🎙️ Tell your child this story: Luka Modrić and the power of a youth soccer dream

Luka Modrić was born in 1985 in Zadar, a small town on Croatia’s coast. But his childhood was far from peaceful. At just six years old, war broke out in the former Yugoslavia. Violence reached their village, and Luka’s grandfather — someone he was very close to — was killed. His family was forced to flee and start life over from scratch.

They ended up in a hotel that had been turned into a refugee shelter, packed with hundreds of people facing the same fear and uncertainty. Outside, the sound of bombs was a regular background noise. But in the middle of all that chaos, Luka did something incredibly ordinary — he played soccer. ⚽ Every day. In the parking lot. Tuning out the war around him.

“Bombs were falling, the hotel was full of people… and I was just out there playing with my ball,” he recalled years later.

It wasn’t just a game — it was a way to hold on to something normal when nothing else made sense.

There were no proper fields, no goals, sometimes not even shoes. But what Luka did have was determination. He played wherever he could — on dusty streets, in empty lots, on cracked pavement. Without knowing it, he was building something big.

Coaches would later remember him as small and skinny — not the kind of kid you'd expect to go far in soccer. But he had something rare: vision, discipline, and a quiet but unshakable drive. 💪

As the years went by, his talent began to shine. First in local clubs, then on bigger stages. And in 2018, Luka led Croatia to the World Cup final as team captain — and won the Ballon d’Or, awarded to the best player in the world. 🏆

Luka Modrić’s story isn’t a fairy tale. It’s real. Luka Modrić’s journey proves one thing: when a child holds onto the power of a youth soccer dream — even in the toughest times — they can grow into something extraordinary. Remind your child: every big player was once just a kid with a ball... and a dream.

🗣️ Share this story with your child.

It might be exactly what they need to hear when things feel tough.