Josko Gvardiol started playing football at the age of 7, playing for local side Tresnjevka.
It didn’t take long for scouts to notice his ability, and he joined Dinamo Zagreb as a youth player in 2010.
Over the next nine years, Gvardiol made his way up the ranks at Dinamo, gaining further attention from a host of top European clubs for his performances in the UEFA Youth League.
He would go on to make his professional debut against Gorica in October 2019, before leaving his homeland for his first big move.
Gvardiol’s transfer to Germany
The Red Bull group are known for discovering talent at a young age, and RB Leipzig decided to spend nearly €37m on the defender in the summer of 2021.
Gvardiol had only played 52 senior games prior to his switch to the Bundesliga but the sizeable fee reflected what an exellent footballer he was.
Playing as a centre-back, the Croatian helped Leipzig win two consecutive Deutsches Pokals – the German equivalent of the FA Cup. Gvadiol was also instrumental in his team qualifying for the Champions League in 2021/2022 and 2022/2023.
His arrival at City
With Gvardiol’s reputation increasing further still, he had attracted the interest of the Cityzens, who decided to spend €90m to bring him to the Etihad in the summer of 2023, making him the second most expensive defender in football history.
Despite being deployed mostly as a centre-half at both Dinamo Zagreb and RB Leipzig, manager Pep Guardiola opted to start him at left-back; a position he hadn’t played in on a regular basis since youth team football.
Initially, Gvardiol didn’t look at all comfortable in his new role, with wingers beating him for pace, but his ability on the ball soon came to the fore. By the end of his first season, he had scored 5 goals, including a brace against Fulham. He has continued to venture forward with abandon during his second campaign with City, although there are some who still feel that his future lies at centre-back. At 23 years of age, though, he possesses the potential to go on to do even greater things in the future.
Career Achievements
- He has won 9 major honours in his career, including the Premier League, the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, the Community Shield, two Deutsches Pokals, two Croatian League titles, the Croatian Cup and the Croatian Super Cup.
- Gvardiol has won 39 caps for Croatia and was part of the side that finished 3rd in the 2022 World Cup.
- He was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season in 2022/23.
- Gvardiol was named in the IFFHS Men’s World Team in 2022.
Find out who is in Manchester City’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
