OKX Collective: Exclusive Interview with Manchester City Star & OKX Ambassador İlkay Gündoğan

Gündoğan can't wait to connect with his fans in the metaverse on OKX Collective!

In February, OKX announced our partnership with Manchester City Football Stars Jack Grealish, Rúben Dias, Ilkay Gündoğan and Alex Greenwood to launch the OKX Collective, an immersive experience designed specifically for fans. OKX is also MCFC's official training kit partner for the 2022/23 season.

Web3 is the perfect gateway to surpass stadium capacities and bring MCFC players and their fans closer together. The 'OKX Collective' is a unique virtual metaverse environment that allows fans to experience Web3 first-hand and gain access to unique content, experiences and rewards from some of their favourite MCFC players.

Fans visiting the 'OKX Collective' will get VIP treatment to memorable experiences designed around each player’s playing style and interests. These will include exclusive training content and music and NFT-based digital experiences.

We got to sit down with MCFC's midfielder and Web3 enthusiast, Ilkay Gündoğan, to discuss this exciting partnership!

__Q. What interests you most about the Web3 space? __

A. It's innovative and new to people, similar to the internet 24 years ago. It still needs time to adapt and grow, but it’s worth developing because what you thought was impossible now seems possible. Going back to my comparison to the internet, you might remember people thinking, “Wow! What is this?” And now, it’s just a part of our everyday life; we use it to communicate with our friends and family, do online shopping, watch shows and much more. So I think Web3 is a fantastic opportunity.

__Q: What excites you about the partnership with OKX? __

A: Again, similar to the existing partnership with Man City and OKX, we’re getting more of our players involved in the Web3 space. I still think I can learn a lot from OKX; I’m always interested in learning new things and getting involved in new things. That is why I appreciate OKX giving my teammates and me a chance to touch base with this exciting new technology.

__Q: What opportunities and experiences are you excited about for your fans in the “OKX Collective” metaverse? __

A: I think it brings a lot of opportunities to connect with fans, it’s great for them, and it’s great for the players. With us, we travel a lot, and so do our fans, but this space (OKX Collective metaverse) location won’t be a deciding factor; we’ll be able to connect with our fans worldwide. I think both the players and the fans will appreciate this a lot. It’s an innovation that will get bigger and provide an exciting experience for our fans.

__Q: How else do you see the metaverse and Web3 tech bringing players closer to their fans in the future? __

A: I think that’s also, in some ways, what it’s about; I think football is a sport that connects millions of people who play our sport, who are into it and passionate about it. The Web3 space creates a lot of wonderful opportunities to connect with fans. I’m excited about it!