Josko Gvardiol
Contract Until: Jun 30, 2028
Profile
Nationality
Croatia
Jersey Number
24
Position
Defender
Preferred Foot
left
Debut
Oct 18, 2019
Place of Birth
Zagreb
Date of Birth
Jan 23, 2002
Age
23
Weight
-- --
Height
185 cm
Career Summary
Form Index
| Season | League | Average Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/2021 | 1. HNL | 7.3 |
| 2021/2022 | Bundesliga | 7.26 |
| 2022/2023 | Bundesliga | 7.1 |
| 2023/2024 | Premier League | 7.49 |
| 2024/2025 | Premier League | 7.35 |
Overall Average: 7.3
Total Seasons: 5
Player Traits
| Trait | Value |
|---|---|
| Defending | 58 |
| Game Reading | 55 |
| Ball Progression | 100 |
| Composure | 88 |
| Attacking | 53 |
| Workrate | 100 |
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Appearance
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Minutes Played
-- --
Assists
-- --
Rating
-- --
Goals
-- --
Started
-- --
Yellow Card
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Red Card
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Career
Clubs
National Team
Matches
Goals
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Traditional defending style is something that everyone in the realm of football likes. While most defenders aim to promote a more attacking style, plenty maintain the traditionality of defending depending upon calculated passes and defensive prowess. Joško Gvardiol aims to be the modern-day centre back showcasing the playing styles of traditional defenders maintaining good form.
Being a left-footed center-back, Gvardiol also plays on the left-back position commanding the play on the pitch showcasing his defensive duties. The 22-year-old was born on January 23, 2002, in Zagreb, Croatia. He currently plays for Premier League club Manchester City and the Croatia National Football team. Being a good dribbler and having the ability to break lines of pressure and carry the ball forward, Gvardiol presents numerous chances for his team to have a breakthrough throughout the match.
Gvardiol is currently highly rated and is one of the most wanted defenders in the world. Given his excellent speed and play style, the 22-year-old has the capability of changing direction quickly and matches the pace and strength of several wingers to control the game more efficiently.
| Full Name | Joško Gvardiol |
| Net Worth | € 13 Million |
| Date of Birth | January 23, 2002 |
| Birthplace | Zagreb, Croatia |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Nationality | Croatian |
| Current Club | Manchester City |
| National Team | Croatia |
| Instagram Followers | 1.5 Million |
Being one of the fastest-rising defenders of the current generation, Gvardiol aims to be the top defender in the team by providing continuous attacking and defensive threats. Having different abilities to break up and form attacking threats throughout the game, Gvardiol is a premier ball-playing defender.
The defender has an estimated net worth of around € 13 Million while being with Manchester City and various brand endorsements. He is being paid € 242,641 weekly by Manchester City earning a hefty amount of money each week. His contract offers him €50.47M in four years which is up to 2028. Gvardiol continues to maintain his position at the top of the defense with excellent form and defending styles.
Gvardiol was born in Zagreb, Croatia to parents Sanja Gvardiol (mother) and Tihomir Gvardiol (father). The 22-year-old has two sisters who are older than her. His father was a popular fisherman and introduced him to football at the age of seven. His father was an amateur player himself in Novigrad, a village in Croatia. Gvardiol lived in Zagreb’s Srednjaki throughout his childhood.
His first sister, Lorena Gvardiol is his immediate older sister who is 25 years old. She works at a fashion company and is involved in the fashion industry. Apart from fashion designing, Lorena is also involved in modeling and Athletics. Gvardiol often posts pictures with his sisters on Instagram and has a great bond with her.
His oldest sister Franka Gvardiol is also a premier athlete and according to sources, she is involved in Handball and Beach Volleyball. She currently plays for a Handball club in Velika Gorica and is an exceptional player in the sport. Joško graduated from Josip Racic Elementary School and chose football as his career after completing his schooling.
Gvardiol started his footballing career with Dinamo Zagreb, which was his dream club growing up. He started in the Dinamo academy as a left-back and central midfielder but was moved to a center-back position by his coach. Playing a crucial role in Dinamo’s 2018-19 UEFA Youth League campaign, he was the centre of attention and attracted several big clubs by his defensive prowess.
Gvardiol’s senior appearance with Dinamo Zagreb started in the 2019-20 season. Having a couple of goals under his name in his first senior team season, Gvardiol impressed the management and coaches with his defensive duties. The 2020-21 season saw him signing for RB Leipzig for €16 million, highest ever fee paid for a Croatian teenager.
Leipzig made his Bundesliga debut on August 20, 2021 garnering attention with his impressive plays. Gvardiol also became the youngest Croatian player to score in the Champions League Knockout phase with his CL goal in 2023 with RB Leipzig.
2023 also saw him joining Premier League side Manchester City for around €90 million making him the second most expensive defender worldwide. He has been exceptionally well since his transfer and has shaken the English football scenario since then.
| Club | Appearances | Goals |
| Dinamo Zagreb II | 4 | 0 |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 52 | 4 |
| RB Leipzig | 88 | 5 |
| Manchester City | 66 | 9 |
The defender started his international career with Croatia U-21 team in 2019 at the age of 17. He was a part of Croatia’s 10-0 victory against San Marino scoring the tenth goal. He made his senior team debut on June 6 against Belgium. He also started his senior career by playing in Euro 2020 and also became the youngest-ever player to play for Croatia.
Gvardiol also played in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and received praise for his performances in the group stage of the tournament. He also scored his first goal for Croatia at a major tournament and also claimed a bronze medal in the World Cup.
The 2023 UEFA Nations League also had Gvardiol in the main squad along with the 2024 UEFA Euro campaign where he performed underwhelmingly.
| Year | Appearances |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 10 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 12 |
The Croatian Defender has kept mostly everything about his personal life and hasn’t been very active about his personal life. Throughout his early professional days, Gvardiol was away from his parents and family. He has been very close with his father since childhood and has developed a deep bond with his father.
Gvardiol hasn’t been vocal about his dating life and as it stands, the Croatian is currently single and is focused on his career. Being professionally driven and aiming for success in the footballing realm, Gvardiol has been active on social media regarding his workout regime and fitness.
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Since his childhood, Gvardiol has been determined and aims for success in every format he plays. In his career with Dinamo Zagreb, Gvardiol has won the Croatian League Prva HNL in 2019-20 and 2020-21 season. He also won the Croatian Cup in 2020-21 and Croatian Super Cup in 2019 season. Given his impressive defensive prowess, Gvardiol was also named the best Prva HNL U-21 Player in 2021.
As a part of Bundesliga’s RB Leipzig, Gvardiol won the DFB-Pokal in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. Gvardiol was also included in the VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season for 2022-23 season. As a part of English giants Manchester City, Gvardiol was a part of the team which won the Premier League in 2023-24 season. The City side also won the FA Community Shield in 2024, UEFA Super Cup in 2023, FIFA Club World Cup in 2023 and were the FA Cup Runners up in 2023-24 season.
Internationally, Gvardiol has been included in the IFFHS Men’s World Team in 202 and the IFFHS Men’s World Youth (U20) Team in 2022. He was also a part of Croatia’s FIFA World Cup squad which secured a bronze medal (third place) in 2022.
| Club/Team | Honour |
| Dinamo Zagreb | PRVA HNL (2019-20, 2020-21) Croatian Cup – 2020-21 Croatian Super Cup 2019 Best PRVA HNL U-21 Player (2021) |
| RB Leipzig | DFB Pokal (2021-22,2022-23) VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season (2022-23) |
| Manchester City | Premier League (2023-24) FA Community Shield (2024) UEFA Super Cup (2023) FIFA Club World Cup (2023) FA Cup Runner-up (2023-24) |
| Croatia | FIFA World Cup (Third Place -2022) IFFHS Men’s World Team (2022) IFFHS Men’s World Youth U-20 Team (2022) |
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