In a rematch of the 2023 Champions League Final that they won, Manchester City could only muster a tepid 0-0 draw against Inter Milan in their 2024/25 Champions League season opener.
It was a battle between the best team in England and the best team in Italy, and arguably the world’s two best defenses put on clinics and neutralized each other’s talented strikers in a match only a defender could love.
And the best defender on the pitch for either Manchester City or Inter Milan just might have been Josko Gvardiol, who had an exceptional first season at the Etihad and only continues to grow as arguably the world’s most gifted center back.
Gvardiol saved a goal with a goal-line clearance, blocked two shots, won two interceptions, and added a tackle in another solid defensive display that has become typical of the young Croatian international.
On the ball, Gvardiol was an asset, as always, completing a whopping 96 percent of his 80 pass attempts. He even created a chance, won a dribble, and had a shot on target for Manchester City.
It wasn’t the best of games for Man City’s players, but Gvardiol was exceptional and stood out as his team’s top performer. Next up for the 22-year-old and his teammates will be another tough test against Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend – a title deciding match, at that.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.