Who is Lovro Majer?

Data correct as of 22 May 2024

Lovro Majer
Age: 26 (17 January 1998)
Club: Wolfsburg
Position: Midfielder
Country: Croatia (31 caps/eight goals) 

Watch: The best of Lovro Majer

Key stats and facts

Majer arrives at EURO '24 as a player in form, with three goals and an assist to his name across Croatia's four friendly games heading into the competition.

He now looks like one of the nation's main attacking threats, but it wasn't always plain sailing for the left-footer, who was born in Zagreb in January 1998, six months before Croatia finished third at the France '98 World Cup.

Majer was on Croatian record champions Dinamo Zagreb's books between eight and 12, but it was city rivals Lokomotiva who gave him a path into the professional game. Dinamo soon regretted their decision to release him when a now 18-year-old Majer scored twice in a 4-1 win over them in March 2016.

Eighteen goals and 16 assists later - as well as a first international cap - and they bought him back, handing him the No.10 jersey previously worn by Luka Modrić and Zvonimir Boban, among others, at the club.

An ankle ligament injury and the emergence of Dani Olmo, now of RB Leipzig, interrupted his progress there, but Rennes still had to fend off reported competition from Marseille and Fiorentina to secure his signature in 2021.

Majer spent two seasons in Brittany before joining Wolfsburg last summer, where he has impressed despite their recent travails, tallying five goals and five assists in the Bundesliga season just gone.

Plays a bit like: Luka Modrić

Majer, like his compatriot Modrić, has a delicate touch and unerring ability to pick out a pass that others simply can't see. Taller than his countryman at 5'9", Majer would still rather roll his shoulder off a marker than clatter into them with it.

Career tallies of 59 goals and 65 assists for club and country tell the story of a player just as happy to create for his teammates as he is to take chances for himself.

Did you know?

Majer is a student of the game, and takes his mission to become the best player he can be well beyond the training ground. An avid reader, he consumes books about psychology and self-improvement with relish.

"Sometimes you need to progress through different means," he told Ouest France in 2022. "It can be books, psychology, family… It’s hard to maintain your level of play over time and to be good in every game… you have to find a way to stay at your best level. For me, this includes reading books written by people who've succeeded at this and trying to take something from them and learning."

What they're saying

"It's nice to read and hear comparisons with Luka Modrić. I can only learn from him, absorb his moves. I have a long way to go to reach Modrić, but I think I'm on the right track. When it comes to comparisons with him it's clear there are many other factors. We have the same initials, 'LM' and wear the same number so we appear quite similar. It's up to me to work hard to reach the highest possible level. I think I will!"

- Majer reflecting on Modrić comparisons.

"Honestly, I prefer to score goals, [laughs]. I'm like everybody else! But it's obviously great when I get an assist and it helps the team win. When you're winning, like we are right now, there's no better feeling."

- Majer on his relatively close goals to assists ratio. 

"He's a complete professional. He's the first to arrive and the last to leave. He enjoys training. He quickly showed how important he is."

- Ralph Hasenhüttl on his new star man at Wolfsburg.