Ilkay Gundogan (born 24 October 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Manchester City, whom he captains, and the Germany national team.
Gundogan came through VfL Bochum's youth academy. In 2008, he began playing for the club's reserve side before joining 1. FC Nurnberg the following season. He was then acquired by Borussia Dortmund in 2011, winning the double of Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal in his first season. In 2013, he helped die Borussen reach their first UEFA Champions League Final since 1997. After playing a total of 157 matches and scoring 15 goals for the club, Gundogan signed for Manchester City for an estimated transfer fee of £21 million in the summer of 2016. He won the Premier League in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, the EFL Cup in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, and the FA Cup in 2019.
Gundogan made his senior debut for Germany in 2011 after previously being capped by Germany youth teams at under-18, under-19, under-20 and under-21 levels. He was chosen in Germany's squads for UEFA Euro 2012, the 2018 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2020.
Jurgen Klopp, Gundogan's former coach at Borussia Dortmund, described Gundogan as an "intelligent and complete midfielder with numerous strengths". Although Gundogan had a tough start at Dortmund, where he admitted "things hadn't gone as well as I had thought", his "willingness to learn" and "great attitude", according to Klopp, allowed him to play a pivotal role in his later career at the club in the deep-lying playmaker role. He was able to fit into Dortmund's explosive playing style "by combining creativity and outstanding passing with the defensive attributes and tireless energy needed". In his earlier years, Gundogan was often deployed as a wide midfielder, but later established himself in a more central role at Dortmund. Regarding this positional switch, he commented: "I came to the conclusion that playing wide wasn't my strength. I feel fine playing as a defensive or central midfielder, but I also believe that I can hold my own as a playmaker." In a 2016 UEFA profile, Philip Röber also noted that Gundogan "excels in possession-based teams and can dictate a side's tempo." At Manchester City, Gundogan further demonstrated his diverse qualities, including his vision, work-rate, technical skills, and versatility, by being deployed in a variety of midfield positions, including in a holding role. Although he was not as productive as his other midfield teammates statistically, specifically in terms of the number of goals and assists he recorded, he drew praise in the media for his ability to circulate possession and create space for other players. Despite his ability, however, he has often struggled with injuries throughout his career. |
