I nearly quit football for basketball – Gvardiol

Josko Gvardiol became the second-most expensive defender ever after moving to Manchester City from RB Leipzig for £77 million in August 2023.

However, the Croatian international, who is 23 years old, revealed that Dinamo Zagreb was close to ending his “dream” career in football.

The center-back told BBC Sport, “I was considering quitting because I enjoy basketball as well.”

Gvardiol considered options for a career in football after struggling to get game time for Zagreb’s youth team at the age of 16.

“I wasn’t sure in football any longer because, you know, when you get to the training ground, you don’t feel happy anymore,” I said.

Because all of my friends were playing basketball, I was just trying to find other solutions and feel happier than I had before.

Gvardiol bided his time and joined the senior squad, winning back-to-back titles with Zagreb and sealing his move to the Bundesliga for a record sum for a Croatian teenager.

After making 87 appearances for RB Leipzig, Gvardiol signed a five-year deal with Manchester City in 2023, impressing in his two seasons there.

Only one defender in professional football has moved to a higher paying position, joining Manchester United from Leicester City for $80 million in 2019.

Although it was obvious that my goal was to play football professionally, Gvardiol continued, “I didn’t know that I was going to make that leap.”

Gvardiol once engaged in minute-long battles.

No defender has scored more goals in the Premier League since his arrival, making him a crucial part of Guardiola’s system.

Last season, I was like, “No matter what, how I feel, no matter if I’m fit or not, I just want to play.” “I only want to compete to support the team,” said Gvardiol.

“I could feel it on my body, especially in the summer,” he said. My knee injury was a [knee] injury, but it’s now recovered after six months.

He played more than 6, 000 minutes for the club and nation last season, appearing in 55 of City’s 61 games and missing only 140 Premier League games overall.

Gvardiol was named eighth among the top ten players by matchday squad inclusions for 2024 and 25 in a recent Fifapro report.

We can’t forget the fact that he played and played and played like he did last season, according to Guardiola.

Guardiola preferred playing Gvardiol at left-back for the majority of last year, including during a time when the reigning champions only managed one win out of 13 games.

It was Gvardiol’s first trophy-less season since 2016-17, and they remarked of their subpar form: “It was quite challenging to get out of.”

We frequently discussed it and tried to solve it. In the end, we were able to reach the FA Cup final and once more reach the Champions League.

Guardiola’s City appear to have put the problems of the previous season behind them, thanks to their summer signings.

City are now five points clear of their first three Premier League defeats, with Gvardiol making his recognizable left-sided starting debut.

He declared, “I’m happy to be back in my position.” Play as you normally would, “Protect the goal, defend the goal.”

We want to aim high this season, and it’s obvious that we have new goals. However, I like to say that the season is over, so let’s go game by game, and it’s still early to discuss our goals.

Ellen White, a former England and Manchester City forward, claimed that Gvardiol’s return to centre-back has improved the club’s defensive defense this year.

She told BBC Sport, “He was absolutely right at left-back and scored a lot of goals.”

They now concede less goals and shots, which is how the statistics speak for themselves.