Recently, Gundogan was interviewed by "Sports Image", talking about his treble season at Manchester City, transfer to Barcelona and other topics, he said that he did not renew his contract with Manchester City is not a matter of renewal years, but Manchester City began negotiations too late, when asked whether Barca will reach the level of Manchester City in the next few years, Gundogan said that he transferred to Barca because he saw potential.
He was voted Manchester City captain last season and then won the treble. As a result, you were awarded the Sports Photos Star of the Year award. What was your most moving moment last season?
If I had to pick a moment, it would be seconds after the whistle at the end of the Champions League final. The weeks leading up, including the FA Cup final and the final few games of the Premier League, were a bit of a sense of intoxication. From February to March, the atmosphere inside the team was incredible. Going to work every day is pure joy, going into the dressing room and meeting your teammates and all the staff. The magnificent sight of this Triple Crown seems to fill the air.
How do you feel when the final whistle blows on June 10 in Istanbul?
I remember a corner kick and a great chance at Inter in the final. Then the ball went out of bounds, the referee blew the whistle to end the game, and that's when I fell to the ground. It's a relief, perhaps the end of a journey. I joined Manchester City seven years ago and the Champions League has always been my ultimate goal. Every year we failed to win this title, the pressure mounted. It took us a few years to get to this moment. I've longed for this moment for years. Holding the Champions League trophy high in the sky of Istanbul after the match – that moment was priceless and incredible. On a career level, I can't imagine a better moment.
When you took the FA Cup trophy, what did Prince William whisper to you?
Strangely, he told me how to lift the trophy correctly in case of an accident (laughs). The FA Cup trophy has a special shell, and it may not be easy to tell how to hold it correctly at first. So I'm very grateful for his help.
Like Kloopp or Lewandowski, do you also have replicas of the trophies you won at home?
Yes, in fact I have, but only one piece per trophy. I don't have five Premier League trophies at home because I've won this title five times. But all the trophies together do look really good.
Before the start of last season, you were chosen as captain. At the time, it was said that your "competitor" Stones distributed campaign slogans labeled "John Stones - The People's Man" to his teammates?
(Laughs) John was jokingly advertising himself, yes, but it was just entertaining. I was relatively confident that I was selected as captain and thought I would finish in the top three. The question is, will the captain be me or De Bruyne. I think that this may be quite open. It was a moment of pride, a good feeling, a reward for teammates. Since my teammates chose me, this position makes more sense to me. Privately, it's also an honor for me.
This year also has a big moment for you personally: your wife Sarah is pregnant. When your coach and neighbor Pep Guardiola learned the news and he was standing in the doorway with champagne in hand?
I was very surprised at that moment. Pep is very happy for us and says that children and education are the best things in the world. "It's an honor," he said. "We really feel very lucky to have this gift from our son Keith. We talked to Pep about this and he has been a very good neighbour of Manchester for many years.
Did that bottle of champagne last drink?
I think we had a glass of wine that night. On Pep's birthday, we went knocking on his door with a bottle of champagne and he immediately invited us into the house, opened the bottle, and toasted with us.
How excited is Pep about your farewell?
Sadly, I didn't say goodbye in person because I only made my decision after the Champions League final and two days before the Germany vs Colombia match, and that was probably the hardest call of my life
One. The conversation was very emotional, but Pep was also happy for me. I can say I actually moved to his favourite and childhood club – and as a fan he was very happy about that. He also said to me: If I need anything, I can come to him at any time. It's great to have Pep as a coach and it's going to be very helpful for me for years to come.
Do you still watch Manchester City games?
To date, I've watched almost every game on TV.
Have you said goodbye to your former teammates?
Before the start of the season, I went to Manchester again and had a farewell party with Mahrez which was attended by all the players and it was a very pleasant farewell. The connection with former teammates and coaches will certainly continue.
After winning the Triple Crown, images of Jack Grealish celebrating went viral around the world
Jack definitely deserves it. He has put in a lot of effort and made great contributions to the team. His scoring ability has been criticized sometimes, but Jack is an incredibly important factor for the team. He played a very important role through running, passing and his presence. We saw it in him for a long time: If we can win all the championships in the end, then maybe Jack will indulge a little (laughs)... But this is also as it should be.
If the club offers you a contract for more than one year, will you remain at Manchester City?
I will be honest, and many people don't know yet: the final problem is not a year or two. The problem is not the duration of the contract. Manchester City haven't started really intensive negotiations for quite some time. If it had happened earlier, the situation could have been different. So the final decision was perfect, there is no better time to go. Also, playing for Barcelona has always been my childhood dream.
When was Manchester City's contract extension offer made? Is it in April?
I don't want to go into the details, but that was relatively late after the middle of the season. And with the Champions League going to the quarter-finals or the semi-finals, as a player I prefer to focus on the sporting side. I don't know what's going to happen next. I couldn't plan it, Pep had always treated me with a high level of respect, but the club didn't really start negotiating with me until May. Therefore, earlier for me there was no reason to think about leaving.
Do you think Barcelona can reach Manchester City's extraordinary level in the coming years?
Since I focused on football, there may have only been two or three teams like Manchester City last season, including Barcelona around 2011. On the other hand, if I don't see the potential, I won't move to Barcelona. Our team has incredible talent, as well as experienced and quality players like Lewandowski, Frankie de Jong, ter Stegen and me. The talent here is incredible, just Yamal, a 16-year-old. But there are certain things in football that can only be learned through experience. It takes time: stay calm and be patient. This is something that must be experienced and learned. I believe Harvey is moving in the right direction. For those of us who are experienced players, a good combination can be achieved.
You mentioned young player Yamal and 16-year-old Dalvic from Freiburg also joined Barcelona. Have you ever been in contact with him?
I learned about it from the media. La Masia Academy players often come to our training ground. It's a huge motivator for young players. This has always been the hallmark of Barcelona – stars from abroad and top talent from its own academy. I'm very curious about how Dalvich will behave and I'm looking forward to meeting him.
How about working with your idol Harvey?
We had a lot of calls before the move and I immediately had a good feeling and I felt that we were very similar in personality. As a player, he saw some aspects similar to himself in my game. That's probably one of the reasons he appreciates me. Harvey is a very intelligent person who recognizes the value of simple but well-thought-out matches.
Something very important to you?
In football today, it's almost always about goals and assists. I hope this type of football will be taken more seriously. One of my favorite things as a football player is: towards the end of the game, the ball is passed around our team, click! The opponent does not have any chance to catch up. This is really fun!
Recently, the national team has not performed as well. What do you think of the next matches against Japan and France?
As a team, we must understand that now we must deliver a satisfactory answer. We can't make mistakes anymore. It's a bit like clubs, if you want to do well at the end of the season, then you have to give it your all from the start. This is the case for us now! We need a foundation so that we can compete for the title in the European Championship. We need grades and the right mindset. So, for us, now there are only finals. We must unite.
Recent criticism has focused on Frick. Is the national team playing for his future now?
Not just for Frick's future, but for the future of all of us, for the future of every national team player. We now have to prove that we are not just players who play for the top clubs, but also the ability to compete with the top teams at national team level. We have to prove that we can compete with them. It's the responsibility of each of us, not just Frick. At some point, we players also have to question ourselves and can't always just focus on the coach.
Frick recently visited Barcelona, have you had any exchanges between you?
Very nice, Frick is a great guy and always motivated. We must support him 100 per cent and give him the support he gives us. He tries to make every player strong, call, ask about the situation, show understanding. In terms of relationships, Frick has done a fantastic job and now it's our players' turn to repay him.
During the bad World Cup, Amazon produced a documentary that included footage of the national team's locker room. How do you feel about this?
For me, this is perfectly acceptable. I had previously experienced the "All or Nothing" documentary in Manchester. However, there we won a lot of matches, in contrast to the documentary of the German national team. But that's the industry, and there's more than just a climax.