Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol recently revealed that he seriously considered quitting football to pursue a career in another sport after temporarily losing his joy in the round leather game early on in his career.
Gvardiol’s professional career could easily have taken a very different turn as the 23-year-old once contemplated quitting football altogether to pursue basketball, a sport many of his friends were playing at the time.
While coming through the ranks at Dinamo Zagreb, a then 16-year-old Gvardiol struggled with limited playing time and began to lose his joy for football. Frustrated and uncertain about his future, he considered walking away from the game in search of happiness elsewhere.
Fortunately, the Croatia international chose to persevere. His patience paid off as he eventually broke into Dinamo’s senior team, went on to win consecutive league titles before earning a £16 million transfer to RB Leipzig.
“I was thinking about quitting because I like basketball as well,” the centre-back told BBC Sport. “And I wasn’t sure about 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.
“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.”
Gvardiol joined City from RB Leipzig in 2023 for a staggering £77 million, a fee that made him the second most expensive defender in football history. Since then, the Croatian has added an impressive array of winners’ medals to his collection, winning the Premier League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and Community Shield.
Shina Oludare is a distinguished sports journalist and managing editor, renowned for his comprehensive coverage of African football. His dedication to elevating African sports on the global stage has earned him widespread respect, along with numerous accolades for his contributions. A graduate of the LaLiga Business School in Madrid, Oludare’s passion for sports and his influential work in African football journalism have established him as a leading figure in the industry.
