Aleksandar Duric forged a hugely successful career as a footballer in Singapore. As a child in Josep Tito’s Yugoslavia, football wasn’t even among his favourite sports. His autobiography Beyond Borders lends compelling shades to an already colourful journey.
One of the most popular names in the modern era, Alexander is the name derived from the Greek word Alexandros, which means “the defender of the people”. It is a combination of the word alexin, which means “to defend”, and the noun andros, which refers to “a man”.
In the ancient times, it was a common name bestowed to a typical Greek male warrior who possessed the exceptional ability to withstand or push back enemies during combat. The most famous bearer of the name during that era was none other than Alexander The Great. Unsurprisingly, subsequent generations of parents would name their sons the same in hope they would grow up to be as prominent as their most famous namesake.
Mladen and Nada Duric, a traditional Yugoslav couple from Lipac, were no different when they were considering naming their second son. To them, the Serbian variant Aleksandar seemed to be the perfect fit for the boy. How inspired the choice of name would be, as his extraordinary life story transcended through personal challenges and moments of tragedy and triumphs to be where he is today.