Gvardiol was drawn to basketball, as it was popular in his home country of Croatia, and many of his friends played the sport. Despite his dream of becoming a professional football player, he was unsure if he would achieve it. Looking back, Gvardiol said he wouldn't have believed he would be playing for Manchester City at the age of 23.

Gvardiol's struggles with game time in his youth, particularly with Zagreb's youth team, made him consider switching to basketball. Fortunately, he chose to stick with football and has since become a key player under Guardiola's guidance, achieving numerous successes.