According to Mehr reporter, “Ilkay Gundogan” is a German player of Turkish origin who has a history of playing in Dortmund and Manchester City teams. At the beginning of this season, after 7 years in Manchester City, he decided to go to Barcelona. He has played 73 national matches for Germany and has 19 goals in his career.
The French magazine “France Football” has conducted a detailed interview with this 33-year-old player in its latest issue. This magazine described Gundogan as: German captain and Manchester City Pep Guardiola, winner of the last Champions League, Barca’s new player this season, a man in the shadows who was nominated for the Ballon d’Or and a midfielder whose personality remains largely unknown. Is.
– Why don’t people know much about a player like you?
Maybe it’s because I’m not very active on social media and I don’t share much about my personal life. Many people want me to do this, but I don’t like it and I won’t do it. It’s something I don’t really care about. I want people to know me only as a good football player, that’s why I’m focused on my work, on myself and on my sport. But sharing my life on Instagram is not my job.
– What is hidden behind Pep Guardiola’s favorite player?
I’m just a normal person, the same person you see on the playground. A calm and cool person. As you know, everyone has problems in life and no one is perfect. We all have our doubts and worries. When I come home at the end of the day, I am just like everyone else. Maybe from people’s point of view, I make a lot of money and I shouldn’t complain about anything. But it is not correct to say that because I have a privileged life, I should not have any problems. I have an 8-month-old child and his health is the only thing that matters to me. Whenever he gets a little sick or when I have to take him to the hospital or when he has to get a vaccine, I get scared and worried. Maybe this is the reason why I don’t expose my life on social networks. When I go to Instagram, I see that all lives are great. But the reality of my life is not like this. Although I like to take care of my clothes, there are many days when I don’t care about what I wear and I just want to be at home with my son and my wife. I am not interested in people paying attention to my life and behavior.
– Do you always prefer shadow to light?
I want to protect myself and those I love and this is my way of working. I want to keep the things that make me happy throughout the day and not put them on display. Everyone knows that I’m married and we recently had a baby, but that doesn’t bother me, although I could even hide it if I wanted to. I think people who try to figure things out will eventually succeed, but I have nothing to hide and just live a quiet, carefree life.
– You were the captain in every team you played. How do you explain this?
I am a calm person and I always listen to what others have to say and I have a lot of empathy and sympathy with others. I have my own personality but I can understand anyone and any personality. I have the ability to listen to others. In fact, my teammates in every team I’ve been in have noticed this and admired this feature, and the reason why they gave me the captain’s armband is, above all, this issue. What is important to me is to help my teammates as much as I can, and of course I may need help. Just because I’m older or more experienced than others doesn’t mean I don’t need help. Football is a team sport and everyone should help and support each other.
– “Michel Arteta” said about you that “he doesn’t shine but he makes others shine.” What does this sentence mean to you?
Yes, I like it and I agree with it and it describes me well as a footballer and a person. I care a lot about people around me, even if it’s not tangible. I want to be the best possible person and as a footballer I want to make my teammates the best and this is my priority.
– Are your values and beliefs compatible with modern football?
There are many good things in football and naturally there are also bad things, just like in life. I’m not influential enough to change things and I just want to move forward in a way that I can have a positive effect on.
– Do you watch a lot of football at home?
Yes very much. We are of Turkish descent and whenever a football team from these countries plays, we watch their games. Most of my family are fans of Galatasaray and my mother and grandfather are fans of Fenerbahçe. I still remember the day Galatasaray won the European Championship in 2000 and it was a very big day. Of course, I was born in the city of Gelsenkirchen, where the Schalke 04 team is very popular, and sometimes we went to the stadium with my friends to watch this team play. Football has been able to bring people together in this region.
– Do you remember your first football contract?
Of course. Like every morning, I was at school and we were in the yard at around 10 o’clock when the bell was played and suddenly I saw my uncle’s car in the distance. He approached the school fence and told me he wanted to talk to the principal to take me with him. The next day, we went to “Nuremberg” to sign the contract. It was at this moment that my life changed. It was the first time that I was going away from home, my parents, my family and my friends and going to a city that I didn’t know and it was a 5-hour drive from home. It was difficult for me but luckily my mother came with me early on and I was also very keen to become a professional footballer.
– Have you thought about what you would do in life if you were not a football player?
I don’t even want to imagine my life without football. Football gave me a privileged life and great opportunities. I was able to meet different people with different cultures and nationalities and thanks to that I experienced a lot of things. I lived in Germany, England and Spain and I think I am a smarter and more open-minded person thanks to football. I can’t imagine my life without football.
– You have worked with coaches like Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Xavi. What did you learn from each of them?
In “Dortmund” we played high pressure and fast football. Playing without the ball and passing the ball quickly was the most important thing and helped me mentally to understand football. With Pep, our focus was on spaces and always finding the best position on the pitch. That we can find Yar Azad as soon as possible and look for opportunities with patience. “Xavi” is very similar to “Pep”. They have had similar football training and their football is similar. But I am still hungry to learn and in Barcelona we are still developing and improving the team. We have a long way to go, but this is a great project.
– You have obtained the UEFA coaching certificate. Are we going to see you on the bench after football?
I have to think about it a lot, but I think that if I don’t try it after working with such great coaches, I’m making a big mistake. This is one of the options and although I can go for something else. We have to see what will happen.
– Your dream was to win the European Champions League and you won it last season with Manchester City. What is your next dream?
I want to try and be at the highest level of football for a few more years because I still feel good about myself. I came to Barcelona to experience a new challenge, but I don’t want to set myself a goal and say I have to achieve this and that. These are beautiful goals, but I try to give the best performance in my team. The situation is the same in the German national team. We try to be the best possible team in the Euro tournament and increase our chances of success. However, winning this tournament will be something very special because we are going to host the Euros