Josko Gvardiol’s £77m move to Manchester City from RB Leipzig in August 2023 made him the second-most expensive defender of all time.
But the 23-year-old Croatia international revealed he nearly quit his “dream” career in football when playing for Dinamo Zagreb.
“I was thinking about quitting because I like basketball as well,” the centre-back told Sport.
Aged 16 and struggling to get game time for Zagreb’s youth team, Gvardiol considered avenues away from football.
“I wasn’t sure in football any more because when you get to the training ground you don’t feel happy any more, you know?
“I was just trying to find other solutions and to feel happier than I felt before because all of my friends were playing basketball.”
Gvardiol bided his time and broke into the senior team, winning back-to-back titles with Zagreb and signing off with a league and cup double before sealing his move to the Bundesliga for £16m – a record fee for a Croatian teenager.
He impressed in his two seasons in Germany and after 87 appearances for RB Leipzig, Gvardiol signed a five-year deal at Manchester City in 2023.
Harry Maguire is the only defender in world football to have moved for more money, joining Manchester United from Leicester City for £80m in 2019.
“My dream obviously was to become a professional football player, but I didn’t know that I was going to go that far,” Gvardiol added.
“If you go five years back and ask me, do you see yourself at Manchester City in 2023, ’24, ’25? I would say no chance, like really impossible.”