Emotional Guardiol: Croatia is emotion! It hurts us because we did our best and believed until the end

In an announcement that touched many fans, Guardiol shared the feelings of the entire nation, stressing that the strength of the national team lies in unity and emotion, and not exclusively in victories and defeats.

“Croatia was never just a result. Croatia is emotion, character, togetherness of players, fans and the entire nation,” Guardiol began his post, accompanied by photos from the match that show all the passion and sadness of the moment. He admitted how difficult the defeat was, which ended his dreams of a new great success. “It simply hurts. It hurts because we gave everything, because we believed until the end and because we know how much it meant to us.”

These words come as a direct reflection of the events on the field, where it was Guardiol who was at the center of the drama. His goal towards the end of the game, which would have brought Croatia back into the game and taken the game to penalties, was disallowed after a long VAR check due to a backlash. Defendč Manchester City and the pillar of the “fiery” defense did not hide how difficult such an outcome was for him, but he concluded the message in a positive tone, thanking the fans for their unconditional support. “But the love for this team, this jersey and all of you who have supported us will never disappear. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you, my Croatia!”, he said.

The post gathered hundreds of thousands of reactions in a short period of time, and numerous fans, teammates and sports legends responded in the comments to support Guardiola and the rest of the team. Many commented on the controversial referee’s decision, and comments such as “The biggest robbery of the century” and “You have been robbed” are just some of those who expressed frustration with the outcome of the match.

It is also interesting to see messages of support from fans from other countries. “Argentinian, but so proud of Croatia, we all cheered for you. You were great,” one user wrote. Former captain Darijo Srna also sent a short message of support, while many told him to keep his head up and that they were proud of him. “Bravo for the fight. Keep your heads up!” reads one of the comments. Although there were a few critical tones, the vast majority of messages were filled with pride and consolation.