The 1980s and the early 1990s witnessed one of the most bitter, violent and painful conflicts in Europe which eventually led to the disintegration of Yugoslavia. The Croatian war of independence was a part of this conflict which unfortunately coincided with the childhood of one of the finest football players in the world and the best ever player from Croatia, the mercurial Luka Modric.
Early Life
Luka was born in a small hamlet of Modrici, north of the city of Zadar in Croatia in the year 1985 . His parents worked in a knitwear factory. Luka was a happy child and enjoyed shepherding goats aged 5 in Modrici. It was a normal childhood for a simple boy with a humble family background. However life took a serious turn when the War broke out . Luka’s paternal grandfather ( whom he was named after ) was killed by rebels in 1991 and their house burnt to ashes as the family fled Modrici and took refuge in the city of Zadar.
Luka’s family had been displaced completely and were turned refugees with nothing of their own. His father got employed in the Croatian Army as a mechanic and they stayed at a couple of Hotels in Zadar for almost a decade. Luka’s childhood though was badly affected, his parents did not let the pain and agony get to him and tried their best to give Luka a normal childhood with whatever resources they had.
Football : A diversion from the agonies of War
Luka took a fancy for football. He played in the parking lot of the Hotel he stayed and the sport became a major diversion from the perils of the ongoing War. The school and the sports academy he went to in Zadar also helped his family with financial assistance whenever required. Luka’s talent began to flourish and though he was lightly built, his sheer skill with the ball was catching attention all over. As luck would have it, the hardworking boy was introduced to Tomislav Basic who took him under his tutelage . Considered by Luka as his Sporting Father, Basic was instrumental in the development of Luka Modric into a player of remarkable ability and stature.
The Evolution of Luka Modric
Luka too worked tremendously hard, determined to erase the scars of War. He had a sound head on his shoulders and was ready for the grind to build a better future for himself and his family. He was signed by the Football Club Dinamo Zagreb aged just 16 which marked the beginning of the greatness which Luka Modric was about to achieve in International Football. Luka was evolving as a fine midfielder who could control the flow of play. He also was good while attacking and had sharp instincts of a striker. A player good in the midfield, good in defence and having scoring skills became extremely sought after with clubs in England beginning to show interest in the young talent.
The Soaring Success
His success in Croatian and Bosnian Leagues helped Luka Modric get to England. However because of his light frame he was considered to be weak for the extremely tough English Premier League. But Luka was not only hard as nails mentally he was more than tough physically as well, which he provided beyond doubt with his successful stint at Tottenham Hotspur. By that time Luka was a hot property and eventually in 2012 Luka moved to Real Madrid. He has been at the club for more than a decade and has been one of the defining reasons of the success which Real Madrid has witnessed both in Spain as well as in Europe in this period. For his national Team Croatia too Luka has been at centre of its development as one of world’s finest National Football Teams.
Luka Modric is considered to be one of the greatest all round Football players ever. He has attained tremendous heights in Football and considering what he went through in his earlier days, the life of Luka Modric is an unprecedented one. ‘ Victory is for the one who perseveres ‘ is a saying which perfectly manifests itself in the great Luka Modric.
Whatever you are doing, just keep persevering … the Luka way.