Croatia has been a decorated hub for some of the world’s most prestigious and classy footballing talents. The 2018 World Cup finalists have been excellent in producing world-class players consistently. Luka Modric, Matteo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, Ivan Perisic and Ivan Rakitic are some of the most heralded names of this generation.
Their talent hub isn’t showing any signs of slowing down too with the likes of Lovro Majer and Luka Sucic placing themselves as two of Croatia’s most exciting young stars. But arguably the biggest and most brightest of the lot, already garnering much attention and plaudits for his abilities and performances is RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol.
Even though he’s only just completed his first full campaign in one of the major European leagues, he is already one of the most in-demand young defenders on the continent.
The centre-back colossus is just 20-years-old but is already an established player for club and country. Gvardiol has been excellent ever since bursting onto the scene with Dinamo Zagreb in 2019.
The past few months have already seen him linked with some of Europe’s most prestigious names, with Chelsea showing a strong interest before the summer window’s conclusion. With his current deal at Leipzig now taking him right down to 2027, he certainly won’t come cheap and considering his stunning potential and importance to their cause, his potential hefty price tag seems justified.
So how has Gvardiol gotten to this position?
Who is Joško Gvardiol?
The 6’1″ defender started out at NK Tresnjevka as a seven-year-old, where he was taken by his father Tihomir, an amateur footballer himself. A year later in 2010, Croatian giants Dinamo came calling, and he stayed there for over a decade until his switch to Leipzig in summer 2021.
Over the course of the 2018/19 season, 17-year-old Gvardiol helped Dinamo to the UEFA Youth League quarter-finals – where they lost on penalties to English side Chelsea – and lifted the Croatian youth league title.
He was then promoted to the second team the following campaign but, after making just two appearances, was promptly called up for first-team duty and made his Zagreb debut in October 2019. Having represented Croatia since starting out with the U14s in 2016, Gvardiol also made his U21 debut a month later against Lithuania.
Gvardiol – named as one of The Guardian‘s 60 Next Generation European footballers ahead of the 2019/20 campaign – featured in a total of 11 times in the league the season before last as Dinamo clinched the title. He also got his first taste of UEFA Champions League football at the start of 2020/21, with two qualifying matches as Zagreb were knocked out in the third round by Ferencvaros.
His move to Leipzig in July 2021 seems the perfect one for his development, and his debut season in Germany was a sensational one, the youngster seamlessly adapting to life at the top level and swiftly securing a regular spot in the Leipzig line-up under previous manager Jesse Marsch. In total he made 29 Bundesliga appearances, scoring twice, while he also featured a further 17 times across the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and DFB Cup.
Head coach Domenico Tedesco previously hailed the centre-back’s “mental strength” as among his chief attributes, while he also became a deserved full Croatia international over the course of last season, going on to make 10 caps for his nation at the time of writing.
What’s so special Gvardiol? Why is he highly-coveted?
Gvardiol is really the complete package of a modern day centre-half.
His ability to progress the ball, range of passing, excellent carrying and dribbling skills, no-nonsense tenaciousness, and fantastic 1v1 defending, among other traits, make Joško one of the best young centre-backs in the world, and one of the best defenders in the Bundesliga, full stop.
The most intriguing and unique aspect of Gvardiol is that he is a left-footed centre-back, and a truly decorated one at that. Those are very rare to find in the modern game, and when a team does possess one, you’d easily spot why they are so crucial in a team’s tactical setup both positionally and in possession.
The role of a centre-back has evolved significantly over recent years. From just being the player who would put out fires and clean up damage imposed upon them on opposition attackers, centre-backs are now fundamental to their team’s buildup play and sustaining of attacks, and Gvardiol has swiftly proven that he is amongst the best in possession.
In fact, amongst all players in Bundesliga last term – ALL PLAYERS, not just defenders – he ranked first for expected threat (xT) (3.51) and xT (3.13) from passes. He is a phenomenal and influential outlet on the ball.
The Zagreb-born colossus is nowhere near a traditional centre-back. One look at his numbers suggests that this is a player who loves getting high up the pitch and advancing the ball.
He averaged 5.31 progressive passes per 90 last season along with receiving 0.67 progressive passes per 90. He ranks in the top 3% of centre-backs amongst Europe’s top five leagues for progressive passes and in the top 6% for progressive carries (5.45) and top 1% for dribbles completed (0.89) showcasing that he loves branching out from his defensive line and dribbling his way through opponent’s press in order to get his team up the pitch, or open up passing lanes for his midfielders.
Being able to move the ball up the pitch is paramount to a team’s success, especially possession-heavy teams; as previously stated, the modern-day centre-back must be very good at progressing the ball, by means of either passing or carrying and the £31.5m-rated juggernaut is superb at both attributes, as highlighted by the numbers above – it is the Croatian’s calling card when he is not engrossed in shepherding opposition attackers away from his own goal.
He is supremely confident when performing both actions, heavily reliant on his aggression, impressive ball-control and wonderful vision in being able to spot his more forward-thinking teammates within dangerous areas in the attacking third.
Gvardiol’s propensity to always try to make the penetrative pass, even when under pressure, greatly allowing his team to have more positional freedom in buildup. Once he receives possession, he holds the knack of constantly scanning his surroundings, looking up and deciding which players to pick out.
Moving the ball into the opposition final third, locating attackers in dangerous positions, is another key element in being a modern-day centre-back.
Whether it be through solo runs like Gvardiol often does, or brilliant switches of play to forwards that allow them to carry into space, rapidly getting the football into the last third of pitch is a great skill, and benefits team attacks massively.
It’s incredibly vital to remember, that last season was his first campaign playing top-level football, so all the stats seen in this report must be taken in with much awe and inspired looks. In the Bundesliga, amongst all outfield players he ranked 5th for passes into the final third (165), sixth for through balls (8), 10th for progressive carrying distance (4455) and sixth for pass targets (1722) which means the number of times a player was the target of an attempted pass. That coupled with his sensational passing success rate of 91%, he is an astute, decisive and accurate passer of the ball.
Even though he is so adept in attack, a Gvardiol scout report is very incomplete without mentioning his defensive work. He applies 11.75 pressures per 90, pitting him in the top 16% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues, which allows him to close attackers quickly often. Moreover, Gvardiol has recorded 2.19 tackles, and 2.03 blocks per 90.
Given how far up the pitch he likes to venture into, the true mark of his defending lies in his interceptions. He averages 3.22 interceptions per 90, putting him in the 98th percentile amongst defenders across Europe and 5th amongst all Bundesliga players (89). He is a stunning reader of the game, but also combative and aggressive presence as he is expected to be considering his frame and size, at just the tender age of 20 too.
Gvardiol is extremely quick on his feet, meaning he covers ground rapidly to diffuse any threatening situations. Therefore, it is no surprise why Gvardiol has been a supreme fit at Leipzig and more importantly a consummate figure at the highest level. His tackling ability is top-notch and combined with his excellent recovery pace, he is a very good active defender and often comes out on top when he engages in duels.
Though, his aerial abilities is one he must work on, he only wins 2.46 aerial duels despite his 6 foot 1 frame, which doesn’t make for pleasing reading. The game is evolving at such a rate nowadays that centre-backs have got to be as proactive in the air as they are on the ground, but with more maturity and develop, that weakness isn’t one for much pressing concern.
What’s impressive of the 20-year-old defender is how quickly he’s become an impactful presence in the Leipzig back-line alongside Wili Orban and Mohamed Simakan. He’s quickly become a leader, and is very vocal when he wants to be. Not just barking orders at his fellow defenders, but to his experienced midfielders in front too, such as Kevin Kampl and Konrad Laimer. That’s all part and parcel of the impressive and complete package that the Croatian rock-solid star offers.
What does the future hold for Joško Gvardiol?
Gvardiol is in for a truly decorated and successful future both at club level and international too. It’s no secret that he is one of Europe’s most coveted centre-back out there right now, which means there are no shortage of suitors for his signature, with Chelsea and Manchester City specifically lurking.
However, it is vital that the £21k-per-week star continues his rapid progression at a steady and progressive side like Leipzig who can continue to offer him much room to grow, mature, develop and most of all, the room to make mistakes that doesn’t bring much scrutiny and criticism as a more enhanced and elite club side may pour on him.
Again, he’s still only 20 years of age, and while he’s of course taken giant strides over the past 12 months, there is still much more for Gvardiol to learn as he continues his upward trajectory. Certainly, his numbers may be inflated due to Domenico Tedesco’s insistence in playing a back three at Leipzig.
Just how will Gvardiol fare in playing week-in, week-out in a back four? That is one possible flaw that top sides will take into consideration when scouting him. It is unclear whether Tedesco will change his system next season, but trying out the Croatian in a back four could really help develop him further.
With the World Cup looming this winter – in which Gvardiol is currently guaranteed a spot on the Croatian plane barring any injuries – the Zagreb-born juggernaut must stay in Leipzig where he is loved and appreciated in order to continue his incredible trajectory.
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