Ilkay Gundogan and his wife, Sara Arfaoui, reportedly felt abandoned by Barcelona after joining the club.
At the end of the 22/23 season, it was confirmed that Gundogan would leave Manchester City when his contract expired. After leaving Etihad, Gundogan completed a free transfer to Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona.
However, upon joining the club, the German player was said to be unhappy with the support the Catalan club gave him and his family.
According to Spanish media outlet SPORT, Gundogan and Arfaoui felt abandoned by Barcelona and hoped the club would help them with things like accommodation and transportation.
The report says Gundogan lodged a complaint with the club, saying things could improve and Barcelona later apologized to the 33-year-old. It is also reported that Gundogan is not the only player to encounter this situation.
Gundogan was on the scoresheet on Saturday as Barcelona lost 2-1 to fierce rivals Real Madrid. Los Blancos recorded an important victory in the Clasico thanks to the outstanding performance of Jude Bellingham, who scored twice to give Madrid victory.
After the match, Gundogan did not hesitate to criticize his teammates. He said: “I have to be honest, not as much as I would like because I don't want to say the wrong thing, but I was in the dressing room and of course everyone was disappointed.
“But especially after such a big match and such a useless result, I wish I would have been more disappointed, angry and disappointed.
Ilkay Gundogan and his wife, Sara Arfaoui,
That is the problem. Gundogan continued: “There needs to be more emotion, especially when you lose and when you know you can perform better, do better in certain situations and you don't react. “This will be delivered to the scene later in the day.
We have to take a big step forward, otherwise Real Madrid or even Girona will run away. I didn't come here to lose a match like this or to create a gap.