Croatian defender best in English Premier League

Croatia's Joško Gvardiol was declared the best left-back in the English Premier League this past season by the British analytics company, Opta Sports. 

"Gvardiol pretty much made the left-back role his own this season," the publication gushed when describing the impact of the young defenseman this past season.

"His power helped ensure he was solid defensively, but he also possessed real positivity going forward," they wrote.

Gvardiol recorded 730 ball carries and 403 progressive ball carries in 2024-25. This, they said, was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to his attacking purpose.

"The Croatia international tallied 40 shots (second only among defenders) and 104 touches in the opposition's box, which undoubtedly played a part in him scoring five goals."

Only one other defender has scored more goals in a single season for Manchester City than the 23-year-old from Zagreb.