As a footballer, not much comes close to winning trophies and personal accolades, but when you can do both of these things whilst also receiving the praise of your peers and managers along the way, it is only sweeter.
This was the case recently for İlkay Gündoğan, who became the subject of praise from his former manager, Pep Guardiola.
As reported in Diario Sport, citing Stern, Guardiola said: “İlkay didn’t talk a lot, but when he did, everyone listened to him, including me as a coach.”
He then touched upon having Gündoğan as a neighbour in Manchester, adding: “If I needed olive oil for my salad, I could go to İlkay and get some. He was very reserved, no noise, no parties. The perfect neighbour. When we won the Champions League, I went to his house with my family and we drank a bottle of champagne together.”
Guardiola also opened up on how he looks for intelligence in the players he signs: “A player can be quick, he can have a good shot, but what makes him stand out from the rest and become an elite player is his intelligence. Making the right decisions under pressure, knowing what the team needs at any given moment, that’s the type of player I’m looking for.”
Pep’s high praise for Gündoğan is understandable, it was with him on the pitch that he won five Premier League titles for Man City alongside the first Champions League in the club’s history.
