Croatia exceeded expectations at the World Cup and reached the semi-finals. Even if she lost there, she still has a chance to at least win the bronze. Joško Guardiol is one of the driving forces behind the choice of Zlatko Dalič. He has been ranked among the biggest discoveries of the tournament, yet he has been coached by Lionel Messi. And the defender himself?
He will only celebrate his 21st birthday in January, but we can slowly start talking about him as one of the best defenders of the coming years. He is already among the most talented and confirmed his qualities also at the World Cup in Qatar.
Joško Gvardiol has been a player at RB Leipzig since the summer of 2021, he quickly made his way through the starting lineup in his shirt, and it was clear he would start to be a force in the Croatia national team as well. And that’s exactly what happened.
Thanks to him, Croatia reached the semifinals in Qatar. However, it wasn’t enough for Argentina, who coached the European team and won 3:0. The match was dominated by Lionel Messi, who among other things buttered Guardiola’s bread.
Guardiol, regarded by many as the league’s greatest discovery up to that point, failed to hand the ball to the 35-year-old legend, and Messi sprinted across half-field to reach the penalty area, where he presented the ball to Julian Alvarez in front of the open door.
There has been much discussion about what this may do to the 20-year-old defender’s psyche, however, the Croatian himself says he was not responsible for the goal conceded. “He is the best footballer in history” Guardiol is clear.
“I’ve played against Messi before, but when he plays for Argentina he’s a completely different player.” the server quotes Guardiola’s statement Bulinews.
Among other things, the Croatian talent stressed that no player is flawless, especially in the case of defenders. So he expects himself to make mistakes and that it was certainly not his last mistake. However, he promises to try to make as few mistakes as possible.
Source: World sports, FIFA
