, Mandà ¾ukiàwas played in his natural position as striker. In the last seven matches of the domestic season, he scored eight goals, two of which came in the last match against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, and were crucial for the club as they avoided relegation. In his second season in Wolfsburg, he became a regular starter in the Bundesliga and was the club's top goalscorer with 12 goals. In his two years at Wolfsburg, he scored 20 times in 56 appearances, establishing himself as one of Wolfsburg's best players during his stay and quickly becoming a fan favourite due to his goalscoring ability and attitude.
On 26 June 2012, Mandà ¾ukiàsigned a contract with Bundesliga club Bayern Munich for a transfer fee of â¬13 million, pending a medical test, subsequent to his strong performance at UEFA Euro 2012 in Ukraine and Poland, and because of his terrific form for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. On 27 June, the transfer was officially announced by Bayern Munich.
On 24 July 2012, Mandà ¾ukiàmade his debut for Bayern in a 6âÂÂ0 win against Chinese Super League side Beijing Guoan, scoring the fifth goal in the friendly match in the 79th minute. On 12 August, he scored his first goal in an official game against reigning Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund in the sixth minute, helping his team win the German DFL Supercup. He scored his first league goal for Bayern against Greuther Fürth on matchday one and added another one the next matchday in a 6âÂÂ1 win against VfB Stuttgart. He went on to score twice against his former club Wolfsburg.
Mandà ¾ukiàthen added four more goals in five more Bundesliga matches, taking his tally to nine goals in 11 matches in the German top tier. After the Bundesliga winter break, Mandà ¾ukiàcontinued with his goal scoring activity, netting three more goals in first two games, against Greuther Fürth and Stuttgart. He scored another brace against 1. FSV Mainz 05. He finished his first Bundesliga season with Bayern as the club's top goalscorer, netting a total of 15 goals in 24 matches and having a major impact in winning the Bundesliga title. He scored his first Champions League goal of the season in the Round of 16 match against Arsenal. He netted another one in the quarter-final match against Juventus in Turin, giving Bayern the 0âÂÂ1 away lead. On 25 May, Bayern faced Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final and Mandà ¾ukiàscored the first goal of the match, giving Bayern a 1âÂÂ0 lead in 60th minute. Bayern went on to win the match 2âÂÂ1 after a late goal from Arjen Robben. With this goal, Mandà ¾ukiàbecame the first Croat to score in a Champions League final game and it capped a highly successful first season for him in Munich, as the club completed a treble-winning season, claiming the Bundesliga, Champions League, and DFB-Pokal, as well as the German Supercup at the start of the campaign.
Mandà ¾ukiàfirst began the season slowly, having small issues adjusting to new Bayern coach Pep Guardiola's system. Guardiola changed Bayern's formation from the 4âÂÂ2âÂÂ3âÂÂ1 they had used previously under Jupp Heynckes to a new 4âÂÂ1âÂÂ4âÂÂ1 style. While it took a bit of time to adjust, Mandà ¾ukiàregained his form nonetheless in time for league play. He opened the new season in the Bundesliga by scoring two goals in two league appearances. Mandà ¾ukiàscored his first Champions League goal of the season when Bayern Munich began the defence of their Champions League title against CSKA Moscow with a 3âÂÂ0 victory at the Allianz Arena. He headed the only goal as Bayern defeated a valiant FC Viktoria Plzeà  in November to move into the knockout stages with a record-equalling ninth successive UEFA Champions League win. Mandà ¾ukiàscored his tenth goal of the new Bundesliga season in a December match against Hamburger SV.
In the first semi-final of 2013 FIFA Club World Cup, Mandà ¾ukiàdove low to head Thiago Alcantara's cross into goal for 2âÂÂ0 against Guangzhou Evergrande. He eventually won the competition with Bayern after the final with Raja Casablanca, ended with a 2âÂÂ0 victory. Upon the Bundesliga winter break, Mandà ¾ukiàwas left out of the Bayern Munich 18-man roster in their match against Borussia Mönchengladbach, with Guardiola reportedly unimpressed with his performances in training. He returned to the squad for the next match against VfB Stuttgart. A week later, against Eintracht Frankfurt, Mandà ¾ukiàdelivered a response with a commanding performance in Bayern's 5âÂÂ0 win, scoring the last goal of the match and delivering a pinpoint pass to Mario Götze who opened the scoring. On 12 February, Mandà ¾ukiàscored his first hat-trick of the season, as Bayern Munich eased their way into the DFB-Pokal semi-final with a 5âÂÂ0 rout of Hamburger SV. In the match against Hannover 96, Mandà ¾ukiàcelebrated his 100th Bundesliga appearance by meeting Rafinha's cross to complete the goal. Despite being the club's top scorer with 26 goals, Mandà ¾ukiàwas dropped from the team by Guardiola ahead of the 2014 DFB-Pokal Final. Mandà ¾ukiàstated that he wanted to leave Bayern because "the playing style of coach Pep Guardiola simply does not fit" him.
On 10 July 2014, Mandà ¾ukiàsigned a four-year deal with the Spanish club Atlético Madrid for an undisclosed fee. On 24 July, Mandà ¾ukiàwas presented to Atlético Madrid fans at Vicente Calderón, wearing the number 9 shirt. He made his competitive debut in the first leg of the 2014 Supercopa de España on 19 August, a 1âÂÂ1 draw away to Real Madrid, in which he played 78 minutes before being replaced by fellow debutant Raúl Jiménez. In the second leg at Vicente Calderón, Mandà ¾ukiàscored his first competitive goal for the club, netting the winner after just two minutes. It was the quickest goal in the competition.
Mandà ¾ukiàscored his first league goal against SD Eibar, on 30 August, as Atlético recorded their first win of the new Primera División season. In the opening match of the new Champions League campaign, against Olympiacos, Mandà ¾ukiàcollected Cristian Ansaldi's cross and sent home a close-range header into the bottom corner to make it 1âÂÂ2, in eventual 2âÂÂ3 loss. Mandà ¾ukiàhelped Atlético move within two points of joint-league leaders Barcelona and Sevilla on 26 October when he tapped in Arda Turan's cross to score the solitary goal in a win over Getafe.
After returning to action sporting a facemask, he went from strength to strength, bagging 14 goals in all competitions before the winter break â including a sensational hat trick against Olympiacos in the return group stage game at the Calderon on 26 November, which ensured a place in the Champions League knockout stage. Mandà ¾ukiàscored his 11th La Liga goal of the season in his 19th appearance, in Los Colchoneros emphatic 4âÂÂ0 victory over local rivals Real Madrid in the second league derby of the season, when sport analysts noted that Mandà ¾ukiàput in one of the great centre-forward displays seen in La Liga in recent years, contributing to everything that was good about his side before putting the icing on the cake with a well-taken fourth. In total, Mandà ¾ukiàbagged 20 goals in 43 appearances in his only season in Madrid, living up to his image of hard-working and proven goal scorer.
On 22 June 2015, Serie A champions Juventus announced that Mandà ¾ukiàjoined the club from Atlético Madrid on a four-year contract for a fee of â¬19 million payable in three installments, including a possible extra â¬2 million in performance-related add-ons.
On 8 August he scored the opening goal in the 69th minute for Juventus with a header against Lazio in the 2015 Supercoppa Italiana, a 2âÂÂ0 win in Shanghai. On 23 August 2015, he made an official league debut for Juventus, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 1âÂÂ0 loss to Udinese, in the first league game of the 2015âÂÂ16 Serie A season.
On 21 September 2015, it was confirmed that Mandà ¾ukiàwould be out for three weeks following a thigh related injury the day before in a 2âÂÂ0 win over Genoa. However, he returned early, scoring Juventus's first goal, and temporary equaliser, as the team came from behind to win 2âÂÂ1 away against Manchester City, during their opening match of the Champions League group stage, on 15 September 2015. On 25 October 2015, Mandà ¾ukiàscored the final goal in Juventus's 2âÂÂ0 home win over Atalanta in the 49th minute; this was his first Serie A goal in his 6th league appearance with the club. He scored again two games later, helping Juventus to defeat Empoli 3âÂÂ1. On 25 November 2015, Mandà ¾ukiàscored the winning goal in a 1âÂÂ0 home win over Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League group stage, to secure the club a spot in the round of 16. Due to these significant goals, as well as another one in a 3âÂÂ0 away win against Palermo on 29 November, he was voted Juventus player of the month for November 2015. On 27 January 2016, Mandà ¾ukiàsustained a muscle injury during the first semi-final leg of the Coppa Italia against Inter Milan, putting him on the sidelines for four weeks. It was initially feared that he would miss the first round of 16 leg of the Champions League against his former club, Bayern Munich. However, he returned to action earlier than expected, starting in the match against Bayern on 23 February, and setting up Paulo Dybala's goal in a 2âÂÂ2 home draw.
Mandà ¾ukiÃÂ's second season with Juventus was particularly notable, as he was often played out of position by the club's manager Massimiliano Allegri; throughout the 2016âÂÂ17 season, he primarily served as a left winger, rather than as an out and out striker, a position which he normally occupied in the past. Although his goalscoring rate decreased, he drew praise in the media for his work-rate, versatility, consistency, and for the overall high quality of his performances in this new role. On 25 May 2017, Mandà ¾ukiàsigned a contract extension that would keep him at the club until 2020. On 3 June, Mandà ¾ukiàstarted in the Champions League Final. He scored the equalising goal in the 27th minute, just seven minutes after Cristiano Ronaldo's goal gave Real Madrid the lead. Mandà ¾ukiàchested down a ball from Gonzalo HiguaÃÂn and hooked the ball over his shoulder from , which arced over Keylor Navas in net. The goal was heralded as one of the best goals ever scored in a Champions League final, and was compared to Zinedine Zidane's goal in the 2002 final for Real Madrid; but Juventus were ultimately defeated 4âÂÂ1. Mandà ¾ukiÃÂ's bicycle kick goal against Real Madrid went on to win the 2016âÂÂ17 UEFA Goal of the Season award.
On 31 October 2017, Mandà ¾ukiàmade his 100th appearance for Juventus in a 1âÂÂ1 away draw against Sporting in the UEFA Champions League. On 11 April 2018, he scored two goals in 3âÂÂ1 away win against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of Champions League. The first goal scored after 76 seconds became the fastest goal Real Madrid conceded in Champions League home game and was the first opposition player to score a first-half double in a Champions League match at the Bernabeu.
On 25 August 2018, Mandà ¾ukiàscored his first goal of the 2018âÂÂ19 season in a 2âÂÂ0 home win over Lazio. On 6 October, he made his 100th appearance in Serie A with the club in a 2âÂÂ0 away win over Udinese, setting up the second goal of the match scored by Cristiano Ronaldo. On 24 November, Mandà ¾ukiàcaptained the first team in a 2âÂÂ0 home win over SPAL, scoring his sixth goal of the season. Three days later, on 27 November, he scored his first goal of the Champions League season in a 1âÂÂ0 home win against Valencia, assisted by Cristiano Ronaldo. Italian newspapers La Gazzetta dello Sport and La Stampa noted the emerging symbiosis between Mandà ¾ukiàand Ronaldo, described as an unexpected tandem of power and skill. On 4 April 2019, Mandà ¾ukiàextended his contract with Juventus until 2021.
With the arrival of new Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri in the summer of 2019, Mandà ¾ukiàwas sidelined after being excluded from the manager's plans. As a result, he was also omitted from Juventus's Champions League squad, alongside teammate Emre Can. After failing to make a single appearance for the club during the 2019âÂÂ20 season, he agreed to join Qatari side Al-Duhail on 24 December. On 29 December, the transfer was made official.
He made his league debut on 4 January 2020 in a goalless draw with Qatar SC. He scored his first goal for the club on 10 January in a 2âÂÂ0 win over Al-Sailiya in Qatar Cup. On 11 February 2020, he made his debut and scored his debut goal in the AFC Champions League, scoring the opener in a group stage home victory. On 5 July 2020, after ten appearances and two goals overall, Mandà ¾ukiàterminated his contract with the Qatari side by mutual consent.
Following the contract termination, several clubs showed interest for signing Mandà ¾ukiÃÂ, including Fenerbahçe, Beà Âiktaà Â, Lokomotiv Moscow, AC Milan, Benevento, Hellas Verona, Fiorentina, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Marseille, Wolfsburg, Hertha Berlin and Schalke 04.
On 19 January 2021, Mandà ¾ukiàjoined Serie A club Milan on a contract until the end of the season, with the option of a further year. He made his league debut on 23 January in a 3âÂÂ0 defeat to Atalanta. Due to recurring injuries that impaired his physical conditions and a poor form, Mandà ¾ukiàmade just 11 appearances for Milan, mostly as a substitute, with no goals scored. On 24 May 2021, Mandà ¾ukiàannounced his departure from Milan as the club management had not extended his contract.
On 3 September 2021, Mandà ¾ukiàannounced his retirement.
After putting together a string of solid performances in the 2007âÂÂ08 Prva HNL, as well as in Dinamo's UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup matches, Mandà ¾ukiàearned a callâÂÂup to the Croat national team, for which he debuted in a game against Macedonia on 17 November 2007. On 10 September 2008, he scored his first ever goal for Croatia in a 4âÂÂ1 home loss against England in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.
Mandà ¾ukiÃÂ's influence in the national team increased during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying. His first goal of the campaign came in June 2011, when he scored an equalizer against Georgia at the Stadion Poljud. He added another header against Latvia in the last match of the qualifiers. With Croatia finishing second in their group, they had to face Turkey in the Euro 2012 play-offs. In the first match played in Istanbul, Croatia stunned the home fans by winning 0âÂÂ3, with Mandà ¾ukiàscoring the second goal from a header in the 32nd minute of the match.
Mandà ¾ukiàwas one of two of manager Slaven BiliÃÂ's first choice strikers for Croatia at UEFA Euro 2012, being paired with the Everton striker Nikica JelaviÃÂ. He scored twice in Croatia's opening 3âÂÂ1 win against the Republic of Ireland, and also scored in a 1âÂÂ1 draw against Italy the following match. Despite Croatia's group-stage exit, he was the joint-top scorer of the tournament with three goals alongside Mario Balotelli, Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo, Alan Dzagoev, and future Bayern teammate Mario Gómez.
He opened the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification by providing two assists in the first two matches, against Macedonia in Zagreb and against Belgium in Brussels. He scored his first goal of the campaign against Wales in Osijek. Mandà ¾ukiàadded another goal to his tally in qualification match against Serbia, giving Croatia a 1âÂÂ0 lead, in Zagreb. He also scored in the second match between the two sides in Belgrade. In the second leg of Croatia's play-off match against Iceland in Zagreb, Mandà ¾ukiàgave Croatia the lead in an eventual 2âÂÂ0 win. However, he later received a red card after a reckless high tackle on Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson connected with the Icelandic midfielder's left knee.
Mandà ¾ukiàwas named in Croatia's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, but was suspended for the team's first match against the host nation in São Paulo on 12 June 2014. He returned to the team for their second match against Cameroon on 18 June, and marked his debut at the World Cup scoring twice in a 4âÂÂ0 win, being awarded the "Man of the Match" award.
Mandà ¾ukiàscored once in Croatia's successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, opening a 1âÂÂ1 home draw with Italy in Split on 12 June 2015. The following 4 June, both he and Nikola Kaliniàscored hat-tricks in a 10âÂÂ0 warm-up win against San Marino in Rijeka ahead of the tournament; the result was a record victory for Croatia.
On 6 October 2016, Mandà ¾ukiàscored a hat-trick in a 6âÂÂ0 win over Kosovo in Shkodër for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, the opponents' first competitive game as the home team.
On 4 June 2018, Mandà ¾ukiàwas named to Croatia's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In the opening game against Nigeria, he caused Oghenekaro Etebo's own goal and won a penalty, that was successfully converted by Luka ModriÃÂ, as the game ended as a 2âÂÂ0 win for Croatia. During the side's round-of-16 match against Denmark on 1 July, he scored the equalising goal in the 4th minute of play; following a 1âÂÂ1 draw after extra-time, Croatia prevailed 3âÂÂ2 in the resulting penalty shoot-out. In the quarter-finals against hosts Russia on 7 July, Mandà ¾ukiàprovided an assist in the first half of regulation time for Andrej KramariÃÂ's equaliser. A 1âÂÂ1 draw after 90 minutes saw the match go into extra-time, and following a 2âÂÂ2 draw after 120 minutes of play, Croatia once again progressed to the next round in the ensuing shoot-out, winning 4âÂÂ3 on penalties.
During Croatia's semi-final match against England on 11 July, with the score tied at 1âÂÂ1 after regulation time, Mandà ¾ukiàscored the match-winning goal in 109th minute to give Croatia a 2âÂÂ1 victory, sending the team to the World Cup final for the first time in their history. In the final against France on 15 July, he became the first player ever to score an own goal in a World Cup final, when he headed Antoine Griezmann's free-kick into his own net to give France a 1âÂÂ0 lead; he later scored Croatia's second goal by chasing down and capitalizing on an error from French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, as France eventually won the match by a score of 4âÂÂ2. With that goal, Mario Mandà ¾ukiàbecame the second player in World Cup history to score for both teams in a single match (the first being Ernie Brandts of the Netherlands in a 1978 World Cup match against Italy) and the first to do so in a final.
On 14 August 2018, Mandà ¾ukiàannounced his retirement from international football. At the time of his retirement, he was the second highest goalscorer in the history of the Croatia national team with 33 goals.
In his statement, Mandà ¾ukiàwrote about the 2018 World Cup silver medal:
In addition to his goalscoring, pundits noted Mandà ¾ukiàfor his physical strength, versatility, mobility and fitness, as well as his ability in the air. He was even given the nickname ÃÂilkoà ¡ by Miroslav Blaà ¾eviÃÂ, which means brash and unsophisticated, referring to the striker's physical strengths, powerful physique and seemingly endless stamina, rather than his technical ability; his other nicknames included Mandà ¾o and Super Mario. Known for his high work-rate and defensive contribution, Mandà ¾ukiÃÂ's former manager at Wolfsburg, Felix Magath, noted his endurance, stating that the striker was "so fit that I think he could play two back-to-back games without stopping even for a minute."
Following his move to Atlético Madrid, Sky Sports analyst Adam Bate wrote that he was the perfect fit for manager Diego Simeone's style as Mandà ¾ukiàwas "often the instigator of the press with his energetic running, Mandzukic battles defences, driving them back to create space for teammates as well as preventing opponents building patiently without pressure on the ball." Bate further added that the Croatian was "...both a physical and mobile striker who does much of his best work without the ball, seemingly doing the work of two players and thus allowing an extra man in midfield." ESPN FC contributor Michael Cox also praised Mandà ¾ukiàfor his excellent team-work, highlighting that while he pressed his opponents energetically when they attempted to play the ball out from the back, he was also extremely diligent and disciplined in the manner in which he dropped back into his own half to defend behind the ball if his opponents managed to bypass his team's pressing. In 2014, Aleksandar Holiga commented on Mandà ¾ukiÃÂ's playing, stating that "[h]e stretches the defences with constant movement and seemingly endless stamina, opening space for others to come from behind or cut inside from the wing; his pressing on the ball has proven decisive on a number of previous occasions and he is, of course, one of the best strikers in the world when it comes to aerial power. So even if he does not score himself, his presence could be key for the team's chances."
While he primarily served as a striker or as target-man in the penalty area, courtesy of his height, aerial prowess, and physical strength, Mandà ¾ukiÃÂ's work-rate, generosity, tactical intelligence, and versatility were demonstrated by his willingness to play in many different positions across or behind the front line; throughout his career, he was also deployed as a winger, as a second striker, as an attacking midfielder, or even as a wing-back, positions which allowed him the freedom to attack from deeper or wider areas with his runs, support and link-up with his more offensive teammates, draw opponents out of position with his movement, and cover defensively for full-backs making overlapping attacking runs. Indeed, in particular during his time at Juventus under manager Massimiliano Allegri, competition from other forwards often saw Mandà ¾ukiàbeing used in these deeper or wider, more creative roles, in particular on the left flank, in which he excelled, drawing praise from the media for his consistently high-quality performances, because of his ability to hold up the ball with his back to goal and play off of his teammates, or drop into midfield to help win back the ball when his team were not in possession. He was also required to function as a "wide target man" on the left side of the pitch occasion, due to his movement and work-rate, as well as his ability to utilise his height to win aerial challenges, or use his strength and solid technique to hold up the ball for teammates and create space or chances for them; in this position, he essentially played a hybrid of the roles of a target man, left winger, and left-back. In addition to his ability as a footballer, Mandà ¾ukiàwas also known for his determination, leadership, and mental strength, and had been described as a "big-game player" in the media, due to his tendency to score decisive goals in important matches for both club and country. As such, during his time in Italy, he earned the nickname "guerriero" ("warrior," in Italian) from the Juventus fans. His playing style has been compared to that of compatriot Alen Bokà ¡iÃÂ, who also played as a forward for Juventus.
Mandà ¾ukiàwas born in Slavonski Brod, present-day Croatia, on 21 May 1986. His father Mato is a Bosnian Croat from Prud near à  amac. Mato was also a football player, who moved to Slavonski Brod upon transferring from Kozara Bosanska Gradià ¡ka to BSK.
Mandà ¾ukiàhas been in a relationship with Ivana Mikuliàfrom Strizivojna since 2007.
On 16 April 2021, AC Milan club Chairman Paolo Scaroni announced that Mandà ¾ukiàdonated his March salary to AC Milan's club charity, Fondazione Milan, as he was injured the entire month. Fondazione Milan is a charity set up by the club in order to develop facilities and help younger players with difficulty getting the chance to play football. Mandà ¾ukiàlater donated his April and May wages as a result of a long injury.
Dinamo Zagreb
Bayern Munich
Atlético Madrid
Juventus
Al-Duhail
Croatia
Individual
Orders
Croatia (as assistant manager)