Josko Gvardiol is quickly establishing himself as a new fan favourite at Manchester City.
After signing in the summer of 2023 from RB Leipzig in a big-money move, Josko Gvardiol had a slow start to life at Manchester City.
Though naturally a centre-back, Pep Guardiola instead deployed him at left-back a position where it took the Croatian time to become accustomed to while also adapting to a new league and country.
But now Gvardiol has grown into his new role and is beginning to shine at the Etihad Stadium while also finding a hot streak in front of goal.
But what else is there to know about the man who is set to star in the City back-line for the next decade? We answer your most frequently asked questions below.
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How old is Josko Gvardiol?
Josko Gvardiol was born on January 23, 2002, in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. As of February 2025, he is 23 years old.
Josko Gvardiol height and weight
Gvardiol stands at 6 feet one inch (185cm) tall and weighs 80kg, according to TNT Sports.
Josko Gvardiol Instagram and X accounts
Josko Gvardiol has an official Instagram account with 1.3m followers and tends to post official photographs of himself in competitive action or in training.
Gvardiol also has an official X, formerly Twitter, account with 31.7k followers.
Josko Gvardiol salary and contract
Gvardiol earns a weekly salary of £200,000 per week at City since joining the club last year.
He takes home a yearly earning of £10.4m before tax.
How much did Josko Gvardiol cost Man City?
Manchester City paid RB Leipzig a flat fee of £77.6m for Gvardiol in the summer of 2023. There are no additional bonuses, add-ons or clauses that could see the price increase.
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Josko Gvardiol stats
Josko Gvardiol Man City stats
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards |
| 2023/24 | 42 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 2024/25 | 40 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 82 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
Josko Gvardiol pre-Man City stats
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards |
| Dinamo Zagreb | 52 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| RB Leipzig | 87 | 5 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
Josko Gvardiol international stats for Croatia
| Caps | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards |
| 39 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Josko Gvardiol trophies and honours
Man City trophies
- x1 Premier League title – 2023/24
- x1 UEFA Super Cup – 2024
- x1 Club World Cup – 2024
- x1 Community Shield – 2024
RB Leipzig trophies
- x2 German cups – 2021/22, 2022/23
Dinamo Zagreb trophies
- x2 Croatian league titles – 2019/20, 2020/21
- x1 Croatian Cup – 2020/21
- x1 Croatian Super Cup – 2018/19
International honours
- x1 World Cup bronze medal – 2022
Individual honours
- Trophy Footballer, Best Prva HNL U-21 player – 2021
- Trophy Footballer, Team of the Year – 2021
- IFFHS Men’s World Team – 2022
- IFFHS Men’s World Youth (U20) Team – 2022
- Kopa Trophy sixth place – 2022
- VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season – 2022–23
Is Josko Gvardiol the most expensive defender in history?
No, but he came close. City were expected to make Gvardiol the most expensive defender in the history of football but when the final deal was made he cost £77.6m.
Manchester United paid £80m to secure the services of Harry Maguire in 2019 and he remains the most costly defender of all time.
Why Gvardiol had to wear a mask
Gvardiol first got the attention of the worldwide football fanbase for his fantastic performances for Croatia in the 2022 World Cup.
His defensive prowess helped him stand out but the striking Zoro face mask he wore also made him memorable.
Gvardiol had to wear face protection after breaking his nose in a collision with Leipzig teammate Willi Orban in a 3-1 win over Freiburg ahead of the World Cup and, according to Goal, had to wear the mask in order to feature in the tournament.
How do you pronounce Josko Gvardiol?
According to the SpeechModification YouTube channel, Gvardiol’s name should be pronounced as: ‘YOSHSH-koh var-dee-OHL.’
Is Gvardiol a Liverpool fan?
Speaking to RTLDanas, via Fabrizio Romano, in early 2023, Gvardiol named Liverpool as his ‘dream club’ after growing up a supporter of the Anfield outfit.
He said: “My dream club? That would definitely be Liverpool. Since I was little, I watched a lot of their matches with my dad.
“We covered every season in detail. It is a club that has remained in my heart”.
