Ilkay Gundogan has thanked four former teammates for their contributions during his time at Manchester City in an emotional letter that was issued after it was confirmed that he would be leaving the club.
The 32-year-old player’s most recent contract extension with City will not be renewed, thus he will leave the Etihad Stadium and join FC Barcelona on a free transfer beginning on July 1. FC Barcelona are the current champions of La Liga.
As part of his heartfelt parting remarks on both the club website and The Players’ Tribune this week, the now-former captain of Manchester City has extended specific credit to four of his Etihad teammates who played crucial role in both his and the squad’s treble-winning season. These teammates all played important roles in both the individual’s and the team’s success.
These names include Stefan Ortega and Jack Grealish, both of whom assisted Ilkay Gundogan on a personal level and aided Manchester City as a whole through their separate achievements on the pitch. Gundogan is one of Manchester City’s most important players, and he credits both Ortega and Grealish for his success.
Regarding the aforementioned England international player, Gundogan is of the opinion that Jack Grealish is highly misunderstood by certain segments of the media. “I just want to make it clear that some members of the media have a very skewed perception of Jack Grealish. “He is one of the nicest guys I’ve met in football,” Gundogan said about the individual.
“He is such a joy to be around in addition to being so modest and honest. Because I know what it’s like to come to a major club for a lot of money and deal with a lot of pressure, I felt really thrilled for his achievement this season because I know what it’s like. He put forth an incredible amount of effort to take his game to the next level this season, and it paid off big time for us.
Unsurprisingly, Ilkay Gundogan was also eager to give thanks to Erling Haaland for his part this season. However, Gundogan indicated that the only comparable peaks that the Norwegian can attain in his already outstanding footballing career are that of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The player from Germany continued his comments to The Players’ Tribune by saying, “Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect when he came here.” You look at the goals he was scoring at Dortmund and all the attention that he was getting, and you worry how he’s going to mesh with the rest of the team.
“But when I got to know him, I was so astonished how someone could be so good and yet have the will to be even better every single day. I was so surprised how someone could be that talented and still have the want to be even better. He is never content with what he has. My impression is that he is not constrained by anything. Messi and Ronaldo are the only players that may be considered comparable to the level he is capable of reaching.
In the summer of 2017, Gundogan was joined by Stefan Ortega at the football club. Ortega came to Manchester City on a free transfer from the Bundesliga team Arminia Bielefeld, which had been demoted at the time. Due to the fact that both individuals are of German descent, Gundogan attributes much of his personal success to the assistance provided by his fellow countryman.
“Stefan Ortega, the backup goalkeeper for our team, is a person who has had a significant impact on my life on a personal level. Simply sharing a cup of coffee with each other on a daily basis over the course of the past year has helped me to become a lot more open-minded. Both of us are German, so we have a lot in common. I don’t think I would have had the same season if he hadn’t been here to help me out. In football, you require players who can serve as anchors, and Stefan was that player for me.
The conversation proceeded with Gundogan saying, “I also got a lot closer to Kevin De Bruyne this season.” I had the impression that I could talk to him about anything, and it makes a significant difference in your life when you are aware that you can trust your teammates as more than simply coworkers.
Ilkay Gundogan will leave Manchester City with an incredible 304 appearances to his name. These appearances were made in a variety of tournaments that took place between the 2016–17 season and the most recent 2022–23 campaign. Gundogan’s final season with Manchester City will be the 2022–23 campaign.
During his time working under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, Gundogan made 304 appearances, during which he scored 60 goals and added another 40 assists to his career stats. He also racked up an impressive total of 14 winners’ medals during this transformative period.