Dejan Kulusevski has become a rising star at Tottenham Hotspur ever since his impressive debut against Manchester City in January 2022.
After signing a new contract with the Lilywhites till 2028, it can be safe to say that the 23-year-old Swedish footballer’s career is in a seemingly upward trajectory.
However, success has not come easy to Dejan but with strong mindset and unyielding attitude towards hardship he has been able to overcome the harsh challenges he faced in his short professional career.
It seems that a lot of this unwavering attitude of Kulusevski runs in the ‘Balkan blood’ of his family.
In an interview with the Players’ Tribune titled “A Letter to Spurs Fans” the Spurs midfielder pours his heart to the many trials and tribulations he faced in his dream to be a successful footballer.
He also expresses immense love and gratitude towards his father and his elder sister; Sandra Kulusevska to whom he referred to as the ‘only critic he respects.’
Throughout the interview, Dejan provides a glimpse to his fans about the ‘tough love’ relation that is between him and his sister. Here he makes it clear that many of the critiques given to him by his sister may sound harsh at first, especially when he is going through difficult times.
For example, when the he was struggling in Juventus, she would say “Deki, when did you become weak?”
After a disappointing performance of his in the game against Wolverhampton where Tottenham lost 0-2, his sister remarked by saying “Hopeless, Deki…. Hopeless….”
These cold comments however, are one of the only sources of motivation that keeps him going.
“Sandra is telling the truth.” He says. “She has seen me play since I was a kid, and when something is bothering me, she can tell.”
This heartwarming interview has led many Spurs fans being fascinated by story behind Dejan Kulusekvsky’s rise and especially with how his sister’s criticism played such an important role in this.
Many on X compare her to other family members of notable Spurs players such as Radu Dragusin’s brother and Guglielmo Vicario’s mom all of whom have also recently made the spotlight.
Amongst the sea of support towards her on social media, one fan even tweets that it would be a wise decision to make ‘Deki’s sister’ the chief motivator of the club.
It might be interesting to note that Sandra Kulusevski too has a career related to sports. While she is not a professional footballer herself, according to her LinkedIn profile she has an educational background in Sports management from Stockholm and currently works in this same field.
In her Instagram account which has over 2,800 followers, she mentions her affiliation to 44sportsagency which is a successful Sports Marketing Agency based in Sweden whose vision is to “help sports – profiles, associations and organizations find commercial collaborations and ambassadors.”
She has also been interviewed by the popular Scandinavian sports network TV 4 (formerly C More Sport) for her opinion on Swedish football.
Hence, it is no surprise that with her strong background and deep understanding of sports, she is armed with all the skills required to motivate her younger brother in the right direction.
