With bitter rivals Cardiff in the Championship drop zone and their club comfortably ensconced in mid-table after three wins put paid to any lingering relegation concerns, Swansea City fans could have been forgiven for being delighted even before news broke that Luka Modric had become a minority shareholder in their club. While he may lack the Hollywood glamour of Catherine Zeta-Jones and the comedy chops of podcasting’s Elis James, by investing in the Welsh club the Real Madrid and Croatia legend has immediately catapulted himself into a VIP place at the top table of celebrity Jacks.
“Swansea has a strong identity, an incredible fanbase, and the ambition to compete at the highest level,” cooed Modric, stopping short of channeling his inner Robbie Keane and revealing that, growing up as a child in Zaton Obrovacki, he slept under a Cyril the Swan duvet and had posters of Andy Legg, Dave Penney and John Cornforth plastered over his bedroom. “Playing at the highest level, I believe I can provide my experience to the club. My goal is to support the club’s growth in a positive way and to help to build an exciting future.”
While many Swans fans are almost certainly of a mind that the most effective way their new co-owner could support their growth in a positive way would be to come and play for them when his Madrid contract expires in June, it seems unlikely the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner would be satisfied with a bit-part role behind Gonçalo Franco and Lewis O’Brien in the pecking order. And let’s face it, without regular minutes, the 39-year-old would have little to no chance of unseating Lee Trundle from top spot in the Club Legend stakes.
The surprise news of Modric’s decision to join American businessmen Andy Coleman, Brett Cravatt and Jason Cohen in the boardroom of a club that posted a pre-tax loss of £15.2m in the latest financial year has prompted a number of questions. Specifically “Why?” and “How much?” For now, the answers remain unclear, so we are left to conclude that he must have fallen in love with the Swansea.com (née Liberty) Stadium on his only recorded visit to the club, as a
