Joško Gvardiol

Joško Gvardiol ( born 23 January 2002) is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club Manchester City and the Croatia national team. Considered one of the best defenders in the world, he is known for his physicality, positioning and marking.

A Dinamo Zagreb youth star, he made his professional debut for the club in 2019, and went on to win two league titles as well as the Croatian Cup. He moved to Bundesliga club RB Leipzig in 2021, where he won two DFB-Pokals, before he was signed by Manchester City in 2023 for £77 million, making him the most expensive defender in footballing history.

A Croatian youth international, Gvardiol made his debut for the senior side in 2021, and represented them at UEFA Euro 2020, the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2024, helping his country to third place at the 2022 tournament.

Early career


Gvardiol started playing football at the age of seven when his father Tihomir, once an amateur player in his native Novigrad, took him to Trešnjevka. While there, he was spotted by Lokomotiva and Zagreb; however, at the last minute he received an offer from Dinamo Zagreb which his family accepted.

Initially, he played as a left-back or a central midfielder until Dinamo academy coach Dalibor Poldrugač moved him to the centre-back position. Soon after, Gvardiol started drawing interest from prominent European clubs, including Manchester City, Lille, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Inter Milan and Roma. He played a key part in Dinamo's 2018–19 UEFA Youth League campaign, where they reached quarter-finals before losing 4–2 to Chelsea in a penalty shootout. After being impressed by his performances for youth teams, senior Dinamo coach Nenad Bjelica called Gvardiol up to the senior team for pre-season games in Slovenia in summer 2019. On 2 July, he scored in a 2–0 friendly win over Austria Klagenfurt. On 10 October 2019, he was included in The Guardian's Next Generation list.

2019–20 season
Gvardiol made his league debut for the senior Dinamo team on 18 October in a 4–2 victory over Gorica, coming on for Mario Gavranović in the 87th minute. In his second league appearance for the club on 2 November, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Inter Zaprešić. That made him the sixth youngest league goalscorer for Dinamo, after Alen Halilović, Mateo Kovačić, Niko Kranjčar, Ante Ćorić and Tin Jedvaj. On 12 February 2020, in a UEFA Youth League play-off against Dynamo Kyiv, Gvardiol successfully converted a penalty in a shootout as Dinamo won 4–3 and qualified for the round of 16. In the round of 16 against Bayern Munich on 4 March, Gvardiol deflected Leon Dajaku's shot into his own net to set the score to 2–2. In the resulting shootout, he successfully converted his attempt again as Dinamo won 6–5 and progressed to the quarter-finals. On 25 June, Gvardiol signed a five-year contract with Dinamo. On 5 July, in the derby against Rijeka when the league title was already secured, Gvardiol deflected Franko Andrijašević's shot into his own net as Rijeka won 2–0, which would eventually cost coach Igor Jovićević his job.

2020–21 season
On 26 August, in the Champions League qualifier against CFR Cluj, Gvardiol came on for Mario Gavranović in the 54th minute following Kévin Théophile-Catherine's red card. The game led to a penalty shootout, with Gvardiol successfully converting his attempt, as Dinamo won 6–5 and progressed to the third qualifying round. In late August and early September, the media reported on the interest of the newly promoted Premier League side Leeds United, whose manager Marcelo Bielsa offered €22 million to sign the 18-year-old;  however, Gvardiol refused the offer and opted to stay in the Prva HNL and develop further. On 16 September, in a Champions League qualifier against Ferencváros, Gvardiol made an error that led to Myrto Uzuni's winning goal for 2–1 as the Hungarian champions knocked Dinamo out to the Europa League play-offs.

However, on 28 September, it was announced that Gvardiol signed for Bundesliga club RB Leipzig on a five-year contract for €16 million, plus various add-ons. The fee was the highest ever paid for a Croatian teenager and the third highest ever paid for a Croatian defender, only behind Dejan Lovren and Duje Ćaleta-Car. Gvardiol remained at Dinamo for the remainder of the season. On 22 October, he debuted for Dinamo in a senior UEFA competition, as Dinamo drew 0–0 with Feyenoord in the Europa League. On 16 November, Gvardiol tested positive for COVID-19, which forced him to miss the derby against Osijek, now coached by Bjelica, on 21 November. On 10 December, Gvardiol scored his first goal in a senior UEFA competition, as Dinamo defeated CSKA Moscow 3–1 in the Europa League. After completion of the Europa League group stage, Gvardiol's performances were highly praised, as Dinamo conceded only one goal and topped their group. On 28 February 2021, he scored the opening goal and assisted the third one in a 3–0 victory over Slaven Belupo. However, after a quadriceps injury in training in early March, he was forced to miss both legs of Dinamo's Europa League Round of 16 tie against Tottenham Hotspur, which Dinamo won 3–2 on aggregate. He returned for the quarter-final match against Villarreal on 8 April, which ended as a 1–0 loss. Three days later, he scored his third goal of the season in a 2–0 victory over Lokomotiva. On 22 May, Gvardiol played his last game for Dinamo, 1–0 victory over Šibenik.

RB Leipzig


Gvardiol made his Bundesliga debut on 20 August 2021 in a 4–0 victory over VfB Stuttgart, playing the entire match. He quickly established himself in Leipzig's starting XI and attracted attention with his good plays. On 15 September, he made his Champions League debut in a 6–3 defeat to Manchester City. On 11 December, he scored his debut goal for Leipzig in a 4–1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. He significantly contributed to Leipzig's good form during the beginning of Domenico Tedesco's tenure as manager, after the poor start of the season during previous manager Jesse Marsch's term. On 23 January 2022, he scored his second goal of the season in a 2–0 victory over VfL Wolfsburg. By the end of the season, Gvardiol helped Leipzig win the DFB-Pokal and reach the semi-finals of the Europa League, accomplishing both feats for the first time in the history of the club. Furthermore, the DFB-Pokal victory was also the first major trophy title in the history of the club.

On 12 August, France Football announced Gvardiol as one of the nominees for the 2022 Kopa Trophy, where he eventually finished in sixth place. On 1 September, Gvardiol extended his contract with RB Leipzig until 2027, with the club having rejected Chelsea's €90 million offer for the player. On 25 October, Gvardiol scored his first ever Champions League goal in a 3–2 victory over Real Madrid. The game was Madrid's first defeat of the season. On 22 February 2023, Gvardiol scored an equalizer in a 1–1 draw with Manchester City in the Champions League round of 16. Aged, he became the youngest Croatian player ever to score in a Champions League knockout phase.

Manchester City
On 5 August 2023, Premier League club Manchester City announced the signing of Gvardiol on a five-year deal, making him the third Croatian to join the club's first team after Vedran Ćorluka and Mateo Kovačić. The fee was undisclosed, but reported to be around £77 million (€90 million), making Gvardiol the second most expensive defender in the world.

Gvardiol made his Premier League debut for Manchester City on 11 August in a 3–0 victory over Burnley, coming on for Rico Lewis in the 79th minute. He was given his first Manchester City start in the 2023 UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, playing the full 90 minutes, with his team winning 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw in regulation time. Three days later, he started his first Premier League game in a 1–0 home win against Newcastle United. On 6 September, Gvardiol was announced as one of the nominees for the 2023 Ballon d'Or. He scored his first Manchester City goal on 9 April 2024, in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, which ended in a 3–3 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu. Four days later, he recorded his first goal and assist in the Premier League in a 5–1 victory over Luton Town. On 11 May, Gvardiol scored the first brace of his career to help City overtake Arsenal in the Premier League title race with a 4–0 away win at Fulham. Eight days later, Gvardiol played the entire match against West Ham United, which Manchester City won 3–1 and won the league title. The triumph made Gvardiol and his teammate Kovačić the second and third ever Croatians to win the Premier League, after Dejan Lovren in 2020.

International career
Gvardiol earned his first call-up to Croatia national under-21 team in October 2019, at the age of 17, when coach Igor Bišćan listed him in the squad for Under-21 Euro 2021 qualifiers against Lithuania and the Czech Republic. Gvardiol debuted on 14 November against the former opponent, being named in the starting lineup, as Croatia won 3–1. On 8 October 2020, he scored the tenth goal in Croatia's 10–0 victory over San Marino, the largest victory in the history of the national team. On 9 March 2021, he was named in Bišćan's 23-man squad for the group stage of the tournament; however, he was forced to miss it due to a quadriceps injury. On 17 May, he was named in Bišćan's 23-man squad for the knockout stage of the tournament, as well as Zlatko Dalić's 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2020.

After losing 2–1 to Spain after extra time in the Under-21 Euro quarter-final, Gvardiol joined the senior team. He made his senior debut in a friendly 1–0 defeat to Belgium on 6 June, being substituted on for Borna Barišić at half-time. A week later, he earned his first start for the national team, in a 1–0 defeat to England in Croatia's opening game of Euro 2020. At the age of, he became the youngest ever player to play for Croatia at a major tournament, surpassing Mateo Kovačić. He went on to start all Croatia's games at the tournament. On 8 October 2021, he scored his debut goal for Croatia in a 3–0 World Cup qualifying victory over Cyprus.

On 9 November 2022, Gvardiol was named in Dalić's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A day later, in a Bundesliga match against Freiburg, Gvardiol broke his nose after colliding with Willi Orbán and prominently wore a face mask during the tournament as a consequence. He received extended praise for his defensive performance in the group stage,  especially in the decisive match against Belgium on 1 December that ended up as a goalless draw and saw Croatia qualify for the knockout stage for the third time in history. On 17 December, in the third place play-off against Morocco, Gvardiol scored his first goal for Croatia at a major tournament. At the age of, he became the youngest ever player to score for Croatia at a major tournament, surpassing Ivica Olić. He was named Man of the Match, as Croatia won 2–1 and claimed their second bronze and third overall World Cup medal in history. Despite being a favourite for the FIFA Young Player Award,  he lost it to Enzo Fernández.

On 5 June 2023, Gvardiol was named in Dalić's 23-man squad for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals; however, on 10 June, he was ruled out due to an abdominal wall injury and replaced by Dion Drena Beljo.

On 7 June 2024, Gvardiol was named in Dalić's final 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.

Style of play
Gvardiol has been described as a modern-day centre-back who can perform all the necessary defensive tasks of a traditional defender while also providing his team with serious ball progression when in possession.

Gvardiol is a left-footed centre-back who is comfortable on the ball and has the ability to break up play with robust tackles. He is also constantly looking to play forward and break opposition lines with his passing. He is most commonly used as a ball playing defender like Manchester City teammate John Stones or a wide centre-back like Manchester City teammate Rúben Dias. His ability on the ball, pace, and intelligence of movement on and off the ball helps him perform both roles seamlessly. He can also be used as a wing-back, primarily on the side of his strong foot, the left. In his time at Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, he was used as a left-back in a back four or the left-most player in a back two or three.

Gvardiol can break the opponent's lines and is a good dribbler under pressure. He can carry the ball forward when space presents itself and slide a smooth pass to a teammate farther up the field. He is a strong and powerful runner, capable of surging forward with the ball at his feet to break lines of pressure. He can muscle past defenders and create space for himself and his teammates. He is also known to be able to link up with attackers higher up in the field to create and finish chances.

Gvardiol has been described by pundits as having a level of maturity in his play style beyond his years. His left-footedness provides an excellent outlet for his team as it allows them to line him up alongside a right-footed partner. He also has good attributes for a defender in spotting danger and having the speed to stop it. He is capable of changing direction quickly to deal with the ball in behind, as well as having the pace and strength to face fast and strong wingers with through balls.

International

 * Scores and results list Croatia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gvardiol goal.

Honours
Dinamo Zagreb
 * Prva HNL: 2019–20, 2020–21
 * Croatian Cup: 2020–21
 * Croatian Super Cup: 2019

RB Leipzig
 * DFB-Pokal: 2021–22, 2022–23

Manchester City
 * Premier League: 2023–24
 * UEFA Super Cup: 2023
 * FIFA Club World Cup: 2023
 * FA Cup runner-up: 2023–24

Croatia
 * FIFA World Cup third place: 2022

Individual
 * Trophy Footballer – Best Prva HNL U-21 player: 2021
 * Trophy Footballer – Team of the Year: 2021
 * IFFHS Men's World Team: 2022
 * IFFHS Men's World Youth (U20) Team: 2022
 * VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2022–23