Gündogan on his COVID infection: "This virus isn't something to toy with"
The omnipresent novel corona virus has affected many athletes across the world. Among them was the most outspoken of Germany's national team players from the September international break.
Manchester City's Ilkay Gündoğan declared himself "pissed off" following Germany's 1-1 draw with Switzerland after a September 7th UEFA Nations League fixture. The scorer of the Nationalmannschaft's lone goal in that match went on to use a rather vulgar bodily metaphor to describe his dissatisfaction with the result.
Gündoğan took the result quite personally. Unbeknownst to the 29-year-old midfielder, an even more personal set-back was coming. Gündogan contracted COVID-19 some time September. His diagnosis came with little plausible explanation. Many City teammates that had previously tested positive were now virus free.
"I followed all the rules," Gündoğan told German footballing magazine Kicker, "Unfortunately, you can't rule it out completely however careful you are."
Upon learning of his infection, Gündoğan recalled that some fans on social media theorized that he would "chill out a bit at home before resuming training".
"All I can say to those people is 'No!'", the national team veteran warned, "Unfortunately, it was absolutely no fun. This virus is simply nothing to toy with."
"It hit me hard," Gündoğan continued, "Only after several days did I begin to feel better. To be honest, I can't remember the last time an infection struck me like this." The footballer reported feeling completely enervated for days and also noted that he lost his sense of taste.
Gündoğan has since recovered, resumed training, and cleared a club medical that ruled out any long-term consequences. He let slip some words directed at all those operating in this unprecedented global pandemic.
"Everyone must fulfill their responsibilities," he said, "Play by the rules. Maintain distances and, most importantly, wear a mask."