Ilkay Gundogan: The one midfielder who has had a stellar year is Ilkay Gundogan. He was the captain of the Manchester City team last season. Under his leadership, they won the treble too. More importantly, they won the one trophy that they had been eyeing for a while, the Champions League. After a historic season, Gundogan decided to make a move and transferred to FC Barcelona. Now, Ilkay Gundogan, the former captain for Manchester City, has opened up about his departure at the end of the previous campaign. He also acknowledged that he was unable to say goodbye to his teammates in person.
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Ilkay Gundogan opens up about FC Barcelona move
After seven years at City as Pep Guardiola’s first ever signing at the club, the German midfielder left the Etihad Stadium after winning a historic Triple. He was swiftly signed on a free transfer by cash-strapped Barcelona, beating out interest from Arsenal, but there was a moment when it appeared he would stay in Manchester.
Ilkay Gundogan has now disclosed that City were apparently a little too sluggish to react in order to outdo Barcelona, as the skipper was unable to even bid his teammates farewell in person.
Ilkay Gundogan said, ‘Unfortunately, I didn’t say goodbye in person because I only made the decision after the Champions League final, two days before the DFB game against Colombia. That was probably the hardest phone call I’ve ever had in my life. The conversation was emotional, but Pep was also happy for me.’
He continued, ‘I switched to the club that was close to his heart and his childhood, so to speak – and as a fan he was very happy about that. He also told me: If I need anything, I should contact him at any time. It was brilliant to experience Pep as a coach. This will help me a lot over the next few years.’
Gundogan talks about Man City contract talks
Ilkay Gundogan was all praise for his management, but he admitted that his former team left it too late to begin serious negotiations. The German’s contract expired at the end of the season, giving the Citizens plenty of time to start talks; yet, he alleges that progress in those talks was slow.
Ilkay said, ‘City waited a relatively long time until the talks really intensified. If this had happened a little earlier, the situation would have been different. So in the end it was the perfect ending, it couldn’t have come at a better time. It was also my childhood dream to play for FC Barcelona.’
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He continued, ”I don’t want to go into the minute details, but it was quite late in the season. And when it comes to a Champions League quarter-final or semi-final, players want to concentrate purely on sport. I didn’t know what would happen next. I couldn’t plan anything.’
Gundogan ended by saying, ‘Pep’s appreciation was always there, but officially there was no movement from the club for a long time. Until May, there was little reason for me to want to change. The treble was of course a crowning achievement. But that couldn’t have been planned.’
Ilkay Gundogan made reference to the fact that Guardiola has always been vocal about his desire to keep his captain, who has always been a standout performer for the Citizens.
With 304 outings, Ilkay Gundogan has made the third-most appearances of any player for the Spanish manager. Only Bernardo Silva (310) and Kevin De Bruyne (317) have played more times under him.
Since joining Barcelona, Gundogan has drawn one and won three of his four games in La Liga. Also, assisting twice with Xavi’s side third behind Girona and leaders Real Madrid. He has fit into Xavi’s side well. Ilkay is also settling in with the likes of Pedri and Gavi beside him too. It will be interesting to see how he fares this season.
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