The respect Pep Guardiola and Ilkay Gundogan have for one another is told best through an afternoon they shared together a few years back.
Manchester City’s manager and their FA Cup Final matchwinner have been neighbours in their Manchester apartment block ever since Guardiola made Gundogan his first major signing at City back in 2016.
On Guardiola’s birthday, Gundogan gifted him a bottle of Champagne and got his friend to write him a birthday card in Spanish.
They left them outside Guardiola’s door, but half an hour later Guardiola was knocking on Gundogan’s door, armed with the bottle and three glasses, which they shared in the German’s flat for the next hour.
“When I end my career, what I will remember the most are the people I shared it with”, Gundogan has since said about that day.
But he needn’t worry about the end of his career just yet. As his current club and a trio of interested clubs are all patently aware, the 32-year-old still has so much to offer.
Guardiola sees Gundogan as a mature individual and a dependable player who rises to the big occasion and leads by example.
That was perfectly showcased in Saturday’s FA Cup Final at Wembley — notably the first 13 seconds of it — when he cannoned in the first of two match-winning volleys to propel City two thirds of the way to English football’s second-ever Treble.
It was an afternoon when Manchester United did not disgrace themselves, but their city rivals showed they remain a class above.
Gundogan has become as crucial to City as any of his team-mates, but his future remains unclear. He is yet to sign a contract extension which would keep him at the club next season with the option for a further year.
That offer was put to him a fortnight ago, and Gundogan’s hesitancy has inevitably engendered interest from a raft of clubs.
Reports from Spain say he is close to agreeing a deal with Barcelona, where he would be offered a three-year contract. Meanwhile, AC Milan are also keen on the former Borussia Dortmund man, who is reportedly in “advanced talks” to join the Rossoneri. Gundogan’s father, and agent, Ilhan insist nothing has been decided.
While City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain tries to convince him to stay, Gundogan remains a key transfer target for Arsenal.
The Gunners were top of the Premier League for 248 days, a record for a side who did not end up winning the title. It was Gundogan and City who pipped them, and Mikel Arteta wants Declan Rice and Gundogan at the Emirates next season in a bid to take on City again and this time win.
Whether Gundogan extends his seven-year stay in Manchester or leaves on a high will become clear after Saturday’s Champions League Final in Istanbul, but Arsenal are expected to make a formal approach and it is easy to see why.
Gundogan has scored six goals in six appearances throughout May and the beginning of June, and this is by no means the first time he has come alive in the season’s home straight.
Last season, his brace off the bench against Aston Villa on the final day won City the title ahead of Liverpool, and the season before that, 13 of his 17 goals came after the New Year.
It was Arsenal’s inability to rise rather than fall in the pivotal months of the season that saw their title challenge wilt and the pendulum swing in City’s favour. Arteta knows Gundogan well from his time coaching at City and knows he could help to instil a winning mentality at the Emirates.
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Speaking about Gundogan’s pedigree last month, Kyle Walker joked: “He turns into prime Zidane in the business end of the season. That’s just what these players do — they’re born winners.”
Addressing his situation after the final, Gundogan said: “Nothing is decided yet so we’re going to see what happens.”
One thing is for sure. If the FA Cup Final was Gundogan’s last dance on English soil in a City shirt, it was quite the fitting send-off for the ultimate big-game player.
