İlkay Gündoğan

İlkay Gündoğan (born 24 October 1990) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Germany national team.

İlkay Gündoğan was born on 24 October 1990 in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia, to Turkish parents.

His grandfather on his father's side was a guest worker who moved from Balıkesir, Turkey, to the Ruhr region of Germany to work as a miner.

Meanwhile, his wife stayed in Turkey with their children where they grew up and went to school.

Having grown up in Gelsenkirchen, Gündoğan's boyhood affiliaton was with Schalke 04, with which he had a brief spell as an eight-year old before being forced to take a break from the sport altogether because of growth problems.

He subsequently confessed that this was one of the worst disappointments in his life, one which led him to reject Schalke when the club offered to sign him up again when he was 13-years old, fearing he would be somehow disappointed again.

Gündoğan eventually came through VfL Bochum's youth academy.

In 2008, he began playing for the club's reserve team before signing for 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Nürnberg in 2009.

Gündoğan joined 1. FC Nürnberg in 2009 before signing for Borussia Dortmund in 2011, winning the 2011–12 Bundesliga and 2011–12 DFB-Pokal in his first season with the latter.

In his fourth Bundesliga match, on 19 September 2009, away against Bayern Munich, he made his first assist.

His first goal for Nürnberg came on 20 February 2010 in a home match against Bayern Munich.

Gündoğan made his senior debut for Germany in 2011, after previously being capped by the under-18, under-19, under-20, and under-21 teams.

On 5 May 2011, Gündoğan signed a four-year contract with another Bundesliga club, Borussia Dortmund.

He made his debut on 23 July in the 2011 DFL-Supercup against Schalke.

After a 0–0 draw at Arena AufSchalke, he scored Dortmund's first attempt in the penalty shoot-out, which they went on to lose 4–3.

On 17 December, he scored his first goal for Dortmund in a 4–1 victory away to SC Freiburg.

He was in Germany's squads for the UEFA European Championship in 2012 and 2020, and the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and 2022.

He played once for the club's reserves on 22 February 2012, being replaced at half time by Rico Benatelli in an eventual 2–1 win over 1. FC Kaiserslautern II at the Stadion Rote Erde.

On 20 March, Gündoğan scored a 120th-minute goal which saw Dortmund defeat Greuther Fürth and progress to the 2012 DFB-Pokal final.

He played the entire final on 12 May, a 5–2 victory over Bayern Munich that gave Dortmund their first domestic double.

In the 2012–13 season, Gündoğan was one of the central figures of Borussia Dortmund as they reached the 2013 UEFA Champions League final.

He was praised for his play in the two semi-final matches against Real Madrid.

He helped Dortmund reach the 2013 UEFA Champions League final, in which they lost to Bayern Munich.

On 25 May 2013, he scored the equaliser from the penalty spot in the 69th minute to keep Dortmund's hopes alive against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final played at Wembley Stadium in London.

This was his first regular-time penalty kick in a game for Dortmund.

Bayern Munich went on to win 2–1.

Gündoğan scored in the 2013 DFL-Supercup on 27 July as Dortmund won 4–2 against rivals Bayern Munich.

In August, a back injury picked up while on international duty ruled him out for a full year.

Gündoğan signed a new contract with Dortmund in April 2014, to keep him at the club until 2016.

Gündoğan scored in the penalty-shootout victory over Bayern Munich on 28 April 2015, which sent Dortmund to the 2015 DFB-Pokal final.

Two days later, it was announced he and Dortmund would not be renewing their contract after its expiration on 30 June 2015.

However, on 1 July 2015, Gündoğan signed a contract extension to keep him at Dortmund until June 2017.

After playing 157 matches for the club, Gündoğan signed for Manchester City in 2016, where he would go on to win five Premier League titles, four EFL Cups, two FA Cups, and the Champions League.

This included a continental treble in the 2022–23 season, his final with the club, for which he served as club captain.

Gündoğan joined Barcelona in 2023.

On 2 June 2016, Gündoğan signed for Premier League club Manchester City on a four-year contract, for an estimated transfer fee of £20 million.

He was the club's first signing under former Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola.

Gündoğan made his debut on 14 September, playing for the first time in four months in a 2016–17 Champions League group stage game at home to Borussia Mönchengladbach.

City won 4–0; Gündoğan won a penalty that was converted by Sergio Agüero.

Three days later, Gündoğan started in the squad and scored with a low, right-footed shot against AFC Bournemouth in a 4–0 home win.