Ilkay Gundogan says speaking to Barcelona head coach Xavi convinced him to join the club — and that his experience of winning the Champions League with Manchester City will help him lead a revival at Camp Nou.
The 32-year-old moved to Barcelona this summer when his City contract ran out and was the priority signing for Xavi after Barca were rejected in their pursuit of Lionel Messi, who has joined Inter Miami.
City were keen to keep the German, who was a key player as Pep Guardiola’s side won the treble — collecting the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup — last season.
Gundogan was presented as a Barcelona player on Monday and said Xavi was key to his move.
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“The first moment we talked to each other, I just felt it was right to come here, join the club and have the opportunity to prove myself at a different club and a different country,” Gundogan said. “Two times earlier I was close to coming here. But it was not meant to be. Now it’s the time.
“(Xavi) made his ideas of how the team wants to play very clear. It’s very similar to how we played in Man City. It’s a similar school, Guardiola, Xavi… In the way he approached the talks, the honesty from him I saw sort of my own character reflected in him. It was probably not much of what he said but especially how he said it, which sometimes is more important.”
Gundogan was also keen to praise Guardiola, who had long and successful playing and managerial stints at Barca.
“It was important he was the first one to hear it from me. I told him everything, expressed my appreciation of what the club has done for me. It was a sad moment, but my interpretation is that he was sort of happy as well for me to join a similar kind of club, he is still a big fan of Barca, and offered himself to call me for anything I need in the city.”
Last season, Barcelona won La Liga but were knocked out of the Champions League at the group stage and lost in a Europa League play-off to Manchester United, while Gundogan lifted the Champions League trophy with City. He is hoping to bring success in Europe’s premier tournament back to Barcelona, who last won it in 2015.
“The Champions League is a different competition to everything,” he said. “It’s so difficult to win it and I speak from experience. Now after winning it, I believe and know that I can add good knowledge to the team in how to do it.
“I’m very motivated. (This move) gives me the opportunity of being a part of the revival. That’s what every player wants. I think now you can see there is a plan there, the foundations are very clear and I think the club is on the right way to shine again in Europe.”
Gundogan joined City from Borussia Dortmund in 2016. He won the Premier League five times, the FA Cup twice, the League Cup four times and the Champions League once while at the Etihad.
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Ilkay Gundogan’s Barcelona transfer - why Manchester City’s captain decided to leave
(Photo: Adria Puig/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
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