Of the numerous footballers to catch COVID-19 over the last year, few have been as open about the virus as Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan.
The City midfielder tested positive for the virus back in September, spending almost a month on the sidelines before his return in Manchester City’s clash with Arsenal on October 17th.
He’s been a regular for City since then but has been open about his struggles, detailing on more than one occasion how the virus has affected him both physically and mentally.
Indeed, the German midfielder has been going out of his way to teach the public about the dangers of the virus and ensure they take it seriously.
“I don’t want to imagine what this disease does to people who are not as healthy and not as young as me,” Sueddeutsche Zeitung report the Manchester City midfielder saying.
“I would like people to deal with it responsibly, wear masks, adhere to protective measures and put social contacts in second place.
“When I got the diagnosis from our doctor, I was extremely insecure. And I didn’t know what to expect. It was a completely different psychological burden.
“It was very frightening and unsettling. At first, I had a fever, aching limbs – very pronounced – sore throat, headache, after a week there was also a loss of taste that lasted two weeks.
“It was extremely physically demanding. I had the feeling that my immune system was going down completely. It pulled me for a while before I was completely fit again.”
