Revealed: Ronaldinho's role in convincing Ilkay Gundogan to leave Man City for Barcelona

• Gundogan swapped Man City for Barca
• Shared his admiration for Ronaldinho
• Singled out performance vs Real Madrid

WHAT HAPPENED? Gundogan rejected an offer to extend his stay at City in order to join Barca on a free transfer. The Germany international reminisced about Ronaldinho's mesmerising performances for the Camp Nou side, highlighting a stand out display against Real Madrid as one of the reasons he admires the club so much.

WHAT THEY SAID: “I remember a moment that I will never forget, which is Ronaldinho’s performance at the Bernabeu, where even the Real Madrid fans applauded him. I really enjoyed watching that," Gundogan told Sport. "Not just Ronaldinho. All of Barca as a team playing that day. That is perhaps the most important moment I remember. But I have seen many games in La Liga or in the Champions League where the midfield of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta, who for me was the best in the world, played in an incredible way and I grew up learning from them.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ronaldinho spent five years at Barca and won the Champions League and two La Liga titles before his departure in 2008. Gundogan, meanwhile, won his first Champions League crown and his fifth Premier League title last season and will hope to add more trophies to his collection with the Camp Nou club.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Getty Images

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT FOR GUNDOGAN? The 32-year-old could feature as Barca take on Arsenal in their next pre-season friendly.