Picture Credit: Twitter
Ilkay Gundogan, the former Manchester City captain who joined Barcelona on a free transfer this summer, has been registered with the LaLiga and has been handed the 22 numbered jersey by the Catalan club.
Gundogan represented the No. 8 shirt at Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City for over a decade. However, he was required to change his numerical identity on joining Barcelona, as promising Spanish midfielder Pedri had already claimed the No. 8 jersey. Gundogan opted for the No. 22, which was previously worn by Brazilian winger Raphinha, who moved to Barca from Leeds United last year.
Hence the German was handed the 22 numbered jersey, as it was the jersey he wore in his initial days, playing for FC Nürnberg, which was his first club since he started playing professional football. He himself confirmed the news on Twitter and posted a tweet which read, “My old and new jersey number 2️⃣2️⃣ Good memories from the past ❤️ ... and now confident about a successful season with @FCBarcelona ahead. Let's get this started ... Força Barça! 💙❤️”
Gundogan signed a two-year deal with Barcelona, with an option to extend for another year, after his contract with City expired at the end of June. He joined the Catalan giants as a free agent, with no transfer fee involved. His contract with Barcelona has a buyout clause of 400 million euros.
Gundogan made his La Liga debut for Barcelona on Sunday, as the defending champions were held to a goalless draw by Getafe in their season opener. He had a chance to score a stunner in the very beginning, but it was deemed as offside. He tried to help his team break the deadlock, but was unsuccessful. He will hope to make a bigger impact in his next game, when Barcelona host Cadiz on August 20.
