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German national university midfielder Ilkay Gündoan (34) left the friendly Manchester City and moved to Galatasaray 'Turkey League Defending Champion'.
Gündoan signed Galatasaray until the end of the 2026-2027 season. With a year left before the expiration of his contract with Manchester City, the Turkiye transfer market is open until September 12, allowing a surprise transfer.
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Gündogan scored 65 goals in 358 games for Manchester City, winning the league, FA Cup and European Champions League. "Man City will always remain a special place in my heart," Gündogan said. "We have achieved a lot of success together, and I will never forget my moment as captain of the treble season, the Premier League/FA Cup, and most of all, the European Champions League trophy in Istanbul." He then said goodbye to his fans, saying, `I'm sure Manchester City will continue to succeed more in the future, and I'll continue my career in Turkiye and cheer from afar.'
Gündogan joined Manchester City in 2016 with Pep Guardiola's first recruitment and stayed for seven years, moved to Barcelona on a free contract in 2023 and returned to Manchester City in August last year. He played 33 Premier League games last season.
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Gündogan is from Germany and has German nationality, but he has parents of Turkish descent. He played for Bochum, Nuremberg and Dortmund in the Bundesliga, and lifted a total of 11 trophies after moving to EPL Man City, including five Premier League wins and a Champions League victory in the 2022-2023 season. Gündoan is known to have been a Galatasaray fan since he was young, and through this transfer, he will play in the club uniform of 'Hometown' for the second half of his career. "Ilkay Gündogan is a symbolic name for success at Manchester City. His work will never be forgotten," said Hugo Viana, director of football for Manchester City.
English Premier League defending champion Manchester City came from behind to beat Aston Villa in the final round for the second straight time.
Guendoan, the main character of the 「"Theater Goal" who confirmed Manchester City's second consecutive victory by beating Liverpool by one point with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Aston Villa in the final 38th round of the 2022 Premier League, will visit Etihad Stadium as a Galatasaray member in January next year and clash with his hometown Manchester City. Manchester City fans who loved Gündogan are expected to welcome him tremendously.
Meanwhile, Guardiola left Kevin DeBrawiner, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish, Ederson, and Akanji to leave most of the experienced key players who led Manchester City's heyday. In desperate need of team rebuilding, Guardiola said "We need to rebuild the team with young and key players, not a squad big enough to keep four or five players out on the day of the game."," he said, expressing his willingness to innovate.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
