From Bomb Attacks In Croatia To WC Final, Here Is Luka Modric’s Extraordinary Journey

As soon as Luka Modric hammered the phenomenal strike against Argentina at the Nizhny Novgorod, the world had found a new ‘LM10’. The Croatian midfielder has not only been in exceptional form at the ongoing FIFA World Cup but has nailed the role of a valiant leader.

With Croatia’s golden generation all set to lock horn with the Frenchmen in a thrilling final at Moscow, the tournament has been a fairytale for Luka Modric. The Real Madrid icon has been decisive for his nation in the midfield, ruling the position like no other.

And in case you do not know, Modric is older than the country he represents. Being a part of Croatia, which was formed in the year 1991, in the aftermath of World War II, Modric’s journey to the grandest stage of all is worth a read.

Luka’s younger days were spent in a war-torn Croatia where he woke up to bomb attacks, which was common at that time. His grandfather lost his life to a similar bomb blast whose name he inherited.

Following the incident, he had to shift to a broken-down hotel in Zadar as a refugee. However, the extreme struggles of his life could not win over his passion for football. At the age of 6, a hotel worker saw him playing football in the damaged parking lot of the hotel and called the director of NK Zadar, a local football club. Speaking about Luka, a hotel spokesman once said,

“He had broken more glass on the hotel windows than what the bombs had hit. He was playing non-stop football all around the hotel halls.”

Luka Modric, who has gone through air raids and fires, shining in the world of football was a comparatively easy task. Speaking to Daily Mail, he said,

“You have to understand something about Croatian people. After everything that has happened, after the war, we are stronger, tougher.”

“The war made us stronger. What we’ve been through was not easy. The war made us stronger. We are not easy people to break. It’s hard to break us. And there is a determination to show that. To show that we can succeed.”

It is to be noted that at the beginning of a dream career with the ball on the feet, Luka Modric was ruled out by coaches. They claimed that the right-footed genius was too weak and too thin to survive in the sport. He responded to his critics by winning consecutive Champions League trophies and now by being in the World Cup finale. Speaking of the same, he said,

“I wanted to prove them wrong and now, I think, they have to admit they were wrong.”

“I don’t know what will happen in the final. France is a strong team and they say it’d be tough for Croatia to beat them. But they said that many times before in this tournament, and clearly they were not correct.”

No matter what happens in the final, Luka Modric is a champion. In life, in football. And for all the Croatians out there, here goes a salute of respect. Best of luck for the finale.