Even though he is still taking his first steps as a Barcelona player, Ilkay Gündogan arrives at the Catalan club having just had the best season of his career and serving as the captain for Manchester City’s historic Treble-winning 2022-23 campaign. And now the German has been recognized for his incredible achievements last year.
Gündogan finished fourth in the vote for the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year award, the federation announced on Thursday. Gündogan barely missed out on the list of the Top 3 finalists, which consists of his former City teammates Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne and Barça legend Lionel Messi, who is the favorite to take home the award after winning the World Cup with Argentina last December.