Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol has revealed it was a “great experience” to play against Lionel Messi and would tell his children he faced the legendary Argentina skipper.
The Albiceleste secured a comfortable 3-0 win against Croatia with Messi scoring the first from the penalty spot and Julian Alvarez bagging a brace.
Gvardiol, who plays for RB Leipzig and has been linked with a big-money move to Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, struggled against Messi on Tuesday.
Messi produced one of the assists of the tournament when he spun past Gvardiol with ease on the right, breezed into the box before pulling the ball back to Alvarez to make it 3-0.
When asked about his experience of playing Messi, Gvardiol said: “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.”
Gvardiol and his Croatian teammates will have the chance to end the competition on a high when they face Morocco in the third-place play-off today (Saturday).
