From a dream transfer to being chased out of the club – and back again: Ilkay Gündogan thought he had fulfilled a dream 14 months ago, but it never became a reality. He made no secret of it as he left, while Pep Guardiola could hardly believe his luck.
Ilkay Gündogan tried to be objective, but his farewell words to FC Barcelona were full of disappointment and bitterness. “I was ready for a new challenge and after just one year I’m already saying goodbye,” wrote the 33-year-old, “but if my departure helps the club financially, that makes me a little less sad.”
{
“placeholderType”: “MREC”
}
Barely 14 months after his move to Barca, Gündogan returns to Manchester for free, where he played a decisive role in the most successful era in the club’s history between 2016 and 2023 and won the trophy as captain with the Citizens.
When players are brought back like this, people quickly talk about a sporting misunderstanding, but that was never the case with Gündogan. He played in 51 competitive matches for the Catalans, in 45 of them he was in the starting eleven, and was involved in 19 goals from midfield: A sporting misunderstanding looks different, but it is still a misunderstanding.
A dream from times gone by
“I remember when I was a child and watched Barca under Pep Guardiola and Frank Rijkaard. Now I am very proud and happy to be part of this club,” said Gündogan at his presentation last year, saying that his move to the Catalans had made a dream come true.
{
“placeholderType”: “MREC”
}
But the dream that Gündogan thought he would fulfill with his move never came true. Because the famous FC Barcelona, which he thought he was moving to, has itself deviated significantly from the historical ideal in recent years.
Even the legendary Camp Nou, which most closely recalls the glory days of the era of Lionel Messi and his predecessors, remained closed to Gündogan because the stadium could not be used last season due to renovation work. Instead, the recently retired international played his home games in front of a mediocre crowd at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium.
Shopping without money
Because Barca continues to spend heavily on the transfer market despite shaky finances, the club needs to reduce its salary costs. Otherwise, new players cannot be registered for the competition due to the LaLiga guidelines introduced, which currently affects Dani Olmo.
A process that Barca has been going through every year since the introduction of the salary rules – without really learning from it. Instead, from the outside it looks as if the decision-makers are faced with the same problem year after year and each time they choose the short-term solution instead of taking the club back to the top of the world with a medium-term strategy.
{
“placeholderType”: “MREC”
}
Did Flick even have a say?
Gündogan, who came to Catalonia last year as a free transfer as a Champions League winner, is said to earn around 20 million euros gross. That would probably be enough to register 55 million-strong Olmo with the league, something that was not possible before the first matchday. The Catalan finance department was certainly aware of this even before the transfer.
Instead of refraining from paying expensive transfer fees, they opted for the short-term route in their usual manner and chased the German, who had been signed as a desired player, out of the yard. There was no room for sentimentality towards Gündogan, even if Hansi Flick gave him a few warm words of encouragement. “I can really only say good things about him. He was a fantastic player for Barca but also for the national team when I worked with him,” said the former national coach, who appointed Gündogan as DFB captain.
Honest farewell words
When he left, the man who had been chased by the court made no secret of his mixed feelings. “Not everything about this experience was nice, but almost everything was educational,” explained Gündogan when he left. “I always wanted to play for Barca and I am very grateful for a memory and experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
In return, Pep Guardiola must hardly be able to believe his luck. 14 months ago he was still happy for his protégé when he fulfilled his dream of joining the Blaugrana – after all, the Catalan is an avowed Barca fan and a club legend as both a coach and a player. However, he has now got one of his most important players back for free.
Pep: Gündogan’s return is an “absolute no-brainer”
“We are absolutely delighted that he is back,” Guardiola said after the transfer in the press conference before City’s Premier League match against Ipswich, confirming that the transfer was an “absolute no-brainer” and that they did not have to think twice about the possibility.
“We had no doubts when this opportunity arose. The quality he showed at Barcelona last season… He has consistently played at a really high level,” said Guardiola, both excited and surprised by the “unexpected” return of Gündogan, who can now add another chapter to his success story with the Skyblues.
With Sports Information Service (SID)
