Croatia national team captain Luka Modric was in the spotlight after being able to bring the Balkans into the World Cup finals for the first time. The battlefield on the Balkan peninsula forged him into a fantastic national team captain.
A series of rifles on December 9, 1991 in the village of Modrici located north of the Velebit mountains, north of Dalmatia, will always be remembered by Luka Modric. His grandfather, senior Luka, was arrested along with five residents of the Modrici village by Serbian soldiers. They then killed him sadistically.
His grandfather's execution became an opening part of the Balkan state's conflict. At that time Modric was only six years old. He has lost the person he loved from a young age.
Luka senior is Modric's grandfather and caregiver. His parents, Stipe and Radojka, left Modric to his grandfather because he was too busy working in a knitwear factory.
The execution was just the beginning of the suffering of the Balkan conflict that adorned Modric's life. The killing of six Modrici villagers was a message from the Serbian army that the villagers leave. The man who was born on 9 September 1985 continued to live in refugee camps.
Modric's family was forced to evacuate at Hotel Iz, City of Zadar. They must go through sad days without electricity and clean water. Mortar explosions and rifles were always heard from afar, plus the threat of landmines was everywhere.
"We lived in hotels for years and at the same time made a living. But I always love football. I remember shin pads that I wear with Ronaldo from Brazil, and I really admire them," Modric told The Sun.
Chairman of the NK Zadar Club, Josip Bajlo, remembers Modric's childhood. Modric is a thin and small boy. But this physical condition does not break it to continue playing football as a means of entertainment in the midst of war terror.
One of Modric's coaches at the Zadar NK Club, Tomislav Basic, said his foster children were always playing in the midst of fear. But they never gave up playing football.
"We are always afraid, that's what I remember most. Thousands of grenades, fired from the surrounding hills, fell on the training ground in those years, and we always raced to reach a refuge. Football is our escape from reality, "said Basic as written by Aleksandar Holiga in the Sport Blog section of theguardian.com news site.
Modric's early career was not smooth. He was refused entry by his idol club Hajduk Split. This rejection had made Modric discouraged.
But slowly he rose to pursue a professional football career and entered the Dinamo Zagreb Club at the age of 15. Entering the age of 18, Dinamo loaned Modric to Club Zrinjski in Bosnia Herzegovina and then to Inter Zapresic in the suburban area of Zagreb. Modric's appearance during grazing is quite stunning. He is also seen as a potential midfielder.
Modric's own family paid attention to him to pursue professional football. When the war ended, they were willing to settle in narrow hotels so Modric could stay close to his club.
His career continued to soar, Modric then left for the English League and signed a contract with the Tottenham Hotspurs Club (2008-2012) and then moved on to Real Madrid (2012-present).
At this 2018 World Cup, Modric led his team to make history for Croatia. They managed to advance to the final round after defeating the football giant, England, with a score of 2-1.
This inaugural World Cup Final was Croatia's best achievement in the history of the World Cup they went through. The Balkan country's best record had only reached the semifinals at the 1998 World Cup. []
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