German football analyst Matt Ford provides expert insight on defender Josko Gvardiol who is set to move to Manchester City.
Player analysis - Josko Gvardiol
When Dinamo Zagreb supporters boarded the number 5 tram after watching their team beat Inter Zapresic in November 2019, they were joined by an unexpectedly familiar face, Gvardiol.
The then 17-year-old defender had just played his first full 90 minutes for Dinamo, scoring the only goal of the match in a 1-0 win.
See: Guardiola: Gvardiol will hopefully be a City player in a few days
Humble beginnings
However, having not yet passed his driving test, the quickest way back to the suburb of Srednjaci, where he had grown up in one of the four apartment blocks which characterise the area, was via Zagreb’s public transport system.
Juraj Vrdoljak, a Croatian football journalist who has followed Gvardiol’s rise for local outlet Telesport, wasn’t surprised.
“He’s very down to earth and very smart for his age – an all-round nice kid,” he said.
“His dad sells fish for a living in Zagreb and his mum is a baker. He always said if he didn't end up as a footballer, he would be a pastry chef.”
From Dinamo to Leipzig
But Gvardiol’s gastronomy dreams were put on hold as he established himself in Dinamo’s first-team before being snapped up by Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in 2021, following in the footsteps of former team-mate and Spain international Dani Olmo.
While he – and indeed the rest of the team – initially struggled under former head coach Jesse Marsch, Gvardiol blossomed with Domenico Tedesco in charge.
The slightly more defensively minded German tactician who appreciated the Croat’s physical presence, tactical flexibility and positive attitude.
“Josko is extremely important for us,” Tedesco said in September 2022, having led Leipzig to a maiden German Cup triumph. “He’s a player who gives us stability with a good mentality. We’re happy and proud that he’s our player.”
First encounter
But Gvardiol had long since attracted the attention of Europe’s top clubs – including Man City, who likely first came across him in UEFA Youth League matches against Dinamo Zagreb back in 2019.
In 2021, they crossed paths again. Gvardiol made his UEFA Champions League debut in a brief, late appearance in a 6-3 defeat in Manchester, before playing the full 90 minutes in the return fixture in Leipzig, which his side won 2-1.
It wasn’t enough to prevent Leipzig from dropping into the UEFA Europa League, but Gvardiol had proven that he had UEFA Champions League quality.
“I always try to remain calm and concentrated,” he said in an interview with Leipzig’s official website, explaining how he approaches games at the highest level.
“Especially when you’re facing top quality players, you need that concentration and conviction, then it’s easier.”
Strong partnership
In Leipzig, Gvardiol formed a particularly strong partnership with club captain and Hungarian international Willi Orban, either as part of a three-or five-man defence under Tedesco, or in a back four under his successor Marco Rose.
Asked what’s important for a good defensive partnership, he told the club website: “The key is that we spend a lot of time together, both on and off the pitch, and that we talk a lot about situations in matches. That helps to establish a mutual understanding.”
Gvardiol was a significant factor in back-to-back cup wins for Leipzig but, like in Zagreb, it might be yet another amusing incident off the ball which sticks in fans’ minds.
When Gvardiol ran to celebrate Leipzig’s first goal in a 1-0 UEFA Champions League away fixture at Club Brugge in November 2021, a cup of beer was thrown from the stands. As if dealing with an incoming cross, Gvardiol calmly jumped and headed the cup away.
“That was a crazy moment,” he recalled. “I was really pumped up for that game and then, as I ran over to celebrate the goal, I saw the cup flying towards us. So, to protect the lads, I tried to head it away. But I think I caught it more with my shoulder or elbow to be honest!”
Whether in the UEFA Youth League, the Croatian first division, the Bundesliga or the UEFA Champions League, Gvardiol has always remained the down-to-earth lad from the apartment blocks of Srednjaci, Zagreb.
But whether he’ll ever be spotted on the 192 bus in Manchester, after Premier League matches, remains to be seen.
Matt Ford (@matt_4d) is a freelance journalist specialising in German football, fan culture and sports politics
