The journey of a football player can often be just as compelling as some adrenaline-inducing football matches. Luka Jović’s rise, fall, and potential redemption are no exception to this rule. From the days when he was developing as a top talent in Serbia to a disappointing spell at Real Madrid, his story is replete with promise, disappointments, and redemption.
In this article, we will delve into the Serbian Falcao’s journey to the pinnacle of European football, as well as cover some rather intriguing details about him outside of football, such as his family, religion, girlfriends, and so on. Stay with us for yet another exciting chronicle of a footballer who is surrounded by “What could have been” musings.
Family
Luka Jović is the second and youngest child born to Milan and Svetlana Jović. His father, Milan, was also a professional football player, but due to the ripples caused by the Yugoslavian war, he could only lace his boots up for amateur leagues. Luka also has an older sister who battled Leukemia when she was younger. He looks back at those days as the “most difficult” period of his life.
Religion
Luka is a Christian. As an indication of his religious devotion, he has a tattoo of Jesus on his right chest.
Marital Status
As of now, he is currently unmarried, but this reality may take on a new shape soon, as he is currently dating Serbian model Sofija Milošević, with whom he has two children, Aleksej and Teodor. The two are happily committed to a long-term relationship, and marriage seems to be the next formal commitment between the lovebirds. He also has a child named David with his former girlfriend, Anđela Manitašević.
Luka Jović Childhood
Luka Jović was born on the 23rd of December in the year 1997, in the city of Loznica, Serbia. However, he was raised and brought up in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and lived in a rural village in the south of Bijeljina. His parents and family members had to endure a series of tribulations during the Yugoslav wars of the 90s. His childhood wasn’t an easy one, as it was marred by poverty, and his father’s income was too meager to afford the customary three meals a day.
However, this did not impede him from finding his love for football, which was passed on to him by his dad. With no toys at home except a football, young Luka would make the most of this luxury by kicking the ball around whenever he found the time, and soon enough, he made friends to enjoy the beautiful game with.
Planting the Seeds
At the age of 6, young Luka was spotted in 2004 and offered the opportunity to play in a kids’ development league called “Mini Taxi.” This marked a turning point for the boy who had previously been playing soccer in the streets. A scouting associate of Red Star Belgrade, Toma Milcevic, attended one of the games. Impressed by young Luka’s skills, he offered him a trial at Red Star. All the travel expenses were covered by the scouting department, and the young boy received some terrific news as he managed to pass the trials and joined Red Star Belgrade.
He also briefly trained with Partizan Belgrade and was offered a contract by them. However, this offer was eventually turned down by his father, who believed that Red Star was a better environment for his son to develop his skills. His father did everything he could to ensure that Luka had the right opportunities to hone his talent.
Two individuals from whom the young Luka drew inspiration were Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo. He admired the work ethics and discipline of the latter, which made him a fan of Los Blancos. It is reported that he used to sleep wearing a Real Madrid shirt at times.
He had the following to say about Cristiano Ronaldo when he joined Fiorentina: “I chose the number 7 [at Fiorentina] because I’m inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo, the greatest player of all time.”
A Period of Oscillation
Red Star became his new home, and he excelled in the youth ranks, making remarkable progress. He was granted his professional debut for the club at just 16 years of age and would go on to become their youngest player to score a goal in a competitive match. It didn’t take long for him to be incorporated into the Starting XI, subsequently attracting interest from many clubs in Europe.
Enter Benfica, the Portuguese giants, with a tempting offer for the young Serbian. It didn’t take long for him to make his decision, and officially, Luka Jović, the Serbian Falcao, became one of the As Águias. However, his time at Benfica was marred by a poor run of performances, which even led to his demotion to Benfica’s B team. His case wasn’t helped by his recurring homesickness.
Finding Life Again
Discontent with how things turned out at As Águias, he joined Eintracht Frankfurt on a 2-year loan in the summer of 2017. His first season saw him win the DFB Pokal, and while he registered a staggering zero minutes in the final, he was still elated to get his hands on the first piece of silverware in his career. The following season saw him become the youngest player to score 5 goals in a Bundesliga game in Eintracht’s resounding 7-1 victory over Fortuna Düsseldorf, a feat that is still contested.
He ended the 2018/19 season as the second top scorer in the Europa League, falling short of only one goal to that year’s gold medalist, Olivier Giroud. His stupendous season with Eintracht Frankfurt attracted interest from many clubs, but when your dream club, Real Madrid, comes knocking at your door, you’re left with very few choices to pick from. In the summer of 2019, he signed with the Blaugranas for a fee of €60 million.
Another “What If” Case Study
There was a reasonable amount of buzz around his transfer as he was believed to be Karim Benzema’s heir for the central forward position. However, success simply could not materialize for the Serbian Falcao as he had a rather disappointing debut season. He was loaned back to Eintracht Frankfurt in the next season during the winter transfer window. Though he started off brilliantly, he still had little to no influence on their performances and left Eintracht’s board with scarce reasons to make the move permanent.
Nevertheless, he returned to Real Madrid in the summer of 2021, but it was to be yet another disappointing season with Los Blancos. This led to his contract being mutually agreed to for termination, and he signed with Fiorentina on a free transfer the following summer. In need of reinforcements, AC Milan got in contact with Luka Jović, who agreed to a season-long deal with the Rossoneri.
Read Also: Wataru Endō – Leading by Example
Fun Facts about Luka Jović
- In late 2015, he was threatened by a racketeer to pay him money. Failure to do so resulted in the racketeer saying that he would “break Jović’s legs.” The suspects were later arrested.
- Luka got himself into a car accident close to his hometown in Bosnia.
- He is called the Serbian Falcao because of the similarities between him and Radamel Falcao, who also happens to be his idol.
- He was baptized before his first game of the 2018 World Cup.
- He was fined for breaking Covid-19 protocols in March 2020 when he traveled to Belgrade from Madrid to meet his love, Sofija.
- He is very good friends with another Serbian workhorse, Filip Kostic. The two developed a very close bond during their time at Eintracht Frankfurt.
- Luka also happens to be an avid basketball fan. Here’s a clip of him making three-pointers look like a no-brainer.
