‘Leave it all on the field’ is a sport term often heard and Mateo Kovacic once took it literally.
In October, the midfielder gave his shirt and shorts to fans at Stamford Bridge following a 1-1 draw against Man United and ran back to the dressing room in just his pants, socks and boots.
The midfielder is set to leave Chelsea for Manchester City in a £30million deal, boosting a midfield already among the best in the world and it is against City’s rivals, Man United, that he left Old Trafford legend Peter Schemeichel in stitches.
Standing pitchside in a role for Sky Sports, Schmeichel got an eyeful as he darted past him and couldn’t contain his laughter.
He was shown a replay of the moment and joked: “That’s a nice sight! He’s fit!”
The only person happier at the Bridge was the fan who got their hands on the kit, with a collectors item to remember.
Kovacic’s move north will be seen as a steal to many.
Kai Havertz, who is leaving for Arsenal, said he is the most technically gifted player at the club, while Thomas Tuchel, his former manager, praised his work ethic.
“I love him. I could wake the guy at three in the morning and he will be at [the training ground] at 3.15am ready to give everything. I need to calm the guy down in training, that he’s not doing too much. It’s a pleasure to have him.”
Kovacic moved to England in 2019, initially on loan from Real Madrid and was part of the team that won the Champions League final – beating City – in 2021.
His arrival is likely to signal Ilkay Gundogan’s exit to Barcelona.
Kovacic is not the only player heading out of Chelsea, with N’Golo Kante, Hakim Ziyech and Eduaord Mendy all off.
No that is not a streaker, it's Mateo Kovacic at full-time
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 22, 2022pic.twitter.com/4tDdxTQP3F
