Ilkay Gundogan says he will always be a Blue after his free transfer to Barcelona was confirmed.Gundogan has called time on his seven-year spell at City, leaving on a high after securing the treble this season. He turned down City’s offer of a one-year contract with the option of a second, with Barcelona offering him to fulfil his childhood dream. Gundogan has penned an emotional letter to the club after deciding to leave that confirms a part of him will always be at City. Here is his letter, published by The Players Tribune, with minor editorial shortening…Signed and sealed: Gundogan arrives to announce the rebirth of mighty Barca”Dear City, When I first arrived here, I was a young man with no kids and a lot of dreams. It’s hard for me to even believe, but I am leaving seven years later as a father who has fulfilled every single dream that he ever had. Today is bittersweet. Goodbyes are never easy, but it’s even harder with this team. When I had to break the news to the boys that I was leaving in our group chat, I was very emotional. I will miss all of them, honestly. But I am happy to say that I’m leaving here as a champion, and I have nothing but love for the club in my heart. How many footballers can say goodbye as the captain of a treble team? ##NAJAVA_MECA_7336661##It’s amazing what we achieved. Five Premier League titles in my seven years here. Two FA Cups. The Champions League. The treble. But those are just trophies. The thing that I will remember the most is the feeling inside the squad, especially this season. I’ve never experienced something like it in football. I am usually a pretty reserved person. It takes a while to get me to open up. But the great thing about this team is that we all just felt comfortable making jokes with one another, no matter how much pressure we were under. ##EDITORS_CHOICE##For me, the Champions League has been a bit of an obsession for the last 10 years. Well, not a bit, actually. It’s been an obsession, truly. When my Dortmund team lost the Final to Bayern in 2013, I was crushed. There is no feeling like losing a final. It seriously haunted me for 10 years. Every decision I made in my career since then has been about lifting that trophy. That’s why I came to City. So when we lost the Final against Chelsea two years ago, it was terrible. Then last season, I was left on the bench for the semifinal against Madrid at the Etihad, and that was maybe even harder for me. After Pep announced the team, I went to my room to be alone and yeah… I was simply devastated. I just wanted it so badly, you know? After 7 years a wonderful time ends. You made me realize all my dreams. 🏆💯 I will carry you forever in my heart. Once a blue, always a blue! Thank you @ManCity! 💙🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/YLCrsJU0TG— Ilkay Gündogan (@IlkayGuendogan) June 26, 2023 This season, something clicked. I just knew we were going to do it. I don’t even mean just the Champions League. The Premier League, the FA Cup – everything. Week after week, I just felt everything lining up perfectly. Even when we were 10 points behind Arsenal, I knew we would win the league. We already had such a strong foundation for so many years with guys like Kevin, Kyle, John, Phil, Bernardo and Ederson, but then you add in characters like Erling and Jack, and it gave us another edge. I just want to say that Jack Grealish is so misunderstood by some of the media. He is one of the nicest guys I’ve met in football. He’s so much fun to be around and so humble and pure. I felt so happy for his success this season because I know what it’s like to come to a big club for a lot of money, with all that pressure. He worked so hard to get to another level this season, and he was fantastic for us. Benvingut Gündoğan 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/pZaKqpaKn0— Fer (@ryghtan) June 26, 2023 Then you have Erling Haaland. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect when he came here. You see the goals and all the attention that he was getting at Dortmund, and you wonder if he’s going to fit with the group. But when I got to know him, I was so surprised how someone could be that talented and still have the will to be even better every single day. He’s never satisfied. I feel like there are no limits for him. Messi and Ronaldo are the only comparisons for the level he could reach. This whole season felt like a movie. But I don’t think I could have dreamed of a better ending than having the Final in Istanbul. It was a bit of a homecoming for me, and for my family. I just remember the plane coming in for the landing over the city, and looking out the window, realising that I was going to be the captain for City in a Champions League Final in my grandfather’s homeland. Gundogan pays for the Champions League party at his boyhood clubI can’t say much about the match. It’s still a blur. We didn’t play our best, I have to admit. I think we were all a bit hesitant. But we found a way to win like all champions do. The thing that I remember most is when the referee blew his whistle. I just collapsed by our goal. It was too much. I put my head on the grass. I was trying to process everything. When I got up, the first thing I saw was all the Inter players sitting around me in tears. I knew that exact feeling so well, and so I went up to them and told them that they should be proud of their season, and to keep fighting. It helped to put everything in perspective for me. The margins are so thin during a final. It could have easily gone the other way. The struggle is always worth something. The years of failure are what made the victory so overwhelming and so sweet. All Pep could say was, “We did it. We did it. We did it.”I went over to my wife and my family in the crowd, and they said, “You did it. You did it. You did it.”But no. It was exactly like Pep said. We did it. I have always felt a close bond with Pep. I think maybe Pep was hoping that we would come here to City together and leave together, but I know that he understands my decision. I am sure it helps that I’m going to his boyhood club. Hopefully, we’ll have a reunion soon in a Champions League Final. Gundogan might be 32, but his plans with Barca are nothing but long-termIf I was going to move, there was only one club in the world that made sense. It was Barcelona or nothing. Ever since I was a little kid, I dreamed of wearing that shirt someday. I am confident that I have a few more years left at the highest level, and I just want to help bring Barcelona back to where they deserve to be. It will be a reunion with my old friend Lewa, and I’m excited to play under another manager who I have admired for a long time. When Xavi and I talked about the project, it just seemed so natural. I see so many similarities between us as characters and in the way we see the game.Plenty of reasons to smile: Gundogan in Barca – done!I know there’s going to be a lot of pressure at Barcelona. But I love pressure. I love to get out of my comfort zone. I was not looking for an easy landing. I was looking for a new challenge. That’s what this next chapter is all about. I can’t wait to play in the Barcelona shirt. But first, I want to say a final word about Manchester City. I want to speak directly to all my teammates, and to the staff, and especially to the fans….I just want you to know that I will always be City. Nothing can break that bond. It is a love on the highest level possible. All I can say is thank you. I will remember you all for the rest of my life.Thank you for everything.Sincerely,Ilkay”
