İlkay Gündoğan

İlkay Gündoğan is a right-footed central midfielder born in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, in 1990. He began his senior career at 1. FC Nürnberg in 2009 before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2011. At Dortmund, Gündoğan helped win the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in his debut season and scored in the 2013 Champions League final defeat by Bayern Munich. He moved to Manchester City in 2016, where his role developed across deep midfield, central midfield and advanced positions. Combining secure passing, tempo control and well-timed runs into the area, he became an important contributor to City’s success. Gündoğan captained Manchester City to the continental treble in 2023. He then played for Barcelona, returned to Manchester City in 2024 and later joined Galatasaray. Internationally, he represented Germany and captained the team at Euro 2024 before retiring from international football.