A former Croatian youth international, Gvardiol made his debut for the senior side in 2021, and represented them atUEFA Euro 2020, the2022 FIFA World Cup andEuro 2024, helping his country to third place at the 2022 tournament.
Gvardiol was born on 23 January 2002 inZagreb, Croatia.[10] His father, Tihomir, a native ofNovigrad nearZadar, works as a fisherman. His mother, Sanja, a native of theSrednjaci neighbourhood of Zagreb,[11] works as an employee of a wholesale company.[12] His older sisters Lorena and Franka are a fashion model and a handball player, respectively.[13]
As a youth footballer forDinamo Zagreb, Gvardiol struggled with playing time and initially considered quitting football to sell fish. However, he decided to continue his career after a family friend drew up amental map to encourage him.[14]
Gvardiol started playing football at the age of seven when his father Tihomir, once an amateur player in his native Novigrad, took him toTrešnjevka.[15] While there, he was spotted byLokomotiva andZagreb. However, at the last minute, he received an offer fromDinamo Zagreb which his family accepted.[16]
On 12 February 2020, in aUEFA Youth Leagueplay-off againstDynamo Kyiv, Gvardiol successfully converted apenalty in a shootout as Dinamo won 4–3 and qualified for theround of 16.[27] In the round of 16 againstBayern Munich on 4 March, Gvardiol deflectedLeon Dajaku's shotinto 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 thequarter-finals.[28] On 25 June, Gvardiol signed a five-year contract with Dinamo.[29] On 5 July, in thederby againstRijeka when the league title was already secured, Gvardiol deflectedFranko Andrijašević's shot into his own net as Rijeka won 2–0, which would eventually cost coachIgor Jovićević his job.[30][31]
However, on 28 September, it was announced that Gvardiol signed forBundesliga clubRB Leipzig on a five-year contract for €16 million, plus various add-ons.[42] The fee was the highest ever paid for a Croatian teenager and the third highest ever paid for a Croatian defender, only behindDejan Lovren andDuje Ćaleta-Car.[43] Gvardiol remained at Dinamo for the remainder of theseason.[42] On 22 October, he debuted for Dinamo in a seniorUEFA competition in a goalless draw againstFeyenoord in the Europa League.[44] On 16 November, Gvardiol tested positive forCOVID-19, which forced him to miss the derby againstOsijek, now managed by Bjelica, on 21 November.[45][46] On 10 December, Gvardiol scored his first goal in a senior UEFA competition, as Dinamo defeatedCSKA Moscow 3–1 in the Europa League.[47] After completion of theEuropa League group stage, Gvardiol's performances were highly praised, as Dinamo conceded only one goal and topped their group.[48]
On 28 February 2021, Gvardiol scored the opening goal and assisted the third one in a 3–0 victory againstSlaven Belupo.[49] However, after aquadriceps injury in training in early March, he was forced to miss both legs of Dinamo'sEuropa League Round of 16 tie againstTottenham Hotspur, which Dinamo won 3–2 onaggregate.[50][51][52] He returned for thequarter-final match againstVillarreal on 8 April, which ended as a 1–0 loss.[53][54] Three days later, he scored his third goal of the season in a 2–0 victory over Lokomotiva.[55] On 22 May, Gvardiol played his last game for Dinamo, 1–0 victory againstŠibenik.[56][57]
Gvardiol made hisBundesliga debut on 20 August 2021 in a 4–0 victory overVfB Stuttgart, playing the entire match.[58] He quickly established himself in Leipzig's starting XI and attracted attention with his good plays.[59]
On 23 January 2022, he scored his second goal of the season in a 2–0 victory overVfL Wolfsburg.[66] By the end of the season, Gvardiol helped Leipzig win theDFB-Pokal and reach thesemi-finals of theEuropa League, accomplishing both feats for the first time in the history of the club.[67] Furthermore, the DFB-Pokal victory was also the first major trophy title in the history of the club.[68] On 12 August,France Football announced Gvardiol as one of the nominees for the2022 Kopa Trophy,[69] where he eventually finished in sixth place.[70] On 1 September, Gvardiol extended his contract with RB Leipzig until 2027, with the club having rejectedChelsea's €90 million offer for the player.[71] On 25 October, Gvardiol scored his first everChampions League goal in a 3–2 victory overReal Madrid.[72][73] The game was Madrid's first defeat of theseason.[74] On 22 February 2023, Gvardiol scored an equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Manchester City in theChampions League round of 16. Aged 21 years and 30 days, he became the youngest Croatian player ever to score in a Champions League knockout phase.[75]
On 5 August 2023,Premier League club Manchester City announced the signing of Gvardiol on a five-year deal,[76] making him the third Croatian to join the club's first team afterVedran Ćorluka and Mateo Kovačić.[77] The fee was undisclosed, but reported to be around £77 million (€90 million), making Gvardiol thesecond most expensive defender in the world.[78][79]
Gvardiol made hisPremier League debut for Manchester City on 11 August in a 3–0 victory overBurnley, coming on forRico Lewis in the 79th minute. He was given his first Manchester City start in the2023 UEFA Super Cup againstSevilla, playing the full 90 minutes, with his team winning 5–4 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw in regulation time.[80] Three days later, he started his first Premier League game in a 1–0 home win againstNewcastle United.[81] On 6 September, Gvardiol was announced as one of the nominees for the2023 Ballon d'Or.[82] He scored his first Manchester City goal on 9 April 2024, in the first leg of theChampions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, which ended in a 3–3 draw at theSantiago Bernabéu.[83] Four days later, he recorded his first goal and assist in the Premier League in a 5–1 victory overLuton Town.[84] On 11 May, Gvardiol scored the first brace of his career to help City overtakeArsenal in the Premier League title race with a 4–0 away win atFulham.[85] Eight days later, Gvardiol played the entire match againstWest Ham United, which Manchester City won 3–1, securing the league title.[86] The triumph made Gvardiol and his teammate Kovačić the second and third ever Croatians to win the Premier League, after Dejan Lovren in2020.[87]
Gvardiol earned his first call-up toCroatia national under-21 team in October 2019, at the age of 17, when coachIgor Bišćan listed him in the squad forUnder-21 Euro 2021qualifiers againstLithuania and theCzech Republic.[91] Gvardiol debuted on 14 November against the former opponent, being named in the starting line-up, as Croatia won 3–1.[92] On 8 October 2020, he scored the tenth goal in Croatia's 10–0 victory overSan Marino, the largest victory in the history of the national team.[93] On 9 March 2021, he was named in Bišćan's23-man squad for the group stage of the tournament; however, he was forced to miss it due to a quadriceps injury.[94][50][51] On 17 May, he was named in Bišćan's23-man squad for the knockout stage of the tournament,[95] as well asZlatko Dalić's26-man squad for theUEFA Euro 2020.[96]
After losing 2–1 toSpain afterextra time in theUnder-21 Euro quarter-final,[97] Gvardiol joined thesenior team.[98] He made his senior debut in a friendly 1–0 defeat toBelgium on 6 June, coming on as a substitute toBorna Barišić at half-time.[99][100] One week later, he earned his first start for the national team, in a 1–0 defeat againstEngland in Croatia's opening game of Euro 2020.[101][102] At the age of 19 years, 4 months and 21 days, he became the youngest ever player to play for Croatia at a major tournament, surpassing Mateo Kovačić.[103][104][user-generated source] He went on to start all Croatia's games at the tournament.[105] On 8 October 2021, he scored his debut goal for Croatia in a 3–0World Cup qualifying victory againstCyprus.[106]
On 9 November 2022, Gvardiol was named in Dalić's26-man squad for the2022 FIFA World Cup.[107] A day later, in aBundesliga match againstFreiburg, Gvardiol broke his nose after colliding withWilli Orbán and prominently wore a face mask during the tournament as a consequence.[108][109][110][111] He received extended praise for his defensive performance in thegroup stage,[112][113][114] especially in the decisive match against Belgium on 1 December that ended up as a goalless draw and saw Croatia qualify for theknockout stage for the third time in history.[115][116][117] On 17 December, in thethird place play-off againstMorocco, Gvardiol scored his first goal for Croatia at a major tournament. At the age of 20 years, 10 months and 24 days, he became the youngest ever player to score for Croatia at a major tournament, surpassingIvica Olić.[118] He was namedMan of the Match,[119] as Croatia won 2–1 and claimed their second bronze and third overall World Cup medal in history.[120] Despite being a favourite for theFIFA Young Player Award,[121][122][123] he lost it toEnzo Fernández.[124][125]
Gvardiol has been described as a modern-day centre-back who can perform all the necessary defensive tasks of a traditionaldefender while also providing his team with serious ball progression when in possession.[132][133][134]
Gvardiol is a left-footedcentre-back who is comfortable on the ball and has the ability to break up play with robust tackles.[134][135] He is also constantly looking to play forward and break opposition lines with his passing.[134][136] He is most commonly used as aball-playing defender like Manchester City teammateJohn Stones or awide centre-back like Manchester City teammateRúben Dias.[132][137] His ability on the ball, pace, and intelligence of movement on and off the ball helps him perform both roles seamlessly.[135][137] He can also be used as awing-back, primarily on the side of his strong foot, the left.[133][136] In his time at RB Leipzig, he was used as a left-back in a back four or the left-most player in a back two or three.[132][133][137]
Gvardiol can break the opponent's lines and is a good dribbler under pressure.[134][135] He can carry the ball forward when space presents itself and slide a smooth pass to a teammate farther up the field.[136][137] He is a strong and powerful runner, capable of surging forward with the ball at his feet to break lines of pressure.[132][137] 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.[134][135][137]
Gvardiol has been described by pundits as having a level of maturity in his play style beyond his years.[136][137] His left-footedness provides an excellent outlet for his team as it allows them to line him up alongside a right-footed partner.[132][134] He also has good attributes for a defender in spotting danger and having the speed to stop it.[134][135] 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.[136][137]
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Cyprus
Morocco
Portugal
Faroe Islands
