Page 61 - Soccer360 - Issue 103

‘Messi is the best ever - I
German player Ilkay Gundogan poses with his son during his presentation as new club’s player in Barcelona,
only wish I could have played with him’.
PEP AND XAVI ARE BOTH GRADUATES OF THE BARCELONA ACADEMY. HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY SIMILARITIES IN THE WAY MANCHESTER CITY AND BARCELONA PLAY?
Yes I think there are similarities. Both teams like to keep possession and to move the ball around quickly. I would say that has made the transition easier.
DID YOU HAVE AN IDOLS WHEN YOU WERE COMING THROUGH THE YOUTH TEAMS?
When you talk about idols I think it is natural to be drawn to players who play in a similar position to you. For me that was Zidane, Xavi, and Pirlo I used to love watching them and how they controlled games.
WHAT ABOUT PLAYERS WHO WERE NOT MIDFIELDERS. WHO IS THE BEST PLAYER YOU HAVE EVER SEEN?
Watching Ronaldinho and Messi from the Barcelona teams that will go down in history is something I will always remember. Messi is the best ever - I only wish I could have played with him.
HOW SPECIAL WILL EURO 2024 BE - REPRESENTING YOUR COUNTRY ON HOME SOIL? To represent your country in a major tournament
is always special - but yes with us being the home nation and the chance to bring the trophy home
in front of our fans is extra special. There is a
long way to go though and we still must show improvement.
Ilkay Gundogan (C) and former teammates celebrate with the trophy after winning the UEFA Champions League
SOCCER360 MAGAZINE 61
THINGS TO know
İlkay Gündoğan, born on 24 October 1990
in Gelsenkirchen, is a German footballer of Turkish descent. Both his parents are from Turkey. He has represented Germany at the full international level since 2011, participating in two World Cups and two European Championships.
Gündoğan made his pro debut with Nürnberg in Bundesliga 2, and helped the Bavarian
side to promotion into the top flight. His
first Bundesliga Assist came against Bayern Munich, then a year later he netted his first goal again against Bayern Munich . He still claims to primarily be a Nürnberg supporter today.
At 32 years old, he played in three Champions League finals. Despite scoring a penalty for Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 final, they lost to Bayern Munich. He also experienced defeat with Manchester City against Chelsea in 2021. However, he finally celebrated the title this year as Manchester City defeated Inter Milan 1-0 in Istanbul.
He t becomes the 18th German to feature for Barça, a number that includes 11 who played for the club before 1915. In the 21st century there have been three others, namely Robert Enke (2002-03), Marc-André ter Stegen (2014-present) and Kevin-Prince Boateng (2019), the latter also a Ghanaian national.
Gudogan was the first signing of the Pep Guardiola era for man city, an era that will no doubt go down in premier league history.
Gündoğan’s cousin Naz Aydemir, who is raised in Turkey, is a volleyball player for Fenerbahçe and the Turkish women’s national team. She competed in the 2012 and 2021 Olympics for her country.