FC Barcelona and their rivals tend to rarely see eye to eye on most things they do. While there are certain exceptions, such as the Super League, those are few and far between. Instead, it is much more common to see the likes of Barcelona, and typically Real Madrid, be at one another’s throats.
However, the scene can shift quite drastically on an individual level. Even in Barça’s Golden Age of domestic and European dominance, a lot of their players and the players from Real Madrid were Spanish compatriots and teammates in the National team.
Thus, their fluctuating relationships during the international breaks compared to the regular season were always interesting to see. Nowadays, a certain tension continues to linger as well, but it is felt by some much more than it is by others.
For Ilkay Gundogan, it seems, that tension is hardly important. The German is playing his first season for FC Barcelona, but his respect for his compatriots, irrespective of whether they play for Real Madrid, remains absolute. As highlighted by SPORT, the Barcelona midfielder was full of praise for Toni Kroos recently:
“It’s a great feeling to have Toni by your side. There aren’t many creative players in European football who have Toni’s qualities. I expect a lot from him. I think we will manage him very well.”
This comes off the back of the Real Madrid midfielder coming back from international retirement to represent Germany. While reactions may be positive or negative, his teammates seem to be open to welcoming him back.
The Barcelona star who just complimented him, however, has his own responsibilities to worry about too. As captain of the German National team, Gundogan is expected to deliver excellence. With a game against France coming up next, an exciting challenge awaits him and the German National team.
