Ilkay Gündogan and Toni Kroos have a special and yet completely contrary relationship to the Champions League. In the semifinals they face each other with their clubs. Only one is allowed to go to Istanbul.
When it comes to the Champions League, Ilkay Gündogan may feel like the rabbit in the fairy tale with the hedgehog. When he thinks he’s finally got his hands on the coveted pot, Toni Kroos is suddenly there.
In the semi-final second leg of the premier class between Gündogan’s Manchester City and Kroos’ Real Madrid, of course, it’s not about a private matter between the two German soccer stars. Also, neither of them have a specific bet as to who is faster, Hase Gündogan or Igel Kroos. Special jealousies between the big strategists of the game with the shirt number 8 are also not known.
But: The history and the magic of the handle pot makes the second game on Wednesday evening (9 p.m. / DAZN) in the Ethihad Stadium in Manchester after the 1-1 draw in the previous week also a duel between the two professionals who are chronically misunderstood in their home country with a similar and but such different lives. Both were born in 1990. Gündogan in October in Gelsenkirchen, Kroos in January in Greifswald – and thus in social milieus that were worlds apart in the German year of unity. Both of them were never really loved by fans at home, they moved to the big football world and found happiness there.
Gündogan is still waiting for the title
Only: Kroos has won the Champions League five times, Gündogan never. This is the imbalance that began at London’s Wembley Stadium in 2013. Gündogan scored a penalty for Borussia Dortmund at the time. Bayern Munich still won 2-1 and Kroos was able to call himself Champions League winner for the first time, although he was injured in the final.
Kroos went to Real Madrid and followed that up with four premier class victories. Gündogan later moved to England to City and longs as much as his whole club, which is only consistently successful nationally, for this international title, which somehow always flies to the royal team from Spain from a wide variety of circumstances.
The drama culminated last May when Real City, after two last-minute goals, with all football cruelty, ultimately denied the final in extra time (3: 4 / 3: 1). “No one expected last year that we would win, and we still did,” Kroos recalled before the new edition. His words sounded like a threat: “I trust our experience.”
It is by no means the case that City Real cannot beat them. In the first Corona year 2020, the English won twice 2-1 in the round of 16 – only to fail in the quarter-finals at Olympique Lyon (1: 3). In 2021, Gündogan lost the final with the Cityzens against Chelsea (0-1). “Of course we want to get this title,” Gündogan recently told the t-online portal. “It’s our big dream to win the Champions League.” This should come true in the final in Istanbul on June 10th.
Captain at Man City
Despite all the longing that has not yet been satisfied, Gündogan should not be pictured as a dissatisfied footballer. On the contrary. At City, currently probably the best team in the world individually, he is the captain and not other luminaries like Kevin De Bruyne or Erling Haaland. His word carries weight. Coach Pep Guardiola described him as the smartest player he has ever coached. As in the previous season, Gündogan also scored decisive goals for the national championship title. Guardiola is keen to persuade Gündogan to stay when the contract expires in the summer.
Kroos has practically decided to add one last season to Madrid. He has found his center there. Coach Carlo Ancelotti is a Kroos fan, the boy from the East German Baltic Sea coast is an institution at Royal. This status at international top clubs is the parallel in the football life of Gündogan and Kroos. Abroad, they achieved the status that was denied to them at home and is still not really registered today. Too aloof, too introverted, both often come across. It doesn’t matter how the showdown in Manchester ends. In 2024 things can come full circle, when the final of the Champions League will take place again at Wembley Stadium.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
