In the summer of 2007, Mandžukić was bought by the Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb for €1.3 million as a replacement for their Arsenal-bound star striker Eduardo da Silva.

[12][13] On 24 July 2012, Mandžukić made his debut for Bayern in a 6–0 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 headed the only goal as Bayern defeated a valiant FC Viktoria Plzeň in November to move into the knockout stages with a record-equalling ninth successive UEFA Champions League win.

In the first semi-final of 2013 FIFA Club World Cup, Mandžukić dove low to head Thiago Alcantara's cross into goal for 2–0 against Guangzhou Evergrande.

Upon the Bundesliga winter break, Mandžukić was left out of the Bayern Munich 18-man roster in their match against Borussia Mönchengladbach, with Guardiola reportedly unimpressed with his performances in training.

[27] In the opening match of the new Champions League campaign, against Olympiacos, Mandžukić collected Cristian Ansaldi's cross and sent home a close-range header into the bottom corner to make it 1–2, in eventual 2–3 loss.

[28] Mandžukić helped 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.

[30] Mandžukić scored his 11th La Liga goal of the season in his 19th appearance, in Los Colchoneros emphatic 4–0 victory over local rivals Real Madrid in the second league derby of the season, when sport analysts noted that Mandžukić put 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.

[37] However, he returned early, scoring Juventus's first goal, and temporary equaliser, as the team came from behind to win 2–1 away against Manchester City, during their opening match of the Champions League group stage, on 15 September 2015.

[43] On 27 January 2016, Mandžukić sustained a muscle injury during the first semi-final leg of the Coppa Italia against Inter Milan, putting him on the sidelines for four weeks.

[44] 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 2–2 home draw.

[55] On 6 October, he made his 100th appearance in Serie A with the club in a 2–0 away win over Udinese, setting up the second goal of the match scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.

[70] Following the contract termination, several clubs showed interest for signing Mandžukić, including Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, Lokomotiv Moscow, AC Milan, Benevento, Hellas Verona, Fiorentina, Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Marseille, Wolfsburg, Hertha Berlin and Schalke 04.

[75] Due to recurring injuries that impaired his physical conditions and a poor form, Mandžukić made just 11 appearances for Milan, mostly as a substitute, with no goals scored.

However, he later received a red card after a reckless high tackle on Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson connected with the Icelandic midfielder's left knee.

[83] Mandžukić was 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.

[86] Mandžukić scored once in Croatia's successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, opening a 1–1 home draw with Italy in Split on 12 June 2015.

[87] The following 4 June, both he and Nikola Kalinić scored hat-tricks in a 10–0 warm-up win against San Marino in Rijeka ahead of the tournament; the result was a record victory for Croatia.

[88] On 6 October 2016, Mandžukić scored a hat-trick in a 6–0 win over Kosovo in Shkodër for 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, the opponents' first competitive game as the home team.

[91] 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 1–1 draw after extra-time, Croatia prevailed 3–2 in the resulting penalty shoot-out.

[98] 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 1–0 lead; he later scored Croatia's second goal by chasing down and capitalizing on an error from French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, as the match eventually ended in a 4–2 defeat.

In his statement, Mandžukić wrote about the 2018 World Cup silver medal: We have made our dreams come true, achieved a historic success, and experienced unbelievable support.

[106][107][108] Known for his high work-rate and defensive contribution,[109] Mandžukić'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.

"[110] 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 Mandžukić was "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.

"[112] While he primarily served as a striker or as target-man in the penalty area, courtesy of his height, aerial prowess, and physical strength,[nb 1] Mandžukić'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 Mandžukić being 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.

[nb 2] In addition to his ability as a footballer, Mandžukić was also known for his determination, leadership, and mental strength,[120][135] 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.

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.