Ilkay Gündoğan maintains an account on Instagram, X, TikTok and LinkedIn and has around 11.5 million followers on all platforms. The long-time national player is himself part of the social media machine - and yet he sharply criticizes it in connection with professional football. "The original idea of social media was positive, but the direction that has since been taken is rather wrong. Today, in many cases it is only about fame and the greatest profit," Gündoğan told "Zeit".
There is little that is “real” about the appearances of many people on social networks, as “only the nice parts” are often posted. “When you post something negative, you make yourself vulnerable and there is a lot of frustration in the comments,” Gündoğan said. “Many people are just pretending.”
In addition, many footballers place too much importance on public perception. Gündoğan is primarily referring to the younger generation of players, “even if of course it doesn’t affect everyone.” Already in the summer, Gündoğan made it public in a “Spiegel” column that he knew players who would google their names in the dressing room during half-time to see what was being written publicly about them.
When asked about this, Gündoğan now said: "Unfortunately that is the case. Public praise is more important to some than that of the coach or that of colleagues. That can be very dangerous. If the decisions on the pitch are sometimes based on this, you can imagine that in the end the best result for the team will no longer be achieved."
Nevertheless, Gündoğan also emphasized that the players could only be blamed to a limited extent. "You are hardly given a choice. Dealing with social media is part of being a professional today," said the Galatasaray Istanbul player.
“The whole world pays homage to individualism”
Other developments in football also bother Gündoğan. “For example, I have the impression that people sometimes forget that football is a team sport,” criticized the 35-year-old. "Players, managers and coaches, the media - the whole world pays homage to individualism. There seems to be nothing more important than goals. They are supposedly everything." Social media would also accelerate this trend.
The interview was also about Gündoğan's view of the new national coach Jürgen Klopp. The 82-time national player highlighted Klopp's special qualities with an anecdote. "Jürgen once gave me an enema. From his point of view, I was too late at the training ground to go to the physio. Then he stormed into the room, shouted at me and slammed the door. That wasn't entirely appropriate. Half an hour later he took me in his arms and explained to me why he was so strict. Then he apologized," said Gündoğan, remembering their time together at Borussia Dortmund. Gündoğan played for BVB from 2011 to 2016, and with Klopp as coach he celebrated the German championship and the DFB Cup victory in 2012.
"Actually he was right. A minute or two after the outburst of anger he calmed down again. We players have always accepted his impulsive nature: honest, direct, likeable. No coach is as authentic as him," said the midfielder.
Gündoğan urged people to be patient with the national coach, who has not yet won a victory. The fact that he nominated more than 40 players “expresses his enthusiasm to be the coach of a great football nation,” said Gündoğan. "We should give him the time to test. In any case, I'm excited about the national team."
Gündoğan would like to work as a coach after his career
The 35-year-old emphasized that he was happy that Klopp was now the national coach. "He also took over Liverpool and Dortmund on the ground and led them to titles. However, it will be a tough road for the players, as we saw in the first two games," said Gündoğan.
Regarding the current imbalance in German football, he said: "Spain, France or England are better staffed. That's just the reality, but it can't be a reason for elimination before the round of 16 in major tournaments. In football you don't have to have the best players, you have to have the best team. That sounds so simple, but - as we see - it isn't."
The former Man City and Barcelona professional also revealed his plan for the time after his career ends. "I would like to work as a coach. I have seen what coaches can do," he said. "Ultimately, my former coach Pep Guardiola planted the idea in me. I recognized my future role in his role." He played at Manchester City under Guardiola. Together they became Champions League winners in 2023, among other things, and Gündogan was subsequently named Germany's “Footballer of the Year 2023”.
