World Soccer - UK (2019-09)

isn’t a player in the world right now
who comes close to Jovic in this part
of the game.
“He was born to score goals, to be a
number nine. When I was with the Serb
federation I used to talk to Luka and
suggested to him that he become more
involved in build-up play. I say that
because he really is a good footballer.
Technically he is very strong, but you only
get to see it when he is scoring goals.
“Last season, with Eintracht, he did
contribute more on the constructive side
of things. I think he could do a little more
in this area. Not just goals.”
Jovic was certainly a hit when playing
for Serbia at junior level and 44 goals in
59 games, from under-16 up to under-21
level, speak for themselves. Now a full
international, he is the standard-bearer

of his Serb generation.

When asked about the secrets of

his success, Jovic told the Frankfurter

Rundschau newspaper: “I think God

gave me this talent and this flair for

goalscoring. I’ve always had this in me.

Naturally, I’ve played a lot of football and

trained a great deal, but I’m not sure you

can learn what to do.

“In the box, I don’t think a lot about

where I should run. I would have to say

it’s a matter of instinct.’

The highlight reel of his two years at

Frankfurt features the sort of excerpts

an Olympian gymnast would be proud

of. Take his flying back-heel winner in a

German Cup semi-final against Schalke.

Or the body-contorting mid-air volley

which he arrowed into the Fortuna

Dusseldorf net last autumn, the first

instalment of an incredible five-goal haul.

But that’s not to say that his path

to the Bernabeu has only been based

on his rare combination of intuition

and laser-like finishing. He has had

plenty of help along the way, particularly

benefitting from the guidance of his

father, who was a tough taskmaster even

when Luka was a toddler.

Milan Jovic’s first commandment was

two-footed prowess and he made sure

that his son constantly worked on his

weaker left foot. The result is an

ambidextrous assassin.

Without the enthusiasm and

selflessness of his dad, there would

probably be no Luka the galactico.

Nothing was going to stand in the way

of a father’s ambition for his offspring

and he very much kept the ball rolling

during Luka’s early years with Red

Star, serving as his son’s taxi driver on

repeated 270km round trips between

Batar and Belgrade. The family’s mode of

transport, an old VW, was literally run into

the ground, and on occasion the vehicle

would double up as a bed for the night.

“One time, Luka had two games to

play at the end of the week and we

couldn’t return home to Batar,” Milan

Jovic explained to Mozzart Sport in 2013.

“So I parked outside the stadium and put

pillows and blankets in the back of the

car. I even smoked to keep the

temperature up.”

Rather peculiarly, the story of Luka’s

Red Star apprenticeship was a mixed bag;

part symphony, part tuneless din. Usually

playing or competing with youngsters two

or three years older than him, he often

was sensational, regularly scoring 30

goals or more in a season. The problem

was that he could also irritate.

He had a reputation for going through

the motions on the training pitch and was

a nutritionist’s nightmare, his dietary

intake essentially comprising of sweets,

crisps and doughnuts. Red Star officials

were so concerned with his “refuelling”

ways that they encouraged team-mates

to sweep his room for undesirable treats.

He would make his pro debut for Red

Star in a 3-3 draw at Vojvodina on the

final day of the 2013-14 season, coming

off the bench to score a late point-saving

equaliser and at 16 years, five months

and five days his reward was a chapter

in Red Star history, taking over from

Dejan Stankovic as the club’s youngest-

ever top-flight marksman. And there is

no chance of him ever forgetting that

breakthrough moment as every pair

of boots he wears has the date of that

exploit embossed on them.

The following season, the boy wonder

APR 18, 2018

Scores the only goal

of the game as

Eintracht beat

Schalke in the

German Cup

semi-finals.

MAY 19, 2018

Is an unused sub as

Eintracht Frankfurt

beat Bayern Munich

in the German

Cup Final.

JUN 4, 2018

Wins his first senior

cap, appearing as

a sub for Serbia in

a friendly against

Chile.

JUN 27, 2018

Appears as a sub

against Brazil in the

World Cup.

Luka Jovic

Spotlight...playing for Serbia under-17s

Lethal...he scored

five goals in a game

against Dusseldorf

last season