Ilkay Gündogan keen to win more titles with Germany
August 17, 2018Ilkay Gündogan is set to continue to play for Germany after the 27-year-old Manchester City midfielder hinted about future glory with the national team on an Instagram Q&A. On Thursday evening one of Gündogan's fans asked what he wanted to achieve in football, and the midfielder replied: "Win the Champions League and at least one title with Germany."
After taking photos with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before the World Cup, both Gündogan and Mesut Özil had come under heavy criticism. Özil waited three weeks after Germany's World Cup exit to speak (and step back from the Germany team), citing racism and a lack of respect as a reason. Gündogan, however, made a statement before the tournament began but was nevertheless, booed by fans in Germany's friendly against Saudia Arabia in Leverkusen before the tournament began and was emotionally affected.
Germany head coach Joachim Löw has yet to speak about Germany's performance or about Mesut Özil's situation, although did confirm he had positive talks with Toni Kroos this week. Kroos recently told Bild that he was keen to help Germany be more successful at the 2020 Euros, while Sami Khedira also posted on social media his commitment to the team. Mario Gomez is the only player so far to retire from the national team since the tournament in Russia.