Ilkay Gundogan snubs Neymar and Harry Kane, chooses ex-Liverpool rival ahead of star duo
Ilkay Gundogan snubbed Neymar and Harry Kane by naming Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah as the superior player. He faced the Egyptian forward most of his seven-year stay at Manchester City.
Irish YouTuber John Nellis asked Gundogan to choose which player he feels is superior in European football at the moment. When the Barcelona midfielder was asked to choose between Salah and Neymar, he opted for the former. He also preferred the Reds forward to former Tottenham Hotspur frontman Harry Kane.
Salah, 32, has become arguably one of, if not the greatest wide forwards in Premier League history. The 96-cap Egypt international has posted 211 goals and 89 assists in 349 games since arriving at Anfield in 2017.
Gundogan, 33, faced Salah 13 times during his City days, mostly amid the two Premier League giants battling it out for the title. He knows all about the Liverpool star's abilities.
The former Borussia Dortmund man also came up against Kane, 30, while at the Etihad. The England captain is the Premier League's second-all-time top scorer (213 goals in 320 games) and is regarded as one of the best strikers in the world.
Neymar, 32, previously played at Barca before making a controversial move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017. The Brazilian attacker lit up Camp Nou with 105 goals and 76 assists in 186 games. He has never come up against Gundogan during his career and is unlikely to do so now he's in Saudi Arabia with Al-Hilal.
Gundogan opted for Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne over Liverpool's Mohamed Salah
Gundogan's admiration of Salah lasted until Kevin De Bruyne's name came up during the TikTok video. He couldn't look past the Belgian playmaker's extraordinary impact at City, where they forged a formidable midfield partnership.
De Bruyne, 32, could be the greatest player in the Cityzens' history. He's registered 102 goals and 170 assists in 382 games at the Etihad, a key influence in their unprecedented four Premier League title triumphs in a row.
The former Chelsea midfielder has shone even while dealing with injury issues, as was the case last season. He's been a thorn in Liverpool's side for several years, posting four goals and nine assists in 18 games against the Merseysiders.
Salah has been equally impressive for the Reds against the blue side of Manchester. He has scored 11 goals and six assists in 21 games against the Cityzens.