One of Real Madrid's newest signings has named two strikers he idolised growing up, and one of them is an African legend famous for his unique celebrations.
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Serbian forward Luka Jovic joined Los Blancos for a fee of €60 million (R936 million) from Eintracht Frankfurt at the beginning of June after a breakthrough 2018/19 campaign in Germany.
The 21-year-old, who is known for his deadly finishing ability, believes he was born with an instinct for scoring goals, but also learned from the likes of Cameroon icon Roger Milla and Brazil legend Ronaldo Nazario, whose footsteps he is now following in at the Santiago Bernabeu.
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"Sometimes I think I was just born with it. Everyone in this life has certain talents, and I think mine is scoring goals," he wrote for 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 – 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 practise how to do it at home. Ronaldo would play football with such ease, almost as if he was at 30%, and I thought it was incredible. His style and confidence left a mark on me.
"I guess my coaches must have seen that instinct in me, because they put me at striker from my very first steps in football."
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Jovic has scored 49 senior club goals in his career so far, for clubs such as Red Star Belgrade and Frankfurt, and holds the record for being the youngest player in Bundesliga history to score five times in a single match.
How many goals do you think Jovic will score this coming season? Let us know in the comments section below.
