Manchester City defender, Josko Gvardiol, has revealed that he almost quit football for basketball during his early days at Dinamo Zagreb due to limited playing opportunities.
The 23-year-old Croatian international made the revelation in an interview with the BBC, recalling how frustration over lack of game time made him question his future in football.
“I was thinking about quitting because I like basketball as well,” Gvardiol said. “I wasn’t sure about football anymore because when you get to the training ground, you don’t feel happy any more, you know? I was just trying to find other solutions and to feel happier than I felt before because all of my friends were playing basketball.”
Despite his doubts, Gvardiol eventually broke into the Dinamo Zagreb first team after helping the club win two trophies. His performances earned him a move to German side RB Leipzig in a £16 million deal — a record fee for a Croatian teenager at the time.
After an impressive spell in the Bundesliga, where he made 87 appearances, Gvardiol caught the attention of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. He joined the Premier League champions for £77 million, becoming the second-most expensive defender in English football history.
Reflecting on his rise, Gvardiol admitted that he never imagined he would reach such heights. “My dream obviously was to become a professional football player, but I didn’t know that I was going to go that far,” he said. “If you go five years back and ask me, do you see yourself at Manchester City in 2023, ’24, ’25? I would say no chance, like really impossible.”
Since joining City, Gvardiol has become a regular starter, featuring in 55 of the club’s 61 games last season and playing over 6,000 minutes for both club and country. Remarkably, no defender in the Premier League has scored more goals than the Croatian since his arrival.
