Ilkay Gündoğan – captain of Germany’s national football team
The epitome of a team player will lead the German team onto the pitch and on the pitch at EURO 2024.
He is the most inconspicuous superstar in international football: Ilkay Gündoğan, the captain of Germany’s national football team. “He can do everything,” says star manager Pep Guardiola from top England club Manchester City: “He is one of the most exceptional players in all senses … incredible.” Gündoğan was born and raised in the city of Gelsenkirchen in Germany’s Ruhr region. He played for Nuremberg in Bavaria, where he completed his final school exams, he won the championship with Dortmund and then switched to Manchester City, and now plays for FC Barcelona in Spain. The list of his successes is even more impressive: German champion, five English Premiere League titles, Champions League winner with City.
At home in midfield and at the heart of the team
Gündoğan plays in midfield alongside Toni Kroos from Real Madrid. His qualities are often noticeable only upon closer inspection: “I’m not a player for highlights. I rarely shine myself, and others tend to score the goals,” he once told German newspaper “Die Zeit”. His philosophy: “Football is a team sport. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt at City, it’s that you are strongest when you manage to believe in your fellow players.” Playing quick passes, moving the ball around, thinking ahead and closing gaps defensively, leading his fellow players - that’s how Gündoğan plays. He can kick with both feet and is a highly skilled technical player. Despite his outstanding individual abilities, however, Gündoğan says: “The greatest thing for me is when the ball is circulating smoothly around the team, when everyone is doing their job properly on a technical and tactical level, right down to the tiniest detail, and when the team begins really working together.”
Star manager Pep Guardiola: “I adore him”
Gündoğan was already made captain in Manchester. Why is he suited to this role? “I think it’s to do with my character. I’m approachable and accepted by many of my fellow players. That’s a good basis for leading a team,” he says. Guardiola also stresses that Gündoğan’s qualities go far beyond his skills with his feet: “He is such an important player. Humanity, leading with silence, yet when he talks everyone listens.” And then the star manager added: “I adore him. I’m married, but I love him.”
