"One day I'll tell my kids" - Croatia star Josko Gvardiol on facing Lionel Messi at FIFA World Cup
Croatia star Josko Gvardiol has said that he will share his experience of playing against Lionel Messi at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with his progeny.
Argentina beat the Vatreni 3-0 in the semifinals, with Messi bagging a goal and laying a wonderful assist for Julian Alvarez. The 35-year-old ran half the length of the pitch and turned Gvardiol inside out before running to the byline and teeing the ball for Alvarez to fire home Argentina's third.
Lionel Messi tiene 35 años y Josko Gvardiol tiene 20. Nunca está de más recordarlo. https://t.co/zmwkMftP8w
That performance summed up Messi's campaign, having played at his absolute best, scoring five goals and making three assists in six games so far.
Gvardiol also came up against the Argentine last year when RB Leipzig played PSG in the Champions League. He said that he will tell his kids about his experience of playing against 'the best in history'. Speaking to the press, he said (via Mirror):
"It was a nice experience even though I played against him in the club last season. He is a completely different type of player in the club and in the national team. I am glad that I played against him even though we lost. It's a great experience, and one day I'll tell my kids that I played against the best player in history. I guess we will beat him next time."
Runners-up at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Croatia reached the last four once more and will look to make it consecutive top-three finishes in the competition for the first time as an independent nation. The Vatreni face Morocco in the third-place playoff tonight (December 17).
Will Croatia finish third in 2022 FIFA World Cup?
Croatia will look to win the bronze medal at the 2022 FIFA World Cup tonight following yet another impressive campaign.
The Vatreni held out Belgium in their final group game to advance to the knockouts, where they saw off Japan and Brazil on penalties.
Croatia ⚔️Morocco
T-minus 24 hours till these teams battle it out for third place 🇲🇦🇭🇷 https://t.co/OSSli79h0z
In both games, Zaltko Dalic's side found themselves behind, only to fight back and push their opponents all the way to the shootouts where they exerted their dominance once more. Croatia had also won consecutive shootouts in Russia four years ago en route losing to France in the final.
However, Lionel Messi's Argentina proved too strong for them this time, but Croatia can be proud of how far they have come. Winning the bronze will add another feather to their cap. They will fancy their chances of doing so against a Morocco team that looked jaded against Les Bleus in a 2-0 last-four defeat.