Ilkay Gündogan continues his career at Barcelona. The German international joins the Catalans on an obligation-free move from Manchester City, the team that Gündogan captained last season and helped win the treble.
Gündogan defies Guardiola’s desires and embarks on a journey while playing for Barcelona
Barcelona confirmed through official channels that Gundogan has arrived. The midfielder committed to a two-year deal with Spain’s national team. A 400 million euro severance provision is also included in the deal. Since the summer of 2016, Gundogan has been a member of City.
With the top English team, the 66-time international won the English Premier League a total of five times, the FA Cup twice, and consequently the Champions League. Gundogan scored sixty goals and provided forty assists in 304 games for City.
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, recently stated that he would prefer to keep the seasoned player at the Etihad Stadium but added right away that Gundogan might be a “great asset” for his former team Barcelona.
“The finest experience of my career has been serving as captain during this really exceptional season,” Gundogan remarked on City’s official website. “I want to say thank you to Pep. I will always be grateful that I had the opportunity to learn from and play under him for a long time.”
Gündogan runs into an old friend in Robert Lewandowski at Barça. Together, they won the DFB-Pokal and were crowned German champions with Borussia Dortmund in the 2011–12 season. Barcelona has added its first reinforcement of the summer in the form of Gündogan.
Gundogan thanks city and Pep
Gundogan so leaves the Etihad Stadium, closing the door behind him while feeling conflicted. He mentioned, “It’s never simple to say goodbye, but with this crew, it’s especially difficult. I was overcome with emotion when I had to inform the boys that I was quitting the group chat. I’ll miss them all, but I’m glad to say I’m going out on top. I have nothing but love in my heart for the club.”
Gundogan emphasises that without Pep Guardiola, whose demands have gotten the most out of the players, City’s incredible season would not have been possible. “Telling Pep I was leaving was one of the most difficult phone conversations I had to make. I was only able to say “thank you.” Not just for this season, but also for all the awards, and most importantly because he attracted me,” he remarked.
