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Luka Jovic opens up: His beginnings, his sister's illness, his time at Benfica

  /  autty

New Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic is the latest player to write a piece for The Players' Tribune, a medium where athletes can tell their own stories, and the Serb touched on a number of issues close to his heart.

Jovic, who is known for scoring goals, discussed his beginnings, the small town where he was born, the most tragic moment he had to overcome with his family, and his time at Benfica.

The 21-year-old believes that his ability to find the back of the net is a natural gift, something he explains at the beginning of his letter.

"Everyone in this life has certain talents, and I think mine is scoring goals," Jovic wrote in The Players' Tribune.

"I don't know how I ended up playing as a striker, but as far back as I can remember I've always been obsessed with scoring. When I was a child, I used to have these two VHS tapes of all the goals from every single World Cup up to 2006, I think. I remember being mesmerised by Roger Milla from Cameroon at the '90 World Cup, and of course Ronaldo [Nazario] - the 'original' Ronaldo. I was obsessed with how he did that step-over dribble against goalkeepers. I remember it being so fast, like a magician's trick, and I would practice how to do it at home. Ronaldo would play football with such ease, almost as if he was at 30 percent, and I thought it was incredible. His style and confidence left a mark on me."

About his beginnings, Jovic discusses the magic of the place where he grew up.

"I grew up in a place called Batar," he wrote.

"I don't expect you to know it - don't worry. It is this really small place, with only 105 houses in the entire village. But for me it's special.

"I remember this man from Batar once said, "My village is prettier than Paris." And that's really how I see it, too. Nearly all the people there work in agriculture, and if you ask them what they believe in, they will tell you two things: to work hard, and to dream big."

However, Jovic had to overcome a tragic situation at home during his childhood.

"I don't talk about this a lot, but when I was nine or 10 years old, my older sister got really sick," he wrote.

"And this was the moment that marked our lives. The doctors found out that she had leukaemia, and she was in and out of the hospital for a long time. My mum had to stop managing the supermarket to look after her. For a whole year, our family was split up. I was living with my dad and my grandpa, going to and from training sessions at Red Star Belgrade, while my mum stayed with my sister.

"It was a very difficult time. What I most remember is the feeling when I went home from Belgrade to Batar after a game. One day, while he was giving me a ride home from training, my dad stopped and picked up my uncle and my cousin. I didn't know what was happening at first, but then I realised we were having a big celebration. We went home and I remember my sister was wearing this paper hat, like it was her birthday. They told us that she was cured. And it was just an amazing feeling, knowing that she was going to be O.K., because we had been very scared for a long time.

"When my sister beat her illness, it gave me a fire to succeed. I wanted to be a winner like her."

Later, the striker endured a torrid time at Benfica before going on to thrive during a two-year loan spell at Eintracht Frankfurt, though he was hesitant about the prospect of leaving Red Star for Portugal in the first place.

"I always wanted to play for them [Red Star], and even when I had chances to move to bigger clubs, I really didn't want to go," wrote Jovic.

"In fact, this is true - when Benfica wanted me in 2016, I remember telling my mother that I wouldn't leave. I remember her words. She said, "Honey, we know that you love Red Star more than us, but you need to put yourself first.

"In the end, I decided to move to Benfica to advance my career. But I think everything happened too fast. My family means the absolute world to me, and I really wasn't ready to leave them. To be 18 years old and move 3,000 kilometres away to a place where you don't speak the language, it is not just about football anymore. Your life is not simple. When I first arrived in Lisbon, I would think about my home and I would just start crying for no reason. It was a really bad time in my career because I felt so alone. But thankfully, everything changed when I was able to move to Eintracht Frankfurt."

Jovic was exceptional in the 2018/19 campaign with Eintracht, though one thing he wishes he could change was their semi-final elimination against Chelsea in the Europa League.

"My only regret is the Europa League semi-final against Chelsea," he penned.

"This is probably one of the only times in my career I cried tears of sadness, and it wasn't even right after we lost the penalties. It was when we were walking off the pitch and I saw the Eintracht supporters in the front row singing our anthem with tears in their eyes, even though we had lost. It was a different experience for me, playing for fans who support you even when you lose. That is rare in the world of football, and I am sad to be leaving Frankfurt, because the club changed my career."

Now, Jovic has joined Real Madrid and he is full of confidence about what the future may hold.

"I was born in a small village in Serbia with 105 houses, a place that you have probably never heard of before," he noted.

"Where is this story going next? What will I achieve? What is the ending? I don't know, but I have really big dreams.

"I am very excited to come to Real Madrid, and once again, I would like to thank the club and the supporters of Eintracht Frankfurt for making me feel at home the last two years.

"Danke."

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