Ilkay Gundogan expressed his joy at being “home” after rejoining Manchester City on Thursday and the playmaker’s cheerful disposition felt like an inadvertent parting shot at Barcelona.
The 33-year-old has signed a one-year contract at the Etihad Stadium, where he won 12 major titles during his initial seven-season stay, with the option of a further year.
Gundogan was allowed to leave Barcelona on a free transfer despite still having two years left on his contract in Catalonia as the club wished to take his wages off the wage bill to make room to sign Dani Olmo and potential further transfer activity.
That chaos is not part of the equation in Manchester, and Gundogan highlights City’s high sporting standards under Pep Guardiola as a key motivation for his return.
“It’s hard to describe the feeling, to be honest. When you leave this place, you realise what you had, you realise how incredible that moment was, you realise how big the club is, the best club in the world,” Gundogan said in a video posted on City’s social media accounts.
“I don’t want to sound too nostalgic. It’s still about competing, it’s still about having that drive, it’s about trying to be the best version of yourself and that’s an ambition I still have.
“I want to get that feeling back. It’s so nice to be home.”
Those sentiments contrast with a scathing interview Gundogan gave last season when he accused his Barcelona teammates of not being questioned enough over their home defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico.
What everyone was waiting for…
Welcome back to town, @IlkayGuendogan ? image.twitter.com/8VutEkQNRU
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 23, 2024
Asked if there was a sense of disappointment in the dressing room after Jude Bellingham’s late winner at Barcelona, Gundogan told LaLiga TV: “I have to be honest, not as much as I would like. I don’t want to say anything wrong because I was in the dressing room and of course people are disappointed.
“But especially after a game like this, such an important game and a result like this, I wish for more frustration, more anger and more disappointment. That is a bit of the problem. There has to be more emotion when you lose and when you know you can perform better in certain situations and you don’t react.
“In the end, this is reflected on the pitch. We need to take a big step forward, otherwise Real Madrid will get away and I didn’t come here to lose these kinds of games. I also have the responsibility, as a more experienced player, to not allow the team to let things happen. We need resilience.”
Whatever happens as City chase a fifth consecutive Premier League title this season, such frustrations should be a thing of the past for returning hero Gundogan.
