Man City treble captain Ilkay Gundogan gets legend status tribute at training ground

Treble-winning captain Ilkay Gundogan will have a training pitch named after him at Manchester City to honour his contribution to the club, the Blues have confirmed, as chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak paid tribute to the iconic midfielder.

Gundogan left City in the summer after seven years, opting to join Barcelona at the expiration of his contract. His last action as a City player was to lift the Champions League trophy for the first time, completing a historic treble.

The German will be remembered for a number of iconic moments, including his title-winning brace on the final day of the 2021/22 season against Aston Villa, his brilliant goalscoring form at the end of last season, and of course his two goals in the FA Cup final against Manchester United including a record-breaking strike just 12 seconds in.

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Now, in recognition of his role in winning five Premier League titles, four League Cups, two FA Cups and the Champions League, Gundogan will have a pitch at the City Football Academy dedicated in his honour. Other club legends to receive the same tribute include Fernandinho, Joe Hart, Yaya Toure and Alex Williams.

Pitches are also named after Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva, along with the statues of the trio outside the Etihad. Like with the other pitches, a special mosaic has been created by local Manchester sculptor Mark Kennedy, with Gundogan's depicting his celebration in the Aston Villa game to secure his fourth of five league titles.

In a message, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: “On