Ilkay Gundogan pens LinkedIn statement to Manchester City supporters reflecting on season | OneFootball

Ilkay Gundogan has penned his honest thoughts on Manchester City’s latest season with a lengthy statement released on social media platform LinkedIn.

The German midfielder returned to the Etihad Stadium during the tail-end of the last summer transfer window, following financial complications at FC Barcelona that meant the La Liga giants deemed the veteran surplus to requirements under Hansi Flick.

With opportunities elsewhere in Europe including Turkey, Manchester City moved quickly to bring their legendary Treble-winning captain back to the club on a one-year agreement, with an automatic extension by a further 12 months based on a certain number of appearances.

Owing to widespread injury problems throughout Pep Guardiola’s squad, the Catalan coach was forced to turn to Gundogan more often than anyone would have originally expected, with the midfielder ultimately amassing 50 appearances across competitions.

For City, it was not the season anybody would have hoped for, as they ended the campaign without a single piece of major silverware to their name for the first time since Guardiola’s debut year at the club back in 2016/17.

Now writing on his official LinkedIn profile, Ilkay Gundogan offered a brutally honest account of Manchester City’s season just gone, both from a football perspective but also a professional and personal side of matters.

“What a challenging season – and I am so relieved that we made it into the UEFA Champions League again. But overall we cannot be really happy with this season,” penned the midfielder.

“It’s been really tough days and tough weeks during this season, especially the period at the end of last year was just incredible – something we had never experienced here at Man City with Pep [Guardiola].”

The experienced operator added, “Ever since we had this injury crisis end of 2024, when we lost a lot of our self-confidence in the team – especially when the results began to go in the wrong direction.

“Maybe this is just what everybody means when they say, ‘Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong’. It felt like Murphy’s law. After the defeat against [Manchester] United in December, when we lost the game within seconds, I was really devastated.

“People and friends had been asking me at that time what this situation is doing with me personally and mentally. All my friends know that I’m an over-thinker – always have been. I’m taking negative results into bed, barely sleeping, thinking over and over about what I and we as a team could have done better during the game.”

Discussing his own nature, Gundogan went on to admit, “I am not just an over-thinker, I am also someone that is always thinking about self-improvement. Did I do everything every single day to become the best possible version of myself?

“I know a lot of people that always advise to stay positive no matter how difficult the circumstances are. But I am not so sure if that works out for me. Of course that’s the ultimate target to be generally in a positive state. But weaknesses and insecurities are human.

“And if I look back at my career, this kind of mentality brought me where I am. And that is a place where I am very happy and satisfied with.”

Looking ahead to the next season and the mood currently within the Etihad Stadium, Ilkay Gundogan was keen to insist upon a positive feeling and the intact connection between all those at the football club.

“I still feel more than connected to City. It still feels like family, we still are a family in the dressing room, Manchester feels like home – this is not a phrase, it’s coming from my heart. For me, my wife, and my kids,” Gundogan said.

“For me, City is the most professional football club in Europe. That is why, on the one hand, I’m still asking myself so often how we got into this difficult situation this season. On the other hand, however, this still gives me confidence that, sooner or later, we will be back at the very best level, because I know how hard everyone is working – not just our manager, not just my teammates, everyone at this club.

“And during the last months, we already showed that we are back on the right track. I still know how privileged I have been during nearly my whole career having been part of the winning side that often. Maybe that’s also the reason why this season felt so challenging. But I’m very proud of the team that our results became so much better again.”

Gundogan closed, “Now it’s time to go on a short holiday trip before we start our preparations towards the crucial Club World Cup – a tournament where we want to show again, on an international level, that we are better than we had been during this UEFA Champions League season.

“Thanks to everyone who supported us and me during this difficult season, because that’s when support really counts.”

Manchester City’s stars embark on a mixture of short holidays and international team commitments over the course of the next couple of weeks, before reconvening and travelling over to the United States for the FIFA Club World Cup where an initial three games await.