Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol Takes Honor In Having Come Up Towards Lionel Messi In World Cup Semifinal Defeat Towards Argentina

Croatia’s Josko Gvardiol was having a event for himself on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, earlier than he got here up towards Lionel Messi. When Croatia locked in a semifinal showdown with Argentina, a battle between the event’s finest attacker vs the perfect defender up to now was on playing cards in Messi vs Gvardiol. The Croat centre-back had the likes of Belgium’s Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Brazil’s Raphinha and Richarlison in his pockets earlier than taking up Messi on the World Cup.

However it didn’t take a lot time for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who had put Virgil van Dijk to mud within the quarterfinals, to make a mockery out of Gvardiol within the semis. Argentina ran a riot towards Croatia within the conflict to run away as 3-0 winners and e-book a spot within the last. And it was Messi once more on the coronary heart of the issues, who wrecked havoc in that Croatia protection led by Gvardiol.

Glad that I performed towards him: Gvardiol after dealing with Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has been in crimson sizzling kind all through the World Cup, which goes to be his final one. The ‘La Pulga’ has racked up 5 targets and three assists in 6 video games, and is main the charts of Golden Boot in addition to the Golden Ball, which he additionally received through the 2014 version. However this time, the 35-year-old needs the World Cup trophy greater than anything and is taking each opponent by the horns.

And simply when Josko Gvardiol had thought he’ll add one other feather to his cap by shutting down Lionel Messi within the semifinal, he by no means knew what hit him. After Messi had opened the scoring from the spot, and Julian Alvarez had doubled Argentina’s lead with a swift counter-attack, the previous Barcelona ahead then determined to have some enjoyable, as he danced by the Croats from the half-way line, earlier than twisting and turning Gvardiol on the precise flank to arrange a second of the night time for Alvarez.

In that second, Gvardiol, who was being touted as the perfect defender the entire of 2022 FIFA Phrase Cup event had witnessed, turned a sufferer of Leo Messi’s poetry in movement. The RB Leipzig centre-back was even bracing up for a big-money transfer after the World Cup, and events have been reportedly requested to pay £90 million, who at the moment are rejoicing that Messi has taken-off a minimum of £30 million off the defender’s worth. Nevertheless, the person himself, who suffered towards the Argentine has now opened up concerning the “nice expertise”. Gvardiol in his newest press convention, when requested about developing towards Messi mentioned:

“It was a pleasant expertise regardless that I performed towards him within the membership final season. He’s a very completely different sort of participant within the membership and within the nationwide staff. I’m glad that I performed towards him regardless that we misplaced. It’s an amazing expertise, and in the future I’ll inform my children that I performed towards the perfect participant in historical past. I assume we are going to beat him subsequent time.”

By the feedback, even after taking some beating from the ‘little magician’, Gvardiol appears to be relishing the expertise and taking an honor in it. In fact there will probably be plenty of defenders like him who would in the future inform their youngsters, even grandchildren about dealing with arguably the perfect participant this sport has been blessed with. And a World Cup triumph on Sunday towards France would simply cement it as a reality for Lionel Messi.