Manchester City Champions League: Is Ilkay Gundogan saying goodbye at the peak?

Stand: 11.06.2023 | Reading time: 5 minutes

SThey didn’t want to let go anymore. Pep Guardiola kept pulling his captain towards him, patting him on the back and beaming at him. The Manchester City coach whispered something in Ilkay Gündogan’s ear, which the German international replied with a hearty laugh. It was a picture of sheer bliss that both shared on the pitch in Istanbul after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final. For Guardiola and Gündogan, a long period of suffering in the premier class ended with the triumph against the unexpectedly strong outsider. The Spaniard waited twelve years for the title, Gündogan heaved himself onto Europe’s football throne at the third attempt.

“It’s like in a fairy tale, it doesn’t get any better than that. It’s a great privilege not only to be the captain of this team, but also to play under pep, to be part of this great club,” said Gündogan, who was visibly touched. He’s had an incredibly good feeling over the past few weeks: “You can imagine if you play the third final and lost the two before that, the first of them ten years ago, then it’s mentally chasing you. We knew it would be difficult. We deserved to win in a very balanced game. It’s very special to win here. As a captain in my parents’ home country.”

As in the previous two years, only one goal decided the winner of the final. Inter made life difficult for Manchester with a perfect defensive tactic and disrupted the ball machine with an aggressive tackle. Even Gündogan, the Italians were always on their feet in attacking midfield. He didn’t shine in Istanbul with his dream passes and goals, as he did recently, but with his fight and passion. He initiated Rodri’s decisive goal in the 68th minute.

Gündogan’s contract with Manchester City is about to expire

The 32-year-old has reached the peak of his career so far. As captain of what is probably the greatest star ensemble in world football, Gündogan led City to the championship, the title in the premier class and triumph in the FA Cup, which he single-handedly decided with a brace in the final against local rivals United. It seems hard to imagine that the Istanbul final was the shrewd and rather quiet leader’s last game for City. But Gündogan’s contract in Manchester expires this summer and there is no sign of an extension.

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The international would like to stay at City for at least two years, but this is against an unwritten law at the club. This states that players who are over the age of 30 will only be presented with working papers that are valid for one year for signature. There is no shortage of people interested in Gündogan. And they couldn’t be more well-known: Arsenal FC, Paris St. Germain and FC Barcelona want to secure the services of the midfielder.

But before the landmark decision, Gündogan still has two international matches on the program at the end of the season. Because of the celebrations in Manchester, he will miss the game against Ukraine in Bremen on Monday (6 p.m., in the WELT live ticker). He will then be there in Poland on Friday and against Colombia four days later. As strong as Gündogan has played for Manchester in recent seasons, his performances in the German jersey have been mixed. His career with the DFB-Elf is marked by setbacks, so he missed the 2014 World Cup and the European Championship two years later due to injury. After the World Cup in Qatar, which ended with an embarrassing first-round elimination, he probably even considered retiring. But the ambition to play a strong tournament for Germany is still too big.

Is Flick building the German midfield around Gündogan?

In the current form that he has in the city jersey, there is much to suggest that national coach Hansi Flick is building his midfield around Gündogan. The 66-time national player could be the defining figure in the headquarters at the home European Championship in the coming year. But Flick has to rely more on ball possession football and the extremely ball-safe and almost flawless Gündogan in the passing game. “Ilkay has played very well this season. When it mattered, he was there. In the decisive games he called up his performance. I told him a few months ago when City got back to the top of the table that it was their turn this year and that they would get the treble. I’m very happy for him,” says Flick.

Guardiola has relied on Gündogan in midfield for several years, but he is also surrounded by world-class players such as Kevin de Bruyne, Rodrigo and Bernardo Silva at City. After six attempts with Manchester, the Spaniard has finally achieved what is expected of him in the club, which is supported with billions of euros from Qatar: winning the Champions League. “I’m tired, calm and happy,” said Guardiola: “It’s so difficult to win this title. We suffered, but that’s normal. In this competition you can toss a coin – and that’s why the triple is so difficult.”

Guardiola has learned and does without tactical experiments

After two Champions League titles with FC Barcelona, ​​Guardiola ended a 12-year ordeal without a triumph in the premier class. Despite all the championship titles and cup successes, the 52-year-old had a flaw that despite the star ensemble in Manchester he did not manage to win the Champions League. Three times it was over in the quarterfinals, in the first year he failed in the round of 16, and last season there was a bitter end to Real at the last second. Guardiola and Manchester were closest two years ago when they suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the final. Since Guardiola changed his tactics before the game, he had to put up with the accusation of having coached the game.

He learned from this disappointment and refrained from experimenting last season. He trusted a root formation with Gundogan at headquarters. So much so that he hardly wanted to let go of him after the finale.