Joško Gvardiol’s family
Joško Gvardiol is a Croatian footballer who plays as a left back and centre back . He currently plays for Manchester City and the Croatia national team . Gvardiol began playing football at the age of seven, when his father Tihomir, once an amateur player in his native Novigrad , took him to Trešnjevka. While there, he was spotted by Lokomotiva and Zagreb ; however, at the last minute he received an offer from Dinamo Zagreb which his family accepted.
He initially played as a left-back or central midfielder until Dinamo’s academy coach Dalibor Poldrugač switched him to the centre-back position . Soon after, Gvardiol began attracting interest from prominent European clubs, including Manchester City , Lille , Borussia Dortmund , RB Leipzig , Bayern Munich , Ajax , Inter Milan and Roma . He played a key role in Dinamo’s 2018–19 UEFA Youth League campaign , where they reached the quarter-finals before losing 4–2 to Chelsea in a penalty shootout . After being impressed with his performances in the youth teams, Dinamo senior coach Nenad Bjelica called up Gvardiol to the senior squad for pre-season games in Slovenia in the summer of 2019. On 2 July, he scored in a 2–0 friendly win over Austria Klagenfurt . On 10 October 2019, he was included in The Guardian ‘s Next Generation list .
On 6 August 2023, Manchester City announced the signing of Joško Gvardiol until June 2028 from RB Leipzig for €90 million, making him the most expensive defender in football history. Gvardiol made his first appearance for the Citizens on 11 August 2023 in a 3–0 win over Burnley . He scored his first goal for Manchester City on 9 April 2024 in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid , which ended in a 3–3 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu .
On 11 May 2024, Gvardiol scored his first brace for Manchester City in a 4–0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage , in a match valid for the 37th round of the Premier League.
The Origin of the Gvardiol Family
The defender only has Croatian nationality, and Zagreb, the city where he was born, is also the hometown of Sanja, his mother.
During our research, we discovered that Josko Gvardiol’s family does not originate from Zagreb, which is the capital and largest city of Croatia.
Tihomir, his father, is from Novigrad, near Zadar. Josko Gvardiol loves to spend every summer with his paternal grandparents, who live in Novigrad.
On the other hand, the Defender’s Mother, Sanja, has her family roots in Srednjak. This village is located in the administrative area of Jastrebarsko, Zagreb County, Croatia.
This map shows the location of Novigrad, where his father (Tihomir) is from, and Srednjak, where his mother (Sanja) is from.
Josko Guardiol’s parents
If Gvardiol Pai
Before becoming a successful footballer, the defender promised to buy his father a new house. Soon after Josko secured his transfer to RB Leipzig, he fulfilled his promise to his father.
The location of the new house is in Rakitje, a village in central Croatia, west of Zagreb. The house is very close to a peaceful oasis.
Josko made sure his parents’ new home was away from the hustle and bustle of Zagreb city and, of course, very close to a lake.
Tihomir, his father, is best described as a fisherman from Novigrad. Despite the financial success his family has achieved through his son’s career, the proud father never tires of his old job, fishing. Especially during the summer holidays, Josko finds time to help his father fish.
The footballer agrees that things turned out differently in his life because of his visionary father. Tihomir is proud to have humble and down-to-earth family members.
The young man sees every success he has as a debt he owes to his parents, especially his father.
Josko Gvardiol Mãe
Together with her husband Tihomir, they help her make all the important decisions in life.
Sanja Gvardiol no longer lives the everyday life of going to work at her former workplace, the wholesale company. This is because her son provided the means to make her life very comfortable.
Despite her son’s great talent, Sanja Guardiol continues to remind him not to forget to continue his studies.
Josko is not sure about this at the moment, but hopes it will happen later in his career. Sanja sees her son as temperamental, playful at the same time and, of course, a good child.
Josko Guardiol Sisters
Franka and Lorena are growing up quickly and gaining knowledge of the football business. Together with their parents, they work with Marjan Šišić, who has been his brother’s agent since he was 13. This agent is a lawyer from Zagreb who has Josko Gvardiol as his biggest client.
Both of Josko Gvardiol’s sisters work and are also fond of sports. Together with their brother, they love visiting Novigrad, which is their father’s home. Lorena and Franka Gvardiol are six years older than each other, with the latter being the eldest in the family.
Avós of Josko Guardiol
According to research, his father’s parents live in Novigrad. This explains why Josko and his sisters love visiting this city, which is located in Istria County in western Croatia.
O tio Guardiol
Kalapač is his name, and he is from Zadar, a city on the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. He (a former Croatian national team player with one appearance) is the uncle of Josko Gvardiol.
Damir Kalapač, his great uncle, proudly follows Josko’s performances in the Bundesliga and with the Croatian national team.
Kalapač, who has yet to find a single flaw in his “nephew”, hopes he ends up at an even bigger club than Leipzig.