As of: March 19, 2024, 8:09 a.m
By: Luca Hartmann
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DFB captain Ilkay Gündogan almost moved to FC Bayern a few years ago.
At the time, Pep Guardiola wanted to create a legendary midfield duo.
Munich – Ilkay Gündogan has won every title there is to win in his career at club level.
He won the championship and cup double with Borussia Dortmund in 2012, then he won five championships with Manchester City in six years and crowned his career in England with the Champions League title last season.
Gündogan confirms Bayern's interest: "There was interest and a meeting"
During his career, Gündogan was repeatedly linked with a move to FC Bayern.
Gündogan's later coach at Man City, Pep Guardiola, in particular, wanted to bring the midfielder to the record champions during his tenure in Munich.
Gündogan himself could probably have imagined this.
“There was definitely interest and a meeting between FC Bayern representatives and my side,” Gündogan confirms the record champions’ transfer intentions during Guardiola’s time in an interview with the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
.
“However, I didn’t have a personal conversation with Pep Guardiola back then,” added the 33-year-old.
Ilkay Gündogan (right) last season at Manchester City's game against FC Bayern and Joshua Kimmich.
© IMAGO/Philippe Ruiz
Guardiola wanted midfield duo Thiago and Gündogan at FC Bayern
Guardiola took over at Munich in 2013 and was already demanding the transfer of his ex-Barcelona protégé Thiago Alcantara.
“Thiago or nothing” was the Spaniard’s now famous statement when he took office.
The bosses fulfilled his wish and brought in Thiago - but Gündogan's transfer never materialized.
With Gündogan and Thiago in Munich, Guardiola would have liked to copy the legendary Barcelona duo consisting of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, whom he previously trained at Barca.
“I never found out whether I was intended to be Xavi or Iniesta.
But a Thiago/Gündogan duet would certainly have been fun,” says Gündogan, enthusiastic about the idea.
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DFB captain Gündogan combative: “We will be ready”
Guardiola and Gündogan did not work together at FC Bayern, but in 2016 they both moved to ManCity in the Premier League.
There, Gündogan matured into an absolute midfield boss and was at times indispensable for Guardiola.
In 2022 he also took over the captaincy of the “Citizens” and led the team to their long-awaited win in the Champions League.
Last summer he finally moved to Guardiola's former club FC Barcelona.
Gündogan is now also captain of the German national team and is placed under national coach Julian Nagelsmann.
“I have a good feeling that we will be ready.
The main thing is to be consistent, not to allow yourself to lose concentration or slip up,” explains the Gelsenkirchen native, explaining the DFB team’s European Championship aspirations.
Gündogan also considers the most recent DFB squad announcement, in which Nagelsmann surprised with six newcomers, to be justifiable.
“We’re just at a point now where we have to be brave.
“The national coach realized that he had to change something, and sometimes there could be decisions that seemed unpopular,” said Gündogan.
However, “all the new ones are part of the DFB team for good reasons”.