Born in Gelsenkirchen, Gündoğan came through VfL Bochum's (German Club) youth academy. In 2008, he began playing for the club's reserve side before joining the first team, FC Nürnberg (German Club) the following season. He was then acquired by Borussia Dortmund (German Club) in 2011, winning the double of Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal (German knockout football cup) in his first season. In 2013, he helped Borussia reach their first UEFA Champions League Final since 1996–97. After playing a total of 157 matches and scoring 15 goals for the club, Gündoğan signed for Manchester City for an estimated transfer fee of £21 million in the summer of 2016. He won the Premier League and English Football League Cup in 2017–18.