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‘It was Messi’ - Gvardiol’s World Cup humiliation shouldn’t put off Chelsea
Carlo Garganese
- 23 Dec 2022 10:21 GMT
- 3 min read
Lionel Messi’s humiliation of Josko Gvardiol at the World Cup shouldn’t put Chelsea off from signing the Leipzig centre back, according to Rio Ferdinand.
Gvardiol had been earning rave reviews at the World Cup as Croatia progressed through to the World Cup semi-finals.
However, in the semis Gvardiol endured a rough evening as Croatia were thrashed 3-0 by eventual winners Argentina.
The highlight of the match was in the second half when Messi led Gvardiola a merry dance down the right touchline, twisting and turning past the defender multiple times before assisting Julian Alvarez for Argentina’s third goal.
That moment of magic has led some to question Gvardiol’s credentials, but Ferdinand says that it shouldn’t put Chelsea off from wanting to sign the 20-year-old.
What did Ferdinand say about Gvardiol?
“Gvardiol I think was my favourite centre-back at the World Cup. He’s young, he’s 20 years old, to come and perform the way he did, so mature, so calm,” Ferdinand told his Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE YouTube channel.
“He is really good on the ball, in the early stages coming out with the ball a lot. Against [Lionel] Messi and Argentina he got turned quite a few times, but this is Messi so I would put that to one side. In general, I thought he was [a] stand-out for me. I think he has got a chance to go on and become one of the best defenders in the world, if he can continue improving like this.”
Gvardiola is wanted by a host of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Chelsea, Real Madrid and Man City.
However, the Blues are considered the favourites for the defender’s signature - especially after they appointed Leipzig’s Christopher Vivell as their new technical director.
