Analysis

Josko Gvardiol: Charting rise of Croatia defender who will 'touch the stars' at Man City

Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid had been linked with a big-money move for Gvardiol but Croatia international has joined Man City for £77.6m; we detail the 21-year-old's extraordinary rise, taking in spells at Dinamo Zagreb and RB Leipzig

Peter Smith

Senior Football Journalist @psmithXI

Sunday 6 August 2023 12:40, UK

From a goal-scoring demonstration of his talents to a humbling at the Etihad, Josko Gvardiol's two run-ins with Manchester City in the Champions League last season couldn't have been more different.

In the first leg of their last-16 tie, the man in the mask for Croatia at the World Cup showed why, at just 21, he is one of the world's highest-rated young defenders and coveted by Europe's top clubs. His mature defensive display was capped by a towering header to equalise for the German club.

Three weeks later, RB Leipzig were thrashed 7-0 in Manchester, with no answer to the powers of five-goal Erling Haaland. It was a chastening experience for Gvardiol but perhaps one which will add to his drive to reach the very top of the game.

It certainly doesn't seem to have diminished his standing in the eyes of his suitors, with Man City paying a record fee for a defender to bring him to the Etihad.

Such is Gvardiol's standing, Leipzig inserted a €110m (£98m) buyout clause in his contract, which would have become active in 2024. But now Man City have made their move.

So what makes Gvardiol so special?

"He will touch the stars. He will be elite."

Damir Krznar has been an important figure in Gvardiol's meteoric rise - and he is convinced the trajectory will continue.

As academy director at Dinamo Zagreb, he oversaw Gvardiol's development. As Dinamo's head coach he led the club to a league and cup double, with the teenage Gvardiol a breakout star in his defence.

Krznar watched on proudly as the left-footed centre-back grabbed global attention with his team-of-the-tournament worthy displays in Qatar.

Those performances came as no surprise to Krznar, though. He has seen Gvardiol hone his standout combination of technical skill, physical presence and an ice-cool mentality and knew his former player would be at home on the biggest stage. It's where he belongs.

"I expected something like this," said Krznar, now head coach at Maribor. "He played without any mistakes. There was a mistake, maybe, against Lionel Messi for the third goal against Argentina… but this is not a mistake, this is Messi!" Krznar laughs at Gvardiol's unwanted role in a memorable moment of Messi magic.

But while Gvardiol was unable to stop the little maestro on that occasion, it was the defender's consistent approach to the tournament which had the most striking impact on his former coach.

Regardless of the opponent or stage of the competition, Gvardiol was always composed in dangerous areas and brave in possession. They are hallmarks from his earliest years in the Dinamo academy.

"On Croatian television, after the first game, he said 'maybe I need to take more risks'," smiles Krznar. "Imagine that! Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic, who play it simple, possessional football. And this young kid wants to take risks over them!

"This is what makes him great.

"He's a big guy, a tough guy and in a duel he doesn't have a problem," continues Krznar. "He has very good speed, speed of reaction, everything.

"But this is what makes him different: he always searches first to pass forward. A ball to make the progression to the 'one line', to the 'two line', to the 'three line'… and this is a characteristic of midfielders.

"This is [the type of] central defenders we will search for in the future. I think Josko is one of those modern central defenders."

Krznar is again chuckling as he remembers how Gvardiol and his team-mates in the Dinamo Zagreb academy "pulled our nerves apart" as they boldly played out from the back against Chelsea and Bayern Munich in the UEFA youth competitions.

It was a style Krznar and his coaches encouraged. "We were aware that this is football we need to play because the whole world is searching for that," he said.

It was in that forward-thinking environment Gvardiol flourished.

His development gathered pace with his breakthrough into the Dinamo first team, first as a left-back and then at centre-back.

By the time he had the silverware success under Krznar in the 2020/21 season, a move to RB Leipzig had already been agreed for the then-18-year-old, although there had also been interest from Leeds after their promotion to the Premier League.

"He also had an offer from England and at this time it was a divide," says Krznar. "What is better? To go to England or Leipzig?

"When I spoke with him, he said 'I chose Leipzig just because I think it's that mid-step I need to make to go to England, to go to the best league in the world'.

"I think this is a very clever decision for him because he thought or he knew - probably knew - that he can take the place in this team [Leipzig] and this is a place where he can grow, where he can develop more, and come to the Premier League like a completely finished, great player."

He could well be approaching that point now.

"His left foot is outstanding," says Sky Germany reporter Philipp Hinze, who covers RB Leipzig. "His pass accuracy, his passing speed is outstanding.

"Risky passes and dribbling through the first pressing line... line-break passes are one of his best abilities. I've never seen this at this age at this level.

"And his ability to win situations defensively is awesome. He's very athletic and he's a clear, calm player.

"He can be the world's best defender in the next three to five years."

At Leipzig he was given the right support to develop. He began at left-back under Jesse Marsch but the American's successor Domenico Tedesco moved him into the middle and put his full faith in Gvardiol.

"They had a very good relationship," says Hinze. "Under Tedesco he played every game.

"It was with Tedesco that he had a very tough situation with his form around the Europa League semi-final with Rangers. It was bad performance after bad performance… but Tedesco let him play. 'Come on, let's get over this stage.'

"I think that helped him. Then Marco Rose [current Leipzig manager] also knows about his qualities. Rose loves him as well. For me he's one of the best defenders with a left foot, one of the best centre-backs."

The heavy loss at Man City in March shouldn't be any reason to doubt him. For those who have watched his rise closely, the truth of his talent is already known.

"He will be one of the leaders of our national team in the future, of course," says Krznar. "I'm very proud. Not only me but the whole staff at Dinamo Zagreb. It fills us with joy and happiness."