Manchester City defender admits he was “thinking about quitting” football “to feel happier” in life | OneFootball

Josko Gvardiol’s sporting career could have gone in a very different direction early on in his teenage life, the Manchester City defender has revealed.

Before emerging as one of Europe’s most complete defenders and sealing a record-breaking move to the Etihad Stadium, Gvardiol’s path and rise within the game was far from straightforward.

The Croatian international, now a key figure in Pep Guardiola’s system, once questioned whether football was for him, with his teenage years marked by a period of doubt and a desire for happiness away from the pressures of elite youth sport.

Having joined Dinamo Zagreb’s academy at a young age, Gvardiol quickly developed a reputation for tactical intelligence, composure, and left-footed precision. But despite promise, he revealed the demands of professional football as a teenager nearly pushed him away from the sport entirely – offering a glimpse into the human side of modern footballers.

Josko Gvardiol’s journey from self-doubt to Premier League title-winning success highlights the emotional resilience required to thrive at the top level, especially for players who leave home young to chase their professional dreams.

Speaking during a new interview with BBC Sport, Gvardiol said, “I was thinking about quitting because I like basketball as well. I wasn’t sure in football any more 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,” he continued. “My dream obviously was to become a professional football player, but I didn’t know that I was going to go that far.

“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.”

Thankfully for both club and country, Josko Gvardiol rediscovered his passion winning back-to-back league titles with Dinamo Zagreb’s senior side and signing off with a domestic double before securing a £16 million transfer to RB Leipzig – a record fee for a Croatian teenager.

Gvardiol’s two standout seasons in the Bundesliga, where he amassed 87 appearances, then caught the attention of Europe’s elite and led to his £77 million move to Manchester City in the summer of 2023.

Now thriving under Pep Guardiola, Josko Gvardiol has become a key component of Manchester City’s evolving defensive line – capable of playing as a centre-back, left-back, or even an inverted midfielder.