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Josko Gvardiol Says He Nearly Quit Football to Pursue Basketball as a Teen

The Manchester City defender recounts to BBC Sport how frustration over limited minutes at Dinamo Zagreb pushed him to consider another sport.

Overview

  • At 16 in Dinamo Zagreb’s youth ranks, he said he no longer enjoyed training and considered basketball as many of his friends played it.
  • He persevered to break into Dinamo’s first team, helped win back-to-back Croatian titles, then moved to RB Leipzig for about £16m, a record for a Croatian teenager.
  • Manchester City signed him in August 2023 for a reported £77m, making him one of the most expensive defenders.
  • He has since become a mainstay for City, appearing in 55 of 61 matches last season and scoring 11 goals across two campaigns while logging heavy minutes.
  • He said he played through a knee issue before a six-month recovery, and he has recently featured at left-sided centre-back as City chase leaders Arsenal ahead of an Oct. 26 trip to Aston Villa.