LONDON -- Andrew Luck's path to becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history started some 20 years ago about six miles from Wembley Stadium, where the Indianapolis Colts quarterback will take the field on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

While many of his childhood classmates at the American School in London played soccer during recess, Luck was organizing football games. He and his friends, who came from all around the world, drew odd looks from some of their classmates.

Some of them wondered why Andrew wasn't interested in playing soccer.

Luck enjoyed soccer as a child -- he's still a big fan of the sport -- but his passion was American football. His father, Oliver, had been a standout quarterback at West Virginia University and had played in the NFL with the then-Houston Oilers.

Andrew wanted to be an NFL quarterback, too.

Andrew Luck last year visited The American School in London, which he attended for several years when he was a child. Courtesy of Matt Conti, Colts PR

"Growing up overseas, soccer is the main sport,” Luck said. "But I always wanted to be a football player. That’s why I always organized the games at recess.”

Luck spent 10 of his first 11 years living in Europe. Seven were in Germany and the final three were in London. His father was president of NFL Europe while they were living in London.

In Europe, Luck not only developed his vision to play in the NFL but also became the worldly-wise person he is today. He has had friends from Korea, Italy, Holland and Japan. One of his best friends at the time was from Pakistan, and Luck was envious of how good his friend was at cricket.

When Luck's father went out of town for NFL Europe games on the weekend, he brought the oldest of his four children, Andrew, and made the four-hour trip to Paris or five-hour trek to Italy. They also went to Scotland and Spain.

Andrew wanted to learn about different cultures. Oliver took Andrew to Rhein-Main Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany, to watch the military basketball team play against teams from other bases in Europe. Andrew kept up with the NFL by staying up late to watch games on the American Forces Network.

“We saw a lot,” Oliver said. “Europe is relatively small. Jump in the car and you could be at different places, different countries in no time. My mother is German, so one of the reasons I went over there in 1990 to work for the league was because I spoke German. We were very comfortable there, had a number of relatives and all that.”

Andrew, a man rarely at a loss for words, paused for a moment when asked whether living in Europe had helped shape him into the person he is today.

“I think it affected me as a kid, as an adult,” Luck said. “I like to think I have an appreciation for other cultures and maybe an openness to different ways to do different things. I think when you move a lot as a kid, it makes things easier, maybe more exciting. It’s fresher. I like to think it had a positive impact on me.”

"I think it affected me as a kid, as an adult. I like to think I have an appreciation for other cultures and maybe an openness to different ways to do different things." Andrew Luck on living in Europe as a child

Not every kid is fortunate enough to visit famous museums and historical sites and learn to speak a second language as part of everyday life. Luck can discuss a wide range of global topics almost as well as he can break down a defense.

Oliver moved his family to Houston in 2000 after 10 years in Europe because he and his wife, Kathy, realized there were things in the United States that they missed. They also wanted their children in the U.S. educational system.

But London is still close to Andrew’s heart. He makes nearly annual visits there. His mother spent her grade school years there and basically considered it her hometown, according to Oliver. Andrew has hosted quarterback clinics there in the past. He and tight end Dwayne Allen took part in a football camp at Royal Holloway University this past summer.

And soccer?

Luck, 27, is known to take in an English Premier League match while visiting. He is simply a tourist there, not the Colts' $140 million franchise player.

“It’s semi-close to get to and the time change isn’t too bad,” he said. “I enjoy the city. I was comfortable living there. It’s a fun city like New York. So much you can do. You can blend in and sort of be an anonymous person.”

Luck won’t be anonymous Sunday at Wembley Stadium when the Colts try to even their record at 2-2 while keeping the Jaguars winless.

“A great opportunity, and it should be a lot of fun,” Luck said. “A the end of the day, it’s about football, and it doesn’t matter where it’s played. We’re not going as tourists. I’m not going to see Big Ben or Buckingham Palace. We’re going to play against the Jaguars.”