Ilkay Gundogan is back at Manchester City for a sequel few could have expected.
A year after leaving for Barcelona, the former Germany midfielder completed his return to City on Friday on a free transfer and a season-long deal.
The 33-year-old Gundogan, who has the option of a further season at City, was the captain when Pep Guardiola's team captured the Premier League- FA Cup -Champions League treble in the 2022-23 campaign.
That confirmed his place in the growing pantheon of City greats, having already been in the conversation most notably after scoring two late goals against Aston Villa on the final day of the 2021-22 Premier League season to seal a 3-2 win that clinched the title. He was at City for seven years after joining in 2016 as Guardiola's first signing, and was so often his manager's go-to player with big performances and significant goals — as well as his neighbor.
“To have the opportunity to return here means so much," Gundogan said. “Everyone knows the respect I have for Pep — he is the best manager in the world and working with him every day makes you a better player. You feel constantly challenged, which for any professional is exactly what you want. I cannot wait to work with him again.
“And what can I say about my teammates here at City ... they are world-class footballers. I am genuinely delighted to have the chance to train and play alongside them. Honestly, I cannot wait to wear the City shirt again.”
Bringing in Gundogan is a late call by City in this transfer window. He was one of Xavi Hernández’s favorite players during the coach's sole season with the Catalan club but Barcelona’s delicate economic situation appears to have forced the new coach, Hansi Flick of Germany, to part ways with Gundogan.
Gundogan suggested as much in a post on social media platform X.
“I have given everything to fight for the team and the club the best possible way in a difficult season and I was looking forward to helping my teammates in the new campaign,” Gundogan wrote.
“Now I am leaving in a difficult situation, but if my departure can help the club financially, it makes me a bit less sad.”
Typically an attacking central midfielder, Gundogan also will be used as a replacement for holding midfielder Rodri should the Spain star need a break. He is well-versed in Guardiola's style of play so has the benefit of not needing a transitional period, and will compete for a place in the midfield alongside the irreplaceable Rodri with Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic and Phil Foden.
Guardiola said Gundogan's performances for Barcelona last season and for Germany at the recent European Championship showed he was still able to perform at the top level.
“We didn’t have any doubts when the possibility was open,” Guardiola said of the “surprising” and “unexpected” transfer.
“He doesn't come here to retire or remember the memories he had.”
Gundogan’s exit should help Barcelona register new midfielder Dani Olmo, which the team has so far been unable to do because of the Spanish league’s financial rules that make clubs balance expenditures on wages and transfers with available assets.
In addition to Olmo, Barcelona also has depth in the creative midfield positions with Pedri González, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin López and, once he recovers from his serious leg injury, Gavi Páez.
Gundogan was Germany’s captain at the recent European Championship but he retired from international duty this week.
Gundogan's last game for City saw him lift the Champions League trophy after the win over Inter Milan in Istanbul in June last year. His next could be against Ipswich at Etihad Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.
“If tomorrow he has to play, he knows everything,” Guardiola said.
Associated Press writer Joseph Wilson contributed to this story.
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FILE - Barcelona's Ilkay Gundogan reacts after missing a chance to score during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Mallorca at the Olimpic Lluis Companys stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, March 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)
FILE - Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, on Feb. 13, 2021. Ilkay Gundogan is back at Manchester City for a sequel few could have expected. (AP photo/Rui Vieira, Pool File)
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — United Nations talks on getting money to curb and adapt to climate change resumed Monday with tempered hope that negotiators and ministers can work through disagreements and hammer out a deal after slow progress last week.
That hope comes from the arrival of the climate and environment ministers from around the world this week in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the COP29 talks. They’ll give their teams instructions on ways forward.
"We are in a difficult place,” said Melanie Robinson, economics and finance program director of global climate at the World Resources Institute. “The discussion has not yet moved to the political level — when it does I think ministers will do what they can to make a deal.”
Talks in Baku are focused on getting more climate cash for developing countries to transition away from fossil fuels, adapt to climate change and pay for damages caused by extreme weather. But countries are far apart on how much money that will require. Several experts put the sum needed at around $1 trillion.
“One trillion is going to look like a bargain five, 10 years from now,” said Rachel Cleetus from the Union of Concerned Scientists, citing a multitude of costly recent extreme weather events from flooding in Spain to hurricanes Helene and Milton in the United States. “We’re going to wonder why we didn’t take that and run with it.”
Also on Monday, the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has been mulling a proposal to cut public spending for foreign fossil fuel projects. The OECD — made up of 38 member countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and Germany — are discussing a deal that could prevent up to $40 billion worth of carbon-polluting projects.
At COP29, activists are protesting the U.S., South Korea, Japan, and Turkey who they say are the key holdouts preventing the agreement in Paris from being finalized.
“It’s of critical importance that President Biden comes out in support. We know it’s really important that he lands a deal that Trump cannot undo. This can be really important for Biden’s legacy," said Lauri van der Burg, Global Public Finance Lead at Oil Change international. “If he comes around, this will help mount pressure on other laggards including Korea, Turkey and Japan.”
Meanwhile, the world’s biggest decision makers are halfway around the world as another major summit convenes. Brazil is hosting the Group of 20 summit, which runs Nov. 18-19, bringing together many of the world's largest economies. Climate change — among other major topics like rising global tensions and poverty — will be on the agenda.
Harjeet Singh, global engagement director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said G20 nations “cannot turn their backs on the reality of their historical emissions and the responsibility that comes with it.”
"They must commit to trillions in public finance," he said.
In a written statement on Friday, United Nations Climate Change's executive secretary Simon Stiell said “the global climate crisis should be order of business Number One” at the G20 meetings.
Stiell noted that progress on stopping more warming should happen both in and out of climate talks, calling the G20's role “mission-critical.”
Associated Press journalist Ahmed Hatem in Baku contributed to this report.
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Activist Ann Carlotta Oltmanns, center, pretends to resuscitate Earth with others during a demonstration at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Activist Friday Barilule Nbani leads a demonstration for clean energy at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Mukhtar Babayev, COP29 President, bangs a gavel during a plenary session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Attendees gather in the Moana Blue Pacific Pavilion at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Yalchin Rafiyev, Azerbaijan's COP29 lead negotiator, attends a plenary session at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A demonstrators holds a sign that reads "don't burn our future" at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Attendees arrive at the venue as it rains during the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Activists participate in a demonstration for climate finance at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Arnold Jason Del Rosario leads a demonstration on climate finance at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
People arrive as it rains at the COP29 U.N. Climate Summit, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
