İlkay Gündoğan/import

İlkay Gündoğan (German pronunciation: [ˈʔɪlkaɪ̯ ˈɡʏndoɡan], Turkish: [ˈilkaj ˈɡyndoɣan] ( listen); born 24 October 1990) is a German footballer who plays as a midfielder for the German Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Germany national football team, having previously played for VfL Bochum and 1. FC Nürnberg.[1] Gündoğan was a central figure in Dortmund's 2011–12 Bundesliga triumph.[2] Usually a playmaking central midfielder, Gündoğan is best known for his passing game and technical qualities.

Carier
Early career

Gündoğan was born in Gelsenkirchen to Turkish parents.[3] He moved from VfL Bochum to 1. FC Nürnberg in 2009.[4] In his fourth Bundesliga match on 19 September 2009, an away match against FC Bayern Munich, he made his first assist. His first goal for the side came on 20 February 2010 in a home match, again versus Bayern. Borussia Dortmund

Gündoğan in action for Borussia Dortmund in 2013 On 5 May 2011, it was announced that Gündoğan had signed a four-year contract with Borussia Dortmund.[5] On the 17th matchday, he scored his first goal for Dortmund in a game away to Freiburg. On 20 March 2012, Gündoğan scored a 120th minute goal to defeat SpVgg Greuther Fürth and send Dortmund into the final of the DFB-Pokal.[6] In the 2012–13 season, Gündoğan was one of the central figures of Borussia Dortmund as they reached the final of UEFA Champions League. He was praised for his play in two semi-final games against Real Madrid.[7][8] 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 2013 UEFA Champions League Final played at Wembley Stadium, London. This was his first penalty kick in a game for Dortmund. Bayern went on to win the game 2–1.[9] On 27 July 2013, Gündoğan scored a goal when he won the 2013 DFL-Supercup with Dortmund 4–2 against rivals Bayern Munich.[10]

International career

After years of playing for the different youth teams, Gündoğan received his first call-up to the German senior side in August 2011 for a friendly match against Brazil, but did not feature in the game. On 11 October 2011, he made his debut for Germany after coming on as a substitute in the 3–1 home win against Belgium in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifier. Prior to that he was approached by Turkey, the birthplace of his parents. Gündoğan declined their offer in favour of playing for his country of birth. He states that it was the hardest decision of his life. In May 2012, he was selected by manager Joachim Löw for the German 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2012 and was given the number two shirt. On 26 March 2013, Gündoğan scored his first goal for Germany in a 4–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan at Grundig-Stadion in Nuremberg.

Personal life

Gündoğan's cousin Naz Aydemir is a volleyball player for Vakıfbank and the Turkish women's national team. He is currently in a relationship with actress Sıla Şahin.[11]