Pep Guardiola and Ilkay Gundogan
Ilkay Gündogan has told ESPN he “didn’t know anything about football” before working with Pep Guardiola, while also praising new boss Xavi Hernández as “amazing” and his Barcelona team as having “huge potential.”
Gündogan, 32, left Guardiola’s Manchester City for Barca this month on a free transfer after seven seasons in the Premier League.
He won five league titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and the Champions League during his time in Manchester, culminating in last season’s historic treble.
“Before I joined Man City, I thought I knew football,” Gündogan told ESPN on Monday. “I was 25 or 26 years old, I’d seen a lot. I’d played a Champions League final. But now standing here after seven years of Pep’s school, I’d say I didn’t know anything about football before. His influence on the team and me personally was immense.”
Gündogan described last season’s triumph as “dreamland” but said it was the right time to move, arguing that “if I want to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone, this is the time.”
The Germany international added: “Since I was a child I just adored Barcelona. With players like Ronaldinho and [Lionel] Messi, and then [Sergio] Busquets, [Andres] Iniesta, Xavi… I always said to myself that when I got the opportunity one day, I didn’t want to miss out.”
Barca won LaLiga last season in Xavi’s first full campaign in charge, finishing 10 points ahead of rivals Real Madrid to claim their first league title since 2019.