Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has said he is living his childhood dream by playing for Los Blancos.
In a wide ranging interview with BBC Sport, Modric revealed that as a child growing up in Croatia, all he wanted to do was be a footballer, and play for Real Madrid. His dream to play was Los Blancos was his way of escaping the horrors of war-torn Croatia as he grew up.
“I think ‘unique’ is the best word to describe your feelings to play for such a special club,” he says. “From the first moment I arrived here – my presentation walking into the trophy hall at the Bernabeu and seeing trophies and pictures of the legends of Real Madrid, it showed me where I’ve come,” he told Football Focus.
He added: “I feel so proud of where I’ve come. All I dreamed of when I became a footballer was to play for a club as big as Real Madrid. It’s maybe the most famous and best club in the history of football.”
Modric also spoke about overcoming his difficulties when he initially joined the club, and said he always knew he would come good. The playmaker struggled at first, but his goal at Old Trafford in the Champions League last year was his personal turning point. This season, he has been one of Real’s most consistent performers and among La Liga’s stand out players.
“People like to judge and make their own conclusions,” Modric says. “I never cared what other people were saying about me – I had my aims, I believed in myself and never stopped. I’ve been through many difficulties in my life, but all these things made me a stronger and better person. All these critics push you forward to show people they are wrong. Maybe I look lightweight but I am a really strong person mentally and physically.”
Recently I read the article describing Luka Modric and how his life turned from the time when war started in this area.I remember him as a kid helping his father working with cattle at their home (Zaton Obrovacki, near Maslenica, Zadar, Croatia).They used to be quite decent and nice family and I visited them a few times when I went filming the wildlife in the Velebit mountains.Once I took some video footage of him and his father (Stipe) collecting their herd of goats, closing the pen and some scenes directed as It was planned to be used for editing a wolf documentary. It was back in 1990 just awhile before the war destroyed their home.
The war changed everything and I didn’t have the chance to show this archived footage to Stipe nor to Luka for I haven’t seen them from that time.
They moved away from the area where I met them and I haven’t seen them ever again. It is funny for I live some 200 kms away from their new home.
(Paul B)