“Dear Manchester City fans” – Ilkay Gundogan pens final farewell in newspaper-published letter to supporters | OneFootball

Legendary Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has penned a final farewell to supporters of the club via a letter published by the city’s regional newspaper.

The German playmaker brought an end to his second spell at the Etihad Stadium this week, completing a move to Galatasaray on deadline day of the 2025 summer transfer market – ending weeks of uncertainty surrounding his future.

Ilkay Gundogan departs Manchester having left an indelible mark on the club across two separate stints, becoming synonymous with success during Pep Guardiola’s long-standing and ongoing tenure.

First signed from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2016, Gundogan went on to make 358 appearances for Manchester City, scoring 65 goals and winning multiple honours, including the Premier League, FA Cup, and most memorably, the UEFA Champions League.

His captaincy during the historic 2022/23 Treble campaign cemented his place as one of the greatest midfielders in the club’s history. Gundogan initially departed City on a free transfer to join Barcelona in 2023 before returning to Manchester last summer for one final season.

With Pep Guardiola restructuring his midfield options through the arrivals of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, and Nico Gonzalez, the 34-year-old was granted the opportunity to move on once again, this time to pursue a new adventure in Turkey.

Now, writing in a personal letter to all supporters of Manchester City from around the world, former club captain and legendary midfielder Ilkay Gundogan said a final farewell to the fans having joined Galatasaray on a free transfer on deadline day.

The letter, published by the Manchester Evening News, from the 34-year-old read:

Dear Manchester City fans, dear teammates, dear employees of the club,

From the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you to all of you. Thank you for all these incredible years full of joy and Incredible success – and I’m sure in a few years when we look back we will even more realise what this generation of players have achieved for this great club. It’s time to pass on to the new generation and achieve even greater success!

Making this final step away from Manchester feels very hard, but I completely respect that the club wants to enter a new chapter. But on the other side I still feel very good and ready to play as many games as possible – that’s why I decided to move on.

I get the opportunity to play again for a Champions League club – but not just any Champions League club – no, for my favourite club from childhood days!

Manchester City has always acted with incredible professionalism and ambition, and I will never forget what this club has done for me over all these years. Even now they stuck to our gentleman agreement and made the departure without any complications possible – this is not always given these days in football.

Looking back, most of my time here has been filled with joy, success, and unforgettable memories. Together, we’ve achieved things I’ll cherish forever and I’ll always be proud to have played my part in this journey.

The club, the fans, and the entire city of Manchester will forever hold a special place in my heart. Teammates have become very close friends and I’ve worked together with the best manager in the world.

I cannot express how much I’ve learned from Pep – things that I can hopefully also use after my active football career one day for my own coaching career. There could have not been a better teacher.

What I will definitely never forget was the game against Ipswich at the Etihad when I returned from Barcelona. The reception I received gave me goosebumps like never before. That was just incredible.

I will definitely continue to watch every Man City game as often as I can – hopefully the club can return soon again to the very top of the Premier League, because this is where this club belongs. They are having all the quality to achieve this again.

All the best, stay healthy and see you soon – at the very latest the end of January in the Champions League! And who knows – maybe even one more time after my active career!

Your Ilkay.