When ‘Will’ conquers ‘Luck’: Luka Modrić

“…this trophy is just not mine. It’s for all my Real Madrid teammates, for all my teammates from Croatia national team, for all the coaches that I played for without them this would not be possible and thank you a lot to them. This trophy is also for my family, without whom I would not be the player and person that I am. They are the best. Thanks to my fans all over the world for the great support.” The footballing legend Zinedine Zidane watched Luka Modrić in an amused and happy demeanour as the latter was delivering his thank-you speech after winning ‘The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2018’. The audience also had Arsène Wenger clapping, who had allegedly snubbed Luka Modrić as ‘too lightweight’ for playing football in the Premier League. Luka continued “…and this award shows that we all can become best with hard work, dedication and belief. All dreams can come true.”

It’s easy to call off the speech as a cliché. A typical thanking speech where everybody is thanked and everything is appreciated. But wait a minute. Is it justified to call it off as a shallow monologue? Or did every word in that small speech meant something and was an expression of the soul that had endured a tougher life than the most humble of the beginnings? Luka was born on 9th September 1985, in a small village on the slopes of Velebit mountain range, in Zadar, Croatia (then in Yugoslavia). He lived with his parents who worked at a nearby garment’s factory and his grandfather Luka Sr., after whom he was fondly named.

But if the situation wasn’t tenuous enough, it was about to turn worse. When he was just 6 years old, the Croatian war of independence broke out. And just as personal as it could possibly affect, a group of Serbs murdered his grandfather when the latter had gone up the hill with his cattle.

This turned out to be an important pivot for Modrić family, as they were already receiving death threats and the unfortunate incident was enough for them to find refuge away from their home in one of the hotels in Zadar. It was here, little Modrić started playing football in the parking lot of the hotel. He didn’t bother about the volatile situation in the city, maybe he understood maybe he did not.

But one thing was for sure, this lad had surely caught the attention of the hotel staff. They saw him with his newly made friend, playing football in hallways and parking lots every day. One of the workers at the hotel even went on to call the director of the local football club, NZ Zadar. The director responded promptly and visited the hotel to personally have a look at this interesting 7-year-old ‘skinny lad with skills’. Needless to say, he wasn’t disappointed and offer Luka to enrol at his school and sporting academy, which proved to be financially hard for the Modrić family but with the help from his uncle, he finally took the first steps towards the dream of becoming a professional footballer.

At NK Zadar, it was not easy. Not just for young Modrić but for the game of football itself. The war was on and often one could find the football ground ridden with grenades and bullets. The skies were grey with the smoke of destruction and the pavements were destroyed as if a powerful earthquake had struck. But his coach Basic felt that football was good salvation from the reality and guided Luka to be focussed on football no matter what happens out there. If that required iron will, it was not enough. For Modrić who supported Hajduk Split and dreamt of playing for the football club, was rejected by them stating the reason that he was way too small and weak for playing the game. Dejected, Modrić considered quitting the game forever, it was only after his coach Bašić provided the warmth and space, convincing the young lad to change his mind.

It was at the age of 15 when he was signed with Dinamo Zagreb (bitter rivals of Hajduk Split). Even there, they loaned him out to play in the Bosnian-Herzegovinan league once he was 18 years old. Those were the toughest leagues to play in entire Europe. Not that they demanded skills, instead it was the roughhousing that made the league stand out from the rest. “Fragile” Modrić perhaps not only weathered the storm, but he also performed brilliantly. After his return to Dinamo Zagreb, the club profusely handed him a 10-year contract! That was it. The first real deal for Modrić meant that he and his family were no longer refugees. He straightaway bought a flat for his family in Zadar and the faith invested by his family started bearing real fruits!

After his successful 3 years at Dinamo Zagreb, he finally caught the eye of the famed Premier league teams. Arsenal initially showed interest but their manager Arsène Wenger was quick to brush the possibilities aside, allegedly stating him weak for the league. Not a new accusation for Modrić. He openly expressed his wish to play for the club Chelsea but instead was signed by their rivals, Tottenham Hotspurs. A pattern that would follow Modrić to this day.

At Tottenham, things weren’t smooth right away. He was tested at various positions so as to accommodate the rest and their playing style. Finally, after a year in England, he started finding himself in the right places at the right times. He had adapted. A bright prospect at the time of signing soon became a talisman for the Spurs gradually during his 4 years stint in England. All the top teams of all the top leagues started showing serious interest in him. He wished like many young bright players do, playing for Barcelona someday. However, as if it was a pattern that had followed, continued to do so. He ended up being signed by their arch-rivals, Real Madrid!

Well, of course, it is a real deal of reaching the epitome of football career for any player when he garners the interest of a team like Real Madrid. Even in Madrid, not everything was going to be smooth immediately. He was tried at different places and sometimes benched. In fact, in a poll, he was voted as the worst signing of the year in 2012! But wasn’t he used to all of this for all his life? With a will stronger than the iron itself, he focused on his game and rose through the swamp yet again.

Found the spot in the midfield where his qualities proved to be the most effective and played selfless football. From then, there was no looking back. He was ranked consistently among the best in the world. He won several cups with Real Madrid and even led his national team to World Cup final in 2018, going on to win the ‘Player of the Year’ award to pip even the greats like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi who had absolutely dominated the award for a decade!

It’s easy for one to proclaim as the underprivileged, unlucky or a victim of atrocities or having endured a troubled childhood and hence justify the situation he finds himself in. Sure these things do affect and tend to shape the life of an individual, but it is never the case that they would absolutely rob off all the opportunities and leave the person with no choice. Luka Modrić could have spent his life like many of the other refugees of the war blaming the government, the place and even the time they were born in. But he chose for an option, apparently invisible to others.

Also, it was not just about choosing but being persistent as new troubles always popped their heads up throughout his journey. When they called him skinny and unfit, he raced ahead by choosing to develop what was in his hands, he developed better control over the football. Better than most of those with ‘gifted’ and ‘muscular’ physiques. When he was denied a normal childhood, he chose to play football in the parking lot, when he was denied by the clubs he longed to play for, he willingly played and even excelled playing for those clubs’ rivals; when they told him to attack, he attacked and when they asked him to switch his play, he switched. A player who redefined versatility eventually went on to develop his own role in the team. Remember, Luka Modrić is what he is today because he CHOSE TO!

Now then, what’s your excuse for not achieving what you want!?