Ilkay Gundogan Recalls Cute Moment With Pep Guardiola on City Boss’ Birthday

• Ilkay Gundogan was Pep Guardiola's first signing as coach of Manchester City
• The German captained City to treble last season before leaving for Barcelona
• Gundogan recalled a lovely moment he shared with Guardiola on his birthday

Pep Guardiola is said to be a private person but former Manchester City star, Ilkay Gundogan managed to get him out of his shell during their time together in England.

Gundogan was Guardiola's first signing at City when the Spanish boss arrived in 2016 to begin a rebuild of the squad, despite taking over a team of winners.

The German captained the club to a historic treble last season before leaving as a free agent and joining the manager's beloved former club, Barcelona.

As reported by 90min, he chose the Catalans as his next destination after Guardiola's former player, Xavi - now in charge of La Blaugrana - convinced him.

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Gundogan recalls cute moment with Guardiola

The former Borussia Dortmund star was his former manager's neighbour in Manchester during his seven years at the club and writing on an episode of Players' Tribune, he revealed a cute moment between the two.

It was Guardiola's birthday and Gundogan was hanging out with a friend, who suggested they buy the coach a present for his special day.

The German obliged and they bought a bottle of champagne, which was taken to the Spanish tactician's house with a handwritten note from the friend.

The friend gave feedback on Guardiola's reaction but the player did not make much of it.

"About half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. I was like, 'Who is this?' I thought my friend had ordered pizza or something. My friend opened the door, and it was Pep! He said, 'Where’s Gundo?' (He calls me Gundo)," the 32-year-old wrote.

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The former Bayern Munich boss brought back the champagne with three glasses and shared a moment with the two, which the player claimed was one of the best moments they shared.

"It reminded me that, even though we play football, this profession is also about humans, you know? And I think that, when I end my career, what I will remember the most are the people I shared it with," he said.

How Guardiola convinced Walker to stay

Sports Brief also reported on how Guardiola convinced Kyle Walker to stay at Manchester City despite the player attracting interest from Bayern Munich.

Walker snubbed the Germans and revealed a time out with his manager at a fancy restaurant convinced him to remain with the Premier League side.