Croatian Gvardiol, Guardiola of defenders, is a challenge for the Brazilian team

In an interview for RB Leipzig’s official website, Josko Gvardiol, 20, tried to explain why he doesn’t feel fear on the field, no matter who his opponent is.

“It’s hard to explain, I think there’s something inside me that makes me always calm and focused. You need to have conviction in yourself to face players with a lot of quality, then it becomes easier.”

Considered one of the best young defenders in the world and valued at more than 100 million euros (R$ 551 million at current exchange rates) for his club, Gvardiol will be able to put his theory into practice this Friday (9), when his selection, Croatia faces Brazil in the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The match will take place at the Cidade da Educação stadium, starting at 12:00 (Brasília time).

The young defender arrived in Qatar with the morale of one of the most valued athletes of his position on the planet. It has corresponded. In the last match of the group stage, against Belgium, he managed to take from Lukaku a goal that would certainly eliminate his team.

So far, the Croatians, in four games, have been leaked twice.

“It was the best defensive move of the World Cup so far,” praised Paolo Maldini, a historic Milan and Italy full-back.

In the opening three rounds, against Morocco, Canada and Belgium, he won 70% of his duels against opposing forwards. He has been playing with a face mask on after suffering a broken nose in early November in a Bundesliga game.

That’s a lot for the left-handed athlete who, in his early years at Dinamo Zagreb’s youth system, was considered too slow to play at left-back and too short to play at centre-back. He is 1.85 m.

His departure to Real Madrid (ESP) is a possibility for the transfer window that will open on January 1st or the following one, in the European summer, in July. RB Leipzig has already rejected two offers from Chelsea (ING) for the player with whom it renewed its contract until 2027. One of them for 90 million euros (R$ 496 million).

This Friday, the mission to stop an attack with Neymar, Richarlison and Vinícius Júnior will be the biggest of all for Gvardiol. Especially as Croatia’s base in the Qatar tournament is aging and no longer has the same mobility as it did four years ago, when it was runner-up in Russia.

His half-back partner Dejan Lovren is 33 years old. The full-backs are more offensive than defensive.

Comfortable with the ball at his feet, confident in individual duels and passing, he is the defender who fits the description of the ideal defender for Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City. The irony is that, due to the supposed physical resemblance to the coach, Gvardiol’s nickname is Pep.

“He is the best defender in the Cup so far. He has presence, he has no problem getting into battles against opposing attackers, he is very physical and has an excellent left foot. He has speed and those are all the attributes you need in a modern defender “, said former England defender Rio Ferdinand, in a comment for BBC Sport.