İlkay Gündoğan is back! The reason why he chose the number 19 has been revealed.

İlkay Gündoğan has returned to Manchester City and explained why he opted for the number 19 jersey. Just one year after leaving Manchester City for Barcelona, Gündoğan has rejoined the Etihad Stadium on a free transfer, signing a one-year contract with the club. The German international chose to wear the number 19, which was previously worn by Leroy Sane during his time at City.

During his first spell at Manchester City, İlkay wore the number 8 shirt for seven years. However, with Mateo Kovacic now donning that particular number, the 33-year-old has shared why he chose the number 19 instead. He mentioned that he selected it despite previously wearing the numbers 21 and 22 for Germany and Barcelona, respectively.

Speaking to the club media, İlkay Gündoğan said: “There was a bit of thought behind this decision. The numbers 21 and 22 were also available. Last year, I wore 22 at Barcelona and 21 for the German national team, but I didn’t win any trophies with those numbers. So I thought about the fact that 19 is between 18 and 20. Two of my friends, Bernardo Silva and Stefan Ortega, wear these numbers, and I thought it might be a sign.”

“I chose it just for that reason. I hope the number itself won’t have a big impact, but rather how I play and how we perform as a team will bring us success. You can be sure we will do our best to win even more.”

The 33-year-old midfielder took part in Barcelona’s preseason preparations and is fully ready to start training with Manchester City. Additionally, İlkay could be included in Guardiola’s squad for the match against Ipswich Town on Saturday, August 24.