"Proud of you" - Ilkay Gundogan's wife Sara makes heartfelt claim on Instagram as the Barcelona star is named Germany national team captain

Germany and FC Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan saw his wife send him her congratulations via Instagram after he was named as the new Germany captain. The midfielder announced the appointment on his Instagram account.

Germany are in a rebuild mode after a disastrous group stage exit from the FIFA World Cup last year. Former captain and iconic goalkeeper Manuel Neuer remains sidelined after a horrific skiing accident injured him last year.

While the 36-year-old Bayern Munich goalkeeper is yet to retire from international football, manager Hansi Flick has chosen his successor.

Ilkay Gundogan was appointed as the new captain by Flick, and he will be assisted by Bayern Munich ace Joshua Kimmich. The Barcelona midfielder announced this on his Instagram account with a photo of him sporting the armband. The post has garnered 174,995 likes and 817 comments.

His caption for the photo read:

"A big honour to be the new captain of the German national team ©️🇩🇪💪"

His wife, Sara, also shared his post on her Instagram story with a caption that said:

"Proud of you capitano ❤️"

Gundogan will remain the team's captain for the foreseeable future, as revealed by Flick. When asked about Neuer, the manager said that the veteran goalkeeper remains sidelined without a clear return date.

He added that he hopes for Neuer to get well soon and that he is not thinking of Neuer's captaincy at the moment.

Ilkay Gundogan made his international debut in 2011 and has appeared 67 times for the national team since. Injuries have limited the 32-year-old to just three international tournaments for Germany since his debut.

When is the first assignment for Ilkay Gundogan as captain?

Ilkay Gundogan will lead Die Mannschaft out as permanent captain for the first time in their friendly against Japan on Saturday. The Germans lost to Japan in their group stage game at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, a result which effectively eliminated them.

Gundogan's second appearance as captain will be against the runners-up of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, France, on coming Tuesday. The match will take place at the Signal Iduna Park, which the midfielder regarded as home when he was a Borussia Dortmund player.

The Turkey-born midfielder has had a successful year, one in which he won the treble with Manchester City before joining Barcelona. He will be keen to avoid any mishaps that will prevent him from leading his team back to the summit of international football.