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Manchester City profiles: If fit, Ilkay Gundogan a midfield difference maker

By Cody Griffin

BARCELONA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 19: Ivan Rakitic (L) of FC Barcelona and Ilkay Gundogan (R) of Manchester City FC fight for the ball during the UEFA Champions League group C match between FC Barcelona and Manchester City FC at Camp Nou on October 19, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 19: Ivan Rakitic (L) of FC Barcelona and Ilkay Gundogan (R) of Manchester City FC fight for the ball during the UEFA Champions League group C match between FC Barcelona and Manchester City FC at Camp Nou on October 19, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) /
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DORTMUND, GERMANY – DECEMBER 05: Ilkay Guendogan (L) of Dortmund celebrates his team’s first goal with team mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and 1899 Hoffenheim at Signal Iduna Park on December 5, 2014 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images)
DORTMUND, GERMANY – DECEMBER 05: Ilkay Guendogan (L) of Dortmund celebrates his team’s first goal with team mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and 1899 Hoffenheim at Signal Iduna Park on December 5, 2014 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images) /

Ilkay Gundogan was a dominant force for Borussia Dortmund in seasons past, but after several tough injury spells, he made the switch to Manchester City this summer.

Past

Before agreeing to join Manchester City this past summer, Ilkay Gundogan first lit up the German Bundesliga with a knack for creating chances. Starting his career at German second division side VfL Bochum, he played only two competitive matches before moving to then top-tier side FC Numberg. Gundogan played for Numberg for two seasons before being scooped up by Borussia Dortmund £3.5 million at the end of 2011.

Ilkay Gundogan of Borussia Dortmund during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg on April 30, 2016 at the Signal Idun Park stadium in Dortmund, Germany.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
Ilkay Gundogan of Borussia Dortmund during the Bundesliga match between Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg on April 30, 2016 at the Signal Idun Park stadium in Dortmund, Germany.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /

At Dortmund, under former manager Jurgen Klopp, Gundogan began to impress right away. In the Champions League final match against Bayern Munich, he took a high-pressure penalty to keep his team in the match, and scored it with confidence. While Dortmund went on to to lose 2-1, Gundogan was now widely known as an elite player who could make a serious impact in big games.

While clearly possessing the talent of an elite midfielder, Gundogan has suffered through a bevy of injuries during his career, a seemingly massive amount for a player of only 25. Most of the injuries were small, unfortunate mishaps. However, a serious spine injury in August of 2013 kept the player sidelined for the entire season – with nearly 13 months elapsing before he was fit to return to action.

After that horrific injury, Gundo went  on to remain mostly healthy and excel for Dortmund over the next two years. His performance in that most recent season is undoubtedly what led City to pull the trigger on signing the player.