Croatia’s defender Josko Gvardiol celebrates after scoring against Morocco in the third place play-off match. AFP
Croatia’s rising defender Josko Gvardiol has put his momentary lapse of concentration against Lionel Messi in the semi-final of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 behind.
The 20-year-old RB Leipzig defender was in immense form in Qatar as Croatia defied the odds to make the semi-final. However, his World Cup performance will be marked by a rare lapse of judgement against Argentina when Messi bamboozled him before teeing up Julian Alvarez for Argentina’s third goal.
Gvardiol, wearing a black mask after breaking his nose during a Bundesliga match last month, spoke after Croatia’s 2-1 third-place win over Morocco at the Khalifa Stadium on Saturday and stressed he had put it in the past.
“Well, the match against Argentina is behind us, so I would prefer not to dwell on it too much. It was tough,” Gvardiol said.
“The most important thing is that we came back, that we put our heads together after that match, and knew that we needed to go again.
“For today’s (Saturday) match, I would say that we deserved to win. That is it. We are celebrating and returning home to a warm welcome and to see our families,” he added.
Gvardiol, who has been persistently linked to Premier League giants Chelsea, also shrugged off winning the Best Young Player, which Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez won.
“Currently, it isn’t important to me whether I receive an award for Best Young Player. This medal around my neck is the important thing. I achieved what I wanted. We will celebrate our bronze medals.” Former Germany star Jurgen Klinsmann also had high praise for Gvardiol, calling the young defender one of the winners in Qatar. Gvardiol scored Croatia’s opening goal in the seventh minute of Saturday’s match with a brilliant diving header.
Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates. REUTERS
“Gvardiol is one of the big winners of this World Cup,” Klinsmann told BBC One.
“What a kind of experience he takes with him now. And also getting his moment with Messi. Okay, the best player in the world! Take that lesson and then move on; he showed that today (Saturday). He shook it off and had a brilliant game again, so there’s a lot more to come from Gvardiol,” he added.
Former England international Alex Scott also said the youngster’s potential is beyond limits, adding that football needs these players to come through.
“Their 20-year-old centre-back, again, his potential is limitless. We’re seeing every aspect of his game. We talk about experience and needing youngsters to come through - you always need that balance to blend it out,” Scott said.
With Liverpool rumoured to have joined the chase for Gvardiol, the pursuit will be hot for the 20-year-old who heads back to the Bundesliga, which resumes the second phase of the season on January 20.
