New Barcelona signing, Ilkay Gundogan, has admitted that Xavi was a big reason he chose the club over Manchester City.
The 32-year-old said goodbye to a successful career at the Etihad Stadium after winning the Champions League trophy and completing an incredible treble with City.
Although, City had hoped to convince Gundogan to sign a new contract, providing a one-year deal with the option for an additional 12 months, he ultimately decided to say yes to Barcelona.
The previous season, the Catalan giants had reclaimed back La Liga from Real Madrid.
Gundogan was officially presented as a Barcelona player on Monday afternoon and shared how a conversation with Xavi influenced his choice to make the move at this stage of his career.
“The first moment we talked to each other, I just felt it was right to come here, join the club and have the opportunity to prove myself at a different club and a different country,” Gundogan said.
📲| Gündogan on IG: “Special day. Amazing club. Incredibly proud to be here. Let’s win as much as possible together! Visca el Barça 💙❤️” pic.twitter.com/dxuqU2IOsa
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) July 17, 2023
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“I was close to coming here two times earlier but it was not meant to be. Now it is the time.
“Xavi made his ideas of how the team wants to play very clear. It’s very similar to how we played in Man City. It’s a similar school, Guardiola, Xavi.
“In the way he approached the talks, the honesty from him I saw sort of my own character reflected in him.
“It was probably not much of what he said but especially how he said it, which sometimes is more important.”
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