
Croatia and Real Madrid legend Luka Modric, born September 9th, 1985, is a diminutive yet world-class midfielder and is without a doubt one of the greatest midfielders in history.
An outstanding soccer player, Modric can play anywhere in the midfield, from defensive midfielder to attacking midfielder, and is regarded as one of his generation’s most intelligent, gifted players.
As well as being one of Real Madrid’s most creative and consistent players, Modric has, at times, almost single-handedly led the Croatian national team to achieve results far above expectations.
A surprise finalist in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where Croatia lost to France, was followed by a third place at the 2022 World Cup.
Modric is an often quiet and reserved player off the field; with the ball at his feet, though, he becomes genuinely exceptional. His performances over recent seasons have led the player to win both the Ballon d’Or and the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards.
Modric rarely looks for the limelight, and prefers to do his talking on the soccer pitch, and seems happiest either playing soccer or spending time with his family. Today, we’ll look at Luka Modric the family man, as there’s plenty of information available about Luka Modric, the superstar soccer player.
What makes a player like Modric? As a refugee of the Croatian War of Independence, it’s little wonder the young Luka Modric became a focused and determined player, but what about the influence of his family?
The people around Modric have shaped his personality and work ethic, from his late grandfather, who was executed by Serb rebels, to his parents and siblings, so let’s take a closer look.
Parents
Embed from Getty Images- Father: Stipe Modric
- Mother: Radojka Modric
Luka Modric’s parents were suddenly thrown into the middle of a war in 1991 with the Croatian War of Independence outbreak and had to spend almost five years as refugees with their families.
At six years old, Luka, the eldest of the Modric children, was forced to live in hotels for seven years as the family home had been burned to the ground.
After losing everything, Modric’s parents suddenly found themselves in financial difficulties. Their young son was forced to play soccer in the car park of the hotel where the family was forced to stay.
Both parents had been working at the same textiles factory prior to the war in Croatia, but Modric’s father, Stipe, became a mechanic after joining the Croatian Army.
Modric cites those years as a refugee with his parents as the toughest in his life, but also that they shaped his outlook on life.
His determination to succeed, and his closeness with his family, stemmed from their shared experiences during a truly difficult part of Croatian history. Despite the dangers and upheaval, Stipe and Radojka Modric tried to give their son as normal a life as possible.
Despite the war affecting the Modric family’s finances, the young Luka was enrolled in a sports academy to hone his soccer skills, showing that his supportive parents already had an inkling their son could make it as a professional soccer player.
Modric would eventually play for Zadar and Dinamo Zagreb as a youth player before heading to the Zagreb first team in 2003.
It’s a testament to Luka that upon signing his first lucrative contract in 2005, when he signed a ten-year contract with Dinamo Zagreb, the first thing he bought was a flat for his family in their hometown of Zadar.
At 20 years of age, the future Croatian superstar was finally able to repay his family and to help them assimilate into everyday life.
Modric’s Siblings
- Sister: Jasmina Modric
- Sister: Diora Modric
Luka Modric has two sisters, Jasmina and Diora, both of who grew up with Luka in Zadar in Croatia. Both Modric sisters are younger than their midfielder brother and have grown up seeing their eldest sibling take the soccer world by storm.
While both sisters generally keep out of the limelight, they have both become massive Real Madrid fans and have often been seen supporting their brother from the sidelines.
Diora and Jasmina have followed the career of Luka since he first burst onto the scenes at Dinamo Zagreb, with a photo of Modric on the pitch after Dinamo won the Championship in 2008.
At the time, both sisters were still very young and were kept from the media frenzy that would often surround their famous elder brother over the coming years.
Fast forward to 2019, and Luka Modric’s sisters had grown up, with sister DIora even accompanying Modric to an awards ceremony.
Modric’s Wife & Kids
Embed from Getty Images- Wife: Vanja Modric (born 1982)
- Son: Ivano Modric (born 2010)
- Daughter: Ema Modric (born 2013)
- Daughter: Sofia Modric (born 2017)
Luka Modric has been married to Vanja Modric since 2010, though the couple had been dating for around four years before tying the knot. Modric met Vanja Bosnic, his future wife, while she was working with the Mamic Sports Agency.
Vanja Bosnic would take over the representation of Luka Modric, as the agency primarily dealt with players and their contracts and endorsements.
In 2018, allegations of corruption in Croatian soccer saw Modric dragged into the scandal, in part due to his ties to the Mamic Sports Agency, owned by former Dinamo Zagreb executive Zdravko Mamic.
Mamic would eventually be charged with keeping much of Modrics’ transfer fee when he moved to Tottenham Hotspur.
Before any of these allegations came to light, though, Modric and Vanja Bosnic quickly began dating, and four years later, the couple married.
The Modrics have three children together, with Ivano, their son, being the eldest. Ivano was born in 2010, with his younger sister Ema being born three years later. The Modric family unit was finally completed in 2017 with the birth of their third child, Sofia.
While Modric is a very private person outside of soccer, it’s inevitable that at some point, his family would have been to see the Croatian playmaker in action, either for Real Madrid or Croatia.
Due to the fact that Modric has lifted so many trophies with his club, there have been numerous times after games when the midfielder has been joined on the pitch by his wife and all three of his young children.
Now in the twilight of his career, we can only hope that we get to enjoy watching Luka Modric play for Real Madrid for a few more years. Perhaps the Croatian will head back to Dinamo for a final swansong season.
Whatever he decides to do, we’ve no doubt that his family will be right there in the stands, cheering Croatia’s greatest-ever player on to another trophy.