LONDON: While Croatia playmaker Luka Modric will hog the limelight in what is likely to be his swansong international tournament, the country's fortunes at Euro 2024 may equally depend on the form of defensive lynchpin Josko Gvardiol.
The 22-year-old shot to prominence at the last World Cup, when his sterling work alongside Dejan Lovren helped propel Croatia to the semi-finals before their balloon was eventually burst by eventual champions Argentina.
Throughout the tournament Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic sang Gvardiol's praises and when they reached the knockout stages he did not hold back.
"Gvardiol is the best centre back in the world," he said. "To play this maturely, it's amazing."
Gvardiol may not be the biggest but he is strong and quick and his performances in Qatar caught the attention of Manchester City, who splashed out 77 million pounds ($96.87 million) to take him from RB Leipzig to the Etihad Stadium last August.
Like many players do when they arrive in the Premier League, especially when they have to adjust to Pep Guardiola's exacting tactical demands, the Croatian defender struggled initially to fit into the team.
Gvardiol found himself operating mostly at left back but it was not long before he was earning rave reviews as an unlikely attacking weapon in City's latest title charge.
SCORING TOUCH
Playing left back was not entirely new for Gvardiol – he was used there in Dinamo Zagreb's youth academy and ex-Leipzig boss Jesse Marsch occasionally employed him in that position too – but finding his feet as a goalscorer certainly was.
He netted four times in 52 games for Zagreb, and got five in 88 games for Leipzig. Gvardiol made 32 appearances for City without scoring but then the floodgates opened.
A wonderful strike against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Champions League quarter-finals began a run of five goals in seven games, including two at Fulham.
"Life is about confidence," Guardiola said after Gvardiol's double at Craven Cottage. "Coming to the Premier League for the first season when you are 21 years old, I would say it is not easy to handle it.
"At the beginning he was a little bit shy, a little bit:'I don't want to ruin all the structure they have.' It is a question of time... and he is proving to himself that he can do it and play with us."
Gvardiol is unlikely to be employed at left back for his country however in a difficult Group B featuring European champions Italy, Spain and Albania.
After Lovren called time on his international career following the World Cup, Gvardiol has formed a new defensive partnership with Ajax Amsterdam's Josip Sutalo and it has been business as usual.
Gvardiol started all eight of Croatia's qualifiers for the Euros as the team conceded only four goals in those games.
If Croatia are to reach the latter stages in Germany, they will need that sort of defensive steel and Gvardiol is unlikely to disappoint. — REUTERS