da premier bet： The Germany international is on his way to Barcelona after establishing himself as a club legend by the end of a seven-year stay at the Etihad
da marjack bet： Is it time to get working on another statue outside the Etihad Stadium? Ilkay Gundogan has just brought an end to his Manchester City career and he will be undoubtedly remembered with the same level of fondness among supporters as the likes of Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Aguero.
The Germany international won 12 major trophies during his seven-year stay and was integral to so many of those triumphs. Indeed, Gundogan so often proved City's man for the big occasion, with Kyle Walker noting that the versatile midfielder appeared to transform into "prime (Zinedine) Zidane for the final months" of nearly every campaign.
So, with the 32-year-old now bound for Barcelona, GOAL looks back at Gundogan's 10 most iconic moments during his glorious spell in Manchester…
GettyGundogan's first goal
Gundogan was the first signing of Pep Guardiola's tenure, but he missed the start of the 2016-17 season through injury. However, when he finally returned to full fitness, he made an instant impact, winning a penalty in his first appearance, in a 4-0 Champions League rout of Borussia Monchengladbach, before opening his City account on his Premier League debut three days later, against Bournemouth.
Gundogan made a perfectly timed run into the area before coolly slotting home, which would eventually become a very familiar sight at the Etihad…
AdvertisementGettyA brace against Barca
City had been humiliated by Lionel Messi in their Champions League group-stage meeting with Barcelona in October 2016, with the Argentine scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 win at Camp Nou.
It initially appeared that the No.10 might run riot again when he opened the scoring in the return clash at the Etihad. However, Gundogan then got to work, turning in a low cross from Raheem Sterling to level the game and then sealing a stunning 3-1 win after pouncing on a loose ball in the area.
GettyThe long road to recovery
Gundogan left the pitch in tears and Guardiola was "so sad" after the German suffered knee ligament damage in a 2-0 win over Watford in December 2016. The manager feared that one of his key men would be out of action for "several months", and so it proved. Gundogan only returned to action in September of the following year, but when he did, as a substitute in a 6-0 demolition of the same side at Vicarage Road, he was given a rapturous reception by the visiting supporters.
"It was very good," Gundogan admitted afterwards, "because it had been a long wait, nine months now. I'm a little proud of myself, because that was not my first long-term injury, so it was a long way that I had to fight back."
GettyPass master
It quickly became clear that City were one of the finest exponents of possession football the English game had ever seen, and Gundogan was integral to the way in which they hogged the ball. In a historically-dominant 1-0 win over Chelsea in March 2018, he broke the Premier League's individual records for most attempted passes (174) and most successful passes (167) in a single game. The previous record-holder? Naturally, another City legend – Yaya Toure.