Michael Ballack has praised Ilkay Gundogan for his time at Manchester City, especially focusing on his performances last season.
It seems like it took the masses until the 2022/2023 campaign, in which the 33-year-old captained City to the treble to realise what a special player has always been since the start of his career.
But Ilkay Gundogan has managed to earn his reputation as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League era and has gone on to become one of the finest performers in La Liga for Barcelona as well.
Michael Ballack says Ilkay Gundogan was a “joy to watch” at Manchester City
Fulham anchor Joao Palhinha also named the German captain as the toughest midfielder he has faced in England, alongside Kevin De Bruyne so far.
Jude Bellingham also revealed in January that he found it next to impossible to tame the five-time Premier League winner, admitting that he “couldn’t get near him.”
As Ilkay Gundogan is starting to get his plaudits, Michael Ballack has revealed why he has always been underrated while lauding his time at Manchester City.
“I remember, it was also not easy on that way to become German captain, which he’s now because I remember he was not in the Bayern Munich group. He didn’t belong to the Dortmund group so he was this player who played in the Premier League”, he told Jeff Stelling on Football’s Greatest.
“He didn’t have the same performance as the national team so for that, he got criticised and now, with the title or especially the last year at Manchester City, he become a different player.”
“He become the captain also for Man City so Pep [Guardiola] obviously saw this talent, of course, he knew his ambition to lead a team, to be in that amazing squad. Even there, [he was an] outstanding player and an important player, that’s why he become captain, I think.”
Michael Ballack emphasised just how influential Ilkay Gundogan was for Manchester City during the previous campaign.
“But you described it, he was a fantastic player, a key player in that last year to win the Champions League with City and it’s always a joy to watch him because he’s so intelligent in terms of making decisions, in terms of creating space for himself, for other players, to find the right balance on the pitch. Very, very good to watch him.”
Ilkay Gundogan will be remembered fondly
Much like Michael Ballack, many will likely look back on the spell of Ilkay Gundogan at Manchester City with fond memories.
For starters, Gundogan’s technical brilliance and footballing intelligence made him easily admirable.
In addition, the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder’s understated demeanour and intelligent views on the game made him a likeable figure.
To add to that, Gundogan has an endless list of clutch moments in a City shirt, which will stick out in the memories of fans and pundits alike when reminiscing on his time at the Etihad Stadium.
It’s fair to say that a legend of the game like Ilkay Gundogan should always be respected and cherished, even after he hangs up his boots.