Ilkay Gundogan's heartwarming story about Pep Guardiola & a bottle of champagne

Ilkay Gundogan has lifted the lid on his off-field relationship with Pep Guardiola, telling a heartwarming story about the time the Man City boss split a bottle of champagne with him on his birthday.

Guardiola made Gundogan one of his first signings at City back in 2016 and he has not been made to regret it. Despite the midfielder's struggles with injury, he has persevered to become a key player at the Etihad Stadium, netting 16 goals so far this season.

Writing in The Player's Tribune, Gundogan says the boss' faith in him is a big part of what has driven his recent revival.

"Pep and I have been working together for five years now, and we have a very good understanding," he said. "Even when I ruptured my cruciate ligament in December 2016 and was out for eight months, he had no doubt that I would recover my best form."

At the heart of that understanding is an off-field relationship that sees the two spend time together behind the scenes. They are next-door neighbours in Manchester, and Gundogan told of the time the City boss took time out of his birthday celebrations to share a bottle of champagne with him and a friend.

Gundogan said: "I remember one time, I was hanging out with a friend of mine when we remembered that it was Pep’s birthday. So my friend suggested that we give him a present.

"Pep is actually my neighbour here in Manchester, so we bought a bottle of champagne, my friend wrote him a card in Spanish, and then he went to knock on his door. When he came back, he said that Pep had been very happy about it. 

"Anyway, I went back to the cinema room and kind of forgot about it. About half an hour later, there was a knock on the door. I was like, 'Who the f*** 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?'

"We were both really surprised, because Pep is such a private guy. We had seen him around in the elevator and stuff, but he had never been in my apartment. He had brought the champagne bottle and three glasses. He ended up staying for an hour or so, just to chill.

"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. "