Ilkay Gundogan believes Germany team-mate Joshua Kimmich WILL change his mind and take the Covid-19 vaccine… but the Man City star says he does NOT support compulsory jabs for footballers
- Ilkay Gundogan expects Joshua Kimmich to have the Covid-19 vaccine
- Kimmich Previously raised doubts over the vaccine due to lack of studies
- However, Gundogan does not support compulsory jabs for footballers
- The Man City midfielder insists footballers should be treated like everyone else
Ilkay Gundogan expects Germany team-mate Joshua Kimmich to overcome his doubts and eventually have the Covid-19 vaccine.
Kimmich revealed in October he is yet to be vaccinated due to concerns regarding a lack of long-term studies.
He stated that taking the vaccine should be an individual decision and added that he is continuing to follow hygiene measures.
Kimmich hasn’t had the Covid-19 vaccine because of concerns over a lack of long-term studies
But Ilkay Gundogan expects his Germany team-mate to eventually overcome those doubts
But Gundogan believes Kimmich will eventually have the vaccine. In an interview with the Editorial Network Germany, he said: ‘I believe that the time will come when Jo (Kimmich) will be vaccinated. He deliberately did not rule that out for the future.’
The Manchester City midfielder – who was previously infected with coronavirus and has since been vaccinated – added: ‘Everyone has to look in the mirror and answer for themselves whether they have done everything to protect themselves and their loved ones as best as possible.
‘Because there is no compulsory vaccination, everyone has the choice.’
With pressure growing on footballers to get the vaccination, the 31-year-old emphasised he would not approach team-mates in regards to the vaccine: ‘I remember that after my illness I talked to some of the other players and told them about my own personal experiences.
Gundogan is against compulsory jabs for footballers and says they should be treated like everyone else in society
‘I am a very tolerant person, respect other opinions and therefore don’t want to judge.’
Gundogan is also against compulsory vaccination for footballers, insisting they should be treated like everyone else in society.
‘The fact is that there are still a lot of people in society who are not vaccinated and have the right to do so. Why should this be done differently in football? Footballers are part of society,’ he said.