Joško Gvardiol
#20 · Defender · age 24
Recovering from fractured tibia; Dalić trusts him to start
92
WC26 rating
- Recent form
- 68
- Career peak
- 100
- League level
- 100
- Competition pedigree
- 98
- International pedigree
- 80
- Longevity
- 71
Independent rating — league strength (Opta-anchored) × competition tier × position-normalized output. Not affiliated with EA or FIFA.
Career by season
Source: transfermarkt · fetched 2026-05-29
Gvardiol’s tibia fracture is the second biggest medical question of Croatia’s squad after Kovačić. He is the unmovable left-side centre-back when fit — quick enough to defend a high line, calm enough to play out, and able to invert into midfield when needed — and there is no like-for-like alternative in the squad (Ćaleta-Car and Šutalo are both right-footed). Dalić’s decision to start him in the opener despite under-cooked fitness reflects how essential the profile is. A Croatia tournament with a fully-fit Gvardiol is meaningfully different from one without.
Strengths
- recovery pace as a centre-back
- left-footed line-breaking passing
- ball-carrying out of defence
- aerial duels
Recent form
Fractured tibia in February 2026; returned to City training in late April. Dalić has stated he will start in the opener; sharpness remains a question.
Wore a facial protective mask for much of the 2022 World Cup after breaking his nose against Belgium in a warm-up friendly — Croatia's bracket-defining run happened with him playing in a Phantom-of-the-Opera-style guard.