“I fulfilled a childhood dream”. Ilkay Gundogan on playing for Barcelona

Ilkay Gündogan's transfer back to Manchester City was one of the most surprising moves this summer. After spending just a year in Spain, the German midfielder returned to England. Despite this, Gündogan expressed that he was happy to have played for Barcelona, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

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Details: The reason for Gündogan's sale was Barcelona's financial situation. The club is still working to balance its finances, and reducing the wage bill is part of that strategy.

In an interview with Daily Mail, Gündogan stated that things could have turned out differently at Barcelona. According to him, they had a real chance to win the league title, but it didn’t materialize. Nonetheless, he’s glad to have realized his dream of playing for the Catalan giants.

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Quote: "I consider it an honor to have played for Barcelona. Under different circumstances, things could have turned out differently. It was a tough experience but a fantastic one, and I have no regrets.

I played for one of the biggest clubs in the world. I fulfilled my childhood dream of playing for Barça.

Maybe people look at last season and think we didn’t win anything. That’s true. But if you look at our performances, we finished the season with 85 points—just three less than the year before, when they won La Liga. And we were competing against a very strong Real Madrid side."

Reminder: Ilkay Gündogan joined Barcelona last year as a free agent. He made 51 appearances for the club, scoring five goals and providing fourteen assists. Upon his return to Manchester City, the 33-year-old signed a one-year contract.