Ilkay Gündoğan starts 2024 in tremendous form

Ilkay  Gündoğan  has been a key member of the FC Barcelona squad in all competitions this year, and is an indispensable element of Xavi Hernández's plans. His goal in the most recent game with Alavés places him fourth in the team's scoring charts this term, only topped by Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres and João Félix. And he leads the team for assists, with nine, which is already more than his previous record for the 2018/19 season with Manchester City.

But the 33-year-old has especially boomed in the last few games, where he has tended to play in a slightly more advanced position and is hence playing more of a role in the frontline. And that has led to more goals and assists.

Top stats in 2024

In 24 games in 2023, Gündoğan scored twice and gave six assists, amounting to an involvement in 0.33 goals per game  That's not at all bad for a midfielder, but in the ten games he's played in 2024, with three goals and three assists, that rate almost doubles to 0.6 per game. In the last two games in which he's scored, against Villarreal and Alavés, the German also delivered an assist.