Tottenham Hotspur target Josko Gvardiol was handed a footballing lesson by the masterful Lionel Messi during Croatia’s 3-0 defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals of the Qatar World Cup, former Arsenal striker Alan Smith tells BeIN Sports (13 December, 8pm).
Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic labelled Gvardiol the ‘best defender in the world’ during the group-stages. At the Lusail Stadium, however, the best player in the world showed that the 20-year-old RB Leipzig colossus still has a lot to learn about life at the very top level.
Arguably no defender in the entire World Cup has performed better than Gvardiol. His outstanding run of form at the heart of Croatia’s hiterto iron-clad frontline came to a rather unceremonious end, however, as an evergreen Messi rolled back the years and did his whole squirrel-on-a-telephone-line routine; twisting Gvardiol this way and that before assisting Julian Alvarez’s second of the night.
Lionel Messi tears Josko Gvardiol apart as Argentina hammer Croatia in World Cup semi-final
“This is marvellous. I mean, he’s boxed in by the touchline. How on earth does he sneak past Gvardiol?” beamed an awe-struck Smith.
“And, after that, he beats the defender again. Classic Messi. We thought maybe he couldn’t do this anymore with his age. But he’s reminding us he’s still got it on the big stage. What a moment this is on the World Cup stage. Spellbinding from Lionel Messi.
“And Gvardiol, who’s been one of the defenders of the tournament, was taken to the cleaners. The 35-year-old outsprinted the 20-year-old!”
Talk about being dragged back down to earth with a bump.
It’s testament to Messi’s outrageous talent, however, that Gvardiol’s burgeoning reputation is unlikely to be affected all that much by the events of Tuesday evening. Torn limb-from-limb by the seven-time Ballon D’Or winner; it’s almost a right of passage even for the game’s most elite central defenders.
Gvardiol will remain a transfer target for the biggest clubs on the continent, with Tottenham Hotspur among his many admirers (The Telegraph). Whether Spurs can keep up with their more deep-pocketed rivals, however, only time will tell; FootMercato reporting that Manchester City, Chelsea and Man United are all offering upwards of £80 million.
‘It’s too early to go to the Premier League’
Former Croatia and Liverpool midfielder Igor Biscan, meanwhile, believes it is ‘too early’ for Gvardiol to step onto the Premier League stage
“I believe maybe it’s too early to go now,” Biscan tells The Athletic.
“Take (Chelsea’s) Kalidou Koulibaly. He’s one of the best defenders in the world, but he’s still trying to find his way in the Premier League. It’s a completely different environment.
“(Gvardiol) is still a little bit too young for me to be sure he’s an instant success. Maybe he needs to wait for a year or so to be ready.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
