After two glaring errors by Liverpool star Dejan Lovren gifted Tottenham a 2-2 draw at Anfield in a crucial Premier League clash back in February, Reds fans around the world were calling for his head.

But now after a stand-out performance that saw Croatia come back from 1-0 down to defeat England in the World Cup semi-final in Moscow, the 29-year-old centre half has plenty of reason to smile.

Even better for the much-maligned Croat, his chief tormentor that night back in February – Harry Kane – was kept relatively quiet and off the score-sheet.

“This feels incredible, especially after everything that was said about us before the game,” said Lovren after the come-back win.

“We showed our character, we showed that we deserved to be in the final and people should respect us.

“Sometimes it is unfair. Before this game they said we are tired but we showed in extra-time we had fresher legs than them. Simple as that. The difference was mental.”

Dejan Lovren shows his joy after the victory over England

Lovren feels that after appearing in the Champions League final with Liverpool, and now the World Cup final, he has earnt respect rather than revilement.

“Sometimes, the criticism is unfair and people should respect me also,” he continued. “Without being arrogant I think I have [been proved to be one of the best defenders in the world]. Definitely.

“If somebody told me that from the beginning of the season that I would be in two of the biggest finals in the world I would have signed straight away.

“I went through a lot of s*** and I would say it is coming back.”

Lovren also revealed that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp sent him a text him after the match.

The Reds manager told Lovren he was “proud” after seeing the defender help his side to a World Cup final against France.

“He’s [Klopp] proud of me and what I’ve achieved,” said Lovren. “He knows what I went through. He’s a good man. Even in tough times he was always backing me up. I appreciated that.”

Finally Lovren expressed his empathy for team mate Jordan Henderson who won’t be joining him in the final on Sunday.

“I am a little bit disappointed for my team-mate [Jordan Henderson] because he also deserved to be in the final. I wish we could both be in the final for that game but there is only one winner.”

It was different when Lovren and Kane met in the Premier League