The Germany international has established his club legend status during his seven-year stay at the Etihad and is now heading towards Barcelona.
Is it time to make another statue outside the Etihad Stadium? Ilkai Gundogan has just finished his Manchester City career and will undoubtedly impress supporters as much as Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Aguero.
The Germany international has won 12 major awards in his seven-year career, and he has played a crucial role in all of those victories. Indeed, Gundogan has often proven himself to be a key figure for City on big occasions, with Kyle Walker noting that the versatile midfielder seems to be turning into "Zinedine Zidane at his peak" in almost the final months of every season.
So now 32-year-old Gundogan is heading to Barcelona, and I'll take you back to 10 of his most iconic moments in Manchester's glory days...
Gundogan's first goal
Gundogan was the first signing of Pep Guardiola's managerial career, but he missed the start of the 2016-17 season due to injury. However, when he finally returned to full fitness, he had an immediate impact, winning a penalty in his debut appearance, in a 4-0 Champions League win over Borussia Mönchengladbach before opening his goalscoring account at Manchester City in his Premier League debut three days later, against Bournemouth.
Gundogan rushes into the box with precision and calmly sends the ball into the net, which will become a very familiar picture in Etihad...
Double cannon against Barca
In October 2016, Manchester City were humiliated by Messi in the group stage match against Barcelona in the Champions League. The Argentine scored a hat-trick in his 4-0 victory at Camp Nou.
At first glance, Messi opened again in the return game at the Etihad Stadium, and it seemed that he was going to show his style again. However, Gundogan then took over the game when he took Raheem Sterling's low flat ball and turned to equalise the score, then seized an opportunity in the box to seal a shocking 3-1 victory.
A long road to recovery
In December 2016, Guardiola was "very sad" when Gundogan left the pitch in tears after suffering a knee ligament injury in Manchester City's 2-0 win over Watford. The boss feared that his key players would be "out for months" and it did. Gundogan did not return until September of the following year, coming on as a substitute in Camp Nou's 6-0 victory and was warmly welcomed by the away fans.
"It feels very good," Gundogan admitted after the game, "because I've been waiting for a long time, it's been nine months now. I'm a little bit proud of myself because it's not my first long-term injury, so it's been a long road to recovery that I've had to take. "
Passing Master
It soon became clear that Manchester City were one of the best possession teams in the history of English football and that Gundogan played a key role in their possession of the ball. In March 2018, in a 1-0 win against Chelsea, he broke the Premier League's personal record for the most attempted passes (174) and most successful passes (167) in a single game. Who was the previous record holder? Naturally, another Manchester City legend - Yaya Toure.
A historic day in Anfield
Gundogan is a strong-willed man, which has been proven by the way he has recovered from a serious knee injury, but also showed his mental strength after missing a penalty in the first half at Liverpool in February 2021.
Not only did Gundogan catch up with Phil Verden's shot, which Allison failed to save, but he also restored City's lead and helped his team secure their first win at Anfield since 2003.
A different kind of doubles
The two-goal performance at Anfield came amid a remarkable performance in which Manchester City played a key role in their 2020-21 triumph. After the end of the year, Guardiola deployed Gundogan in a more forward attacking role, scoring 10 goals in 12 appearances, which made him history as the first Manchester City player to win the Premier League Player of the Month award in a row.
He said of his double victory: "I am very proud to win this award again, but what I am most proud of is being part of this amazing team. ”
Guardiola's game changer - and title winner
With only 22 minutes left in his final game against Aston Villa on 22 May 2022, Gundogan came on from the bench and Manchester City faced a real danger of losing the Premier League title. Pep Guardiola's side are surprisingly 2-0 down and struggle to create any clear chances.
Gundogan's arrival changed everything, and he almost immediately brought his team back into the game by transforming a cross from Kevin De Bruyne. Then, after Rodri equalized the scoreline, Gundogan produced his 'Aguero' moment, who once again turned a brilliant pass from his Belgian teammate into a goal that triggered a madness in the Etihad that made Guardiola cry after Manchester City beat Liverpool again by one point.
The decisive Gundogan attacked again - and again
Gundogan scored important goals time and time again, and Manchester City fended off Arsenal's brave title fight to win their third consecutive title. After scoring two points in the 2-1 win over Leeds United, he scored a crucial breakthrough for Everton on the day the Gunners challenge was effectively ended.
It was also a fantastic improvisation, with Gundogan controlling an awkward cross from Ryande Mahrez with his knee before he cleverly picked the ball into the corner with his right foot, when he was facing the wrong one.
Gundogan then provided Erling Haaland with City's second goal, and then he secured the victory with a brilliant free-kick that made Guardiola admire, "He has shown his quality and importance time and time again. He can do anything. ”
Derby Doubles
If there's one attacking midfielder to watch in the derby, it's Gundogan at Wembley, but United made the mistake of not marking him and allowed him to open the door with a brilliant volley in the 2023 FA Cup final.
Eric Ten Hag's side were shocked and they managed to equalise with an easy penalty, but Gundogan did not walk away and he won the game for City with another long-range shot early in the second half. Guardiola said after the game: "His season has been outstanding. Here, there is no controversy.
Fantastic captain
When Fernandinho left Manchester City in the summer of 2022, Gundogan was selected by his team-mates as the club's new captain, which tells us that he has received high respect not only from his coach but also from his colleagues.
Gundogan responded to that trust, leading the team to the all-time treble and eventually becoming the first Manchester City player to lift the Champions League trophy. It was the most apt ending to his extraordinary time at Manchester City