İlkay Gündoğan is a German professional soccer player known for his good performances for 1. FC Nürnberg and Borussia Dortmund. His move to Dortmund helped him establish himself as one of the most dynamic midfielders in the modern game. His passing range and surging runs from the midfield often gives his side an edge in attack. It was because of this very reason that he was snapped up by Pep Guardiola immediately after he started his managerial stint with Manchester City. He has a huge social media fan base with more than 3 million followers on Instagram.
Born Name
İlkay Gündoğan
Nick Name
İlkay
İlkay Gündoğan as seen in September 2012 (Michael Kranewitter / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0)
Sun Sign
Scorpio
Born Place
Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Residence
Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Nationality
Education
İlkay Gündoğan has polished his game and skills at the youth academies of SV Gelsenkirchen-Hessler 06, Schalke 04, SSV Buer, and VfL Bochum.
Occupation
Professional Soccer Player
Family
Father – Irfan Gündoğan
Mother – Ayten Gündoğan
Siblings – Ilker Gündoğan (Brother)
Manager
İlkay Gündoğan is represented by his uncle Ilhan Gündoğan.
Position
Midfielder
Shirt Number
35 – VfL Bochum
22 – 1. FC Nürnberg
21 – Borussia Dortmund, Germany National Team
8 – Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City
7, 14, 19, 2 – Germany National Team
Build
Athletic
Height
5 ft 10¾ in or 180 cm
Weight
78 kg or 172 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
İlkay Gündoğan has dated –
Sila Sahin (2013-2015) – In 2013, Gundogan started going out with Turkish actress and model, Sila Sahin. She even decided to move to Dortmund from Berlin to live with her boyfriend. However, their relationship didn’t last the distance and they decided to quietly separate in 2015.
İlkay Gündoğan during a match in September 2012 (Michael Kranewitter / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0)
Race / Ethnicity
Middle Eastern
He has Turkish ancestry.
Hair Color
Black
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Often has a trimmed beard and mustache
Brand Endorsements
İlkay Gündoğan has a personal endorsement deal with Adidas, which requires him to wear Adidas footwear for his professional matches. He has also appeared in TV commercials for Adidas.
İlkay Gündoğan in an Instagram post as seen in March 2018 (İlkay Gündoğan / Instagram)
Religion
Islam
He is a devout Muslim and often prays before his soccer matches.
Best Known For
His solid performances in the midfield for the German club, Borussia Dortmund. During his 5 seasons stay at the club, he made 157 appearances in all competitions. He managed to win Bundesliga title, DFB-Pokal Cup, and DFL-Supercup with the club.
First Soccer Match
In December 2008, he made his professional debut with VfL Bochum in a Regionalliga West match against Eintracht Trier. The match ended in a 3-2 defeat for his team.
In July 2011, he made his first appearance for Borussia Dortmund in a DFL-Supercup match against Schalke 04. However, his side lost the tie in the penalty shootout.
In September 2016, he made his debut for Manchester City in a UEFA Champions League group stage match against Borussia Mönchengladbach. His side managed to win the tie by 4-0.
In October 2011, İlkay made his first international appearance for the German National Team in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Belgium. He was sent in for Phillip Lahm with 6 minutes remaining in the match.
Strengths
Passing
Vision
Technical ability
Ability to control the tempo of the game
Intelligence
Work rate
Weaknesses
He is slightly injury prone.
Strength
Aerial duels
First TV Show
Apart from the broadcast of his football matches, he made his TV show debut in March 2012 on the sports documentary series, Das Aktuelle Sportstudio.
İlkay Gündoğan during a friendly match in June 2018 (Granada / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0)
İlkay Gündoğan Facts
When he was 8 years old, his brief association with Schalke came to an end as they decided to drop him. As his game improved, he was offered another opportunity by Schalke at the age of 13 but his previous rejection had scarred him and he decided against joining them.
In 2005, he joined the youth academy of VfL Bochum. He eventually managed to progress through the age groups and made his professional debut with the Bochum-based club.
He moved from VfL Bochum to 1. FC Nürnberg in 2009. He earned his breakthrough in the 2009-10 season as he made 22 league appearances in Bundesliga.
In his 4th league appearance, İlkay managed to record an assist in an away match against Bayern Munich. He scored his first Bundesliga goal against the same team in a match against February 2010.
In May 2011, he moved to Borussia Dortmund as the club manager Jurgen Klopp felt that he would inject dynamism in his midfield. Dortmund had paid a transfer fee of €4 million.
In December 2011, he scored his first goal for Dortmund in an away match against SC Freiburg. They managed to win the match by 4-1.
In his debut season with Dortmund, he played in 28 league matches and helped his side claim Bundesliga title. Dortmund also managed to win DFB-Pokal trophy.
He played a key role in Dortmund‘s DFL-Supercup win over Bayern Munich in July 2013. He delivered a masterful performance while playing just behind striker Robert Lewandowski and scored his side’s 3rd goal in the 4-2 win.
In August 2013, he suffered a back injury while on an international duty with German national side. He had to undergo surgery and couldn’t return to the playing field for almost a year.
In April 2015, it was announced that he had declined to sign a contract extension with Dortmund with his contract expiring in July 2016. However, he changed his stance and signed a contract extension in July 2015.
He moved from Dortmund to Manchester City in June 2016 as the English side agreed to pay a transfer fee of £20 million for the German player. He was the first player signed by new manager Pep Guardiola.
His promising start to life at Manchester City was cut short in December 2016 as he damaged his knee ligaments in a league match against Watford. He was ruled out for the entire season. He made his return to professional action in September 2017 in a league match against Watford. It had been 9 months since he suffered the injury against the same team.
He scored his first professional goal for Manchester City in a premier league match against Bournemouth in September 2016. His side romped to a 4-0 win at the City of Manchester Stadium.
In March 2013, he scored his first goal for the German national side in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier match against Kazakhstan. The Germans won the match by 4-1.
In May 2018, he was caught in a scandal as he posed for a picture with controversial Turkish President Recep Erdogan during his London visit. Despite being a German citizen, he had referred to Erdogan as ‘my president’. His decision to pose with Erdogan along with Mesut Ozil didn’t sit well in Germany as they felt that he was endorsing Erdogan before the elections. Erdogan’s decision to crack down on activists and journalists hadn’t gone down well in liberal Germany.
A couple of weeks after his meeting with Erdogan, he was booed by the German fans during a World Cup warm-up match against Saudi Arabia. He was also jeered by fans during World Cup matches.
