Ilkay Gündogan bids emotional and ‘bittersweet’ goodbye to Manchester City as he joins Barcelona
One of the Premier League's best players of the past few years, let alone just at Man City, made no secret of how difficult a decision it was to leave.
Ilkay Gündogan has issued a lengthy, emotional and admittedly “bittersweet” goodbye to Manchester City and the fans as he prepares to be unveiled as a Barcelona player imminently.
Soon to leave Man City for Spain after seven years at the club, with Mateo Kovačić set to arrive from Chelsea as his would-be replacement, Gündogan departs the Etihad as one of the most decorated players to ever play in Blue, having signed off his final season with a treble.
You can’t ask for much better than that.
Confessing that “goodbyes are never easy but it’s even harder with this team”, the 32-year-old German international penned an extensive and deeply heartfelt farewell to City and its supporters via The Players Tribune, insisting, “this is the closest team I’ve ever been a part of”.
After 7 years a wonderful time ends. You made me realize all my dreams. 🏆💯 I will carry you forever in my heart. Once a blue, always a blue! Thank you @ManCity! 💙🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/YLCrsJU0TG
Opening his farewell message, the midfield maestro wrote: “When I first arrived here, I was a young man with no kids and a lot of dreams. It’s hard for me to even believe, but I am leaving seven years later as a father who has fulfilled every single dream that he ever had.
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“Today is bittersweet. Goodbyes are never easy, but it’s even harder with this team. When I had to break the news to the boys that I was leaving in our group chat, I was very emotional. I will miss all of them, honestly. But I am happy to say that I’m leaving here as a champion, and I have nothing but love for the club in my heart. How many footballers can say goodbye as the captain of a treble team?
“It’s amazing what we achieved. Five Premier League titles in my seven years here. Two FA Cups. The Champions League. The treble. But those are just trophies. The thing that I will remember the most is the feeling inside the squad, especially this season. I’ve never experienced something like it in football.”
The midfield maestro added that his City teammates were always lifting him up and calling him “Zidane” and “Pirlo” after every good training session and that the squad laughed “every day”, insisting “that’s rare in football”.
Going on to credit their first-ever UCL trophy — a personal obsession of his “for the last 10 years” having been left “crushed” by losing two European finals — and incredible treble to this closeness, Gündo said everything from the group chat to organising barbeques “made the difference”.
Shouting out the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias and Jack Grealish (who he claims is “so misunderstood by some of the media”), he only had wonderful things to say about them not only as footballers but as people, labelling them as the reason he scored “so many key goals this season”.
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Ilkay Gündogan will now join La Liga giants Barcelona on a free transfer and a two-year deal, where his manager Pep who “made it possible” built his previous dynasty, bidding goodbye to Manchester City as a Centurion and a treble-winner. What a player and one who is sure to be missed by all City fans.
Featured Image — Ilkay Gündogan (via Instagram)/Manchester City (via Twitter)
Sport
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Danny Jones -
26th June 2023 
