Former Real Madrid star Luka Jovic risked a jail sentence after breaking team curfew and COVID-19 isolation rules to visit his girlfriend, model Sofija Milosevic. The AEK Athens and Serbia striker, who played for Real Madrid between 2019 and 2022, flew from Spain to Serbia in March 2020 during the height of the pandemic.
The Quarantine Breach
Despite being instructed to quarantine alongside his teammates, Jovic chartered a private aircraft to visit Sofija, then 29, for her birthday. Local reports said he celebrated with his partner on the streets of Belgrade, but his actions drew intense backlash and reports of a potential six-month jail term.
Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic criticised his decision, stating: "We have the negative example of our football stars who earn millions and have ignored the obligation to self-isolate so they can return home." At the time, the Serbian government had told all nationals working abroad not to return from countries with a high infection rate. Spain had the fourth-highest death rate when Jovic headed back. He was fined €30,000 (£27,000) for flouting the rules.
Father's Reaction
Before Jovic was spared prison, his father, Milan Jovic, said a stretch inside could be appropriate. "Luka had two [coronavirus] tests done and he tested negative on both," he told Marca. "That's why he thought he could come to Serbia. Now it seems like he's a major criminal. If he has to go to jail, then he goes. I'm totally in agreement with the [Serbian] president and prime minister [for threatening criminal charges], but only if he's guilty. I would support that decision if he'd done something wrong, but he arrived in Belgrade and stayed at home. [His girlfriend] Sofija is pregnant and she couldn't go out [to celebrate her birthday]. Some photos have emerged of the two out having fun, but they were from Spain."
Career and Family
Jovic avoided prison time, and the couple welcomed their son Aleksej later that year, followed by their second child, Teodor, in 2022. Sofija, dubbed the 'Balkan Diletta Leotta', is a fashion model with close to 600,000 Instagram followers. She has worked with Serbian designers and major brands including Diesel and Jeremy Scott during stints in Milan and New York.
Sofija was previously in a three-year relationship with footballer Adem Llajic before they split in 2018, and has been romantically linked to tennis player Viktor Troicki and Croatia forward Ante Rebic. Jovic also shares a son with former girlfriend Andela Manitasevic, born in 2019. The striker has refound his goalscoring touch in Greece, netting six times in nine games this season following a campaign where he scored 21 goals in 43 games.
