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Croatian star Josko Gvardiol was filmed smoking and partying after the team's 2022 FIFA World Cup success.
Croatia secured a bronze medal in Qatar after beating Morocco 2-1 in the third-place play-off to cap off another fine FIFA World Cup campaign. Gvardiol was among the star performers for Zlatko Dalic's side and his performances have garnered interest from many top European clubs.
The 20-year-old was recently seen partying at a club, tucked away in a blue T-shirt, smoking a cigarette and with a drink in his hand. After Gvardiol's brilliant exploits at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the young defender certainly deserves some time off to enjoy and recharge his batteries before resuming club duties.
Gvardiol started every single game for Croatia in the tournament and was never taken off in any of their seven matches, whilst also scoring in their 2-1 win over Morocco in the third-place play-off. He was a formidable fortress in defense for the Vatreni while also offering some attacking threat upfront
However, Gvardiol's enduring image from the tournament was Lionel Messi turning him inside out during their clash with Argentina in the semi-finals. The 35-year-old ran half the length of the pitch with Gvardiol unable to stop him despite keeping up with him, before Messi bamboozled him with some quick-feet and ran to the byline to tee up Julian Alvarez for Argentina's third goal in a 3-0 win.
But that's an aberration from an otherwise fantastic campaign for Josko Gvardiol and his team. It will be interesting to see if the RB Leipzig star defender ends up getting a big-money move to a top European club next year.
Croatia impress at the FIFA World Cup again
Having finished as the runners-up of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Croatia made another deep run at the Qatar showpiece and picked up the bronze medal.
It was the first time in Croatia's independent history that they finished inside the World Cup's top three places for two tournaments in a row. This is an incredible group of players who fight hard on the field, with a stoic defense being the foundation of their success.
Led by the brilliant Luka Modric, Croatia displayed a never-say-die attitude, fighting back from deficits in the knockout games against Japan and Brazil, although Argentina proved to be a step too much for them.
Nevertheless, Croatia have made themselves and their country proud once more.
