Ilkay Gundogan says he intends to become a coach when his playing career ends, with Pep Guardiola having first encouraged him to consider a future in management.
The Manchester City midfielder told La Repubblica he would continue playing while he still felt the necessary passion for football, but admitted he had begun thinking seriously about what comes next.
“As long as I still feel that excitement, I will continue to play,” said Gundogan. “I still feel it now, and very strongly. But indeed, recently I’ve been thinking a lot about what comes next.”
Gundogan, who has spent the past 20 years in professional football, said he was concerned by the sport’s growing focus on individual achievement.
“There are some changes I don’t like,” he said. “For example, sometimes I feel people forget that this is a team sport.”
Asked who was responsible for that shift, he replied: “Everyone. Players, coaches, mediathe whole world worships individualism. You’ll find that scoring goals seems more important than anything else, and social media is accelerating this trend.”
He also criticised the importance some players place on personal statistics, including during matches.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Gundogan said when asked whether some of his colleagues checked their own numbers at half-time. “It’s dangerous when praise from fans becomes more important than the evaluation of the coach and teammates.”
Gundogan confirmed that coaching was his ambition beyond playing.
“That is my goal,” he said.
The midfielder said his sense of responsibility towards team-mates had made management a natural option, while his experiences under Guardiola had helped shape his thinking.
“It might sound like a cliche, but I truly have a sense of responsibility,” Gundogan said. “Even as a player, I always paid attention to my teammates. Recently, I started noting what I hope to inherit from coaches and what I’d rather avoid.”
He added: “It was Guardiola who planted this seed in my mindnot just for me, but for other players under him as well. I see my future in him.”
Gundogan rejected the suggestion that Guardiola was highly talented but less interested in personal relationships with his players.
“No. I’ve always found Pep to be very honest and perceptive,” he said. “His demands are indeed very high, and I constantly have to improve myself. But for me, it all makes sense.”
According to Gundogan, Guardiola’s influence helped create both the competitive standards and the unity within Manchester City’s squad.
“Pep shaped all of us,” he said. “On one hand, Manchester City relies on internal competition, and on the other hand, we players genuinely want each other to succeed. That’s also thanks to him.”
