• Ilkay Gundogan's transfer to Barcelona signals the end of his impactful stint with Manchester City.

• Gundogan, Pep Guardiola's first signing at City, capped his career with a historic treble.

• Replacing Gundogan's influence on the team will be a significant challenge for Manchester City.

• This article reflects on Gundogan's successful tenure at Borussia Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp.

With the move to Barcelona, it marked the end of Gundogan's legends stint with the Citizens. He was Pep Guardiola's first ever signing for the club, and what a signing it was. Things could've never ended in a better way for Gundogan at Manchester City, with the player finishing his Career by achieving a historic treble with the club. Manchester City will surely try to replace the German with a world-class signing, but it won't be an easy task to replace a player who had been so influential for the team. His performance in the second half of the season was praised in particular, with many claiming the player into " Prime Zidane " For Manchester City during the end of their season. This article will be looking at Gundogan's time at Borussia Dortmund, which saw his rise as a player and achieve immense success under Jurgen Klopp.

A magnificent beginning to life at Dortmund

It was on May 5th 2011 that Gundogan signed with Borussia Dortmund on a 4 year contract. His debut with the club unfortunately started on a losing note, as Dortmund lost to Schalke in the 2011 DFL-Supercup via penalty-shootout.  As the season progressed, Gundogan established himself as an important player for Dortmund. One of his best contributions that season was a 120th minute goal against Greuther Fürth in the DFB-Pokal semi-final, which saw them win the match and reach the finals. Gundogan's first season with the club ended up as a massive success, as Klopp's Dortmund went on to achieve their first ever domestic double. Not only did they beat Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title, but they yet again inflicted heartbreak to them with a 5-2 thrashing in the 2012 DFB-Pokal final.

The 2012–13 season did not see the same success for Dortmund domestically, as they lost the DFL-Supercup and league to Bayern, while also being knocked out of the DFB-Pokal Quarter-finals by their arch-rivals.

It was in the Champions League though that Dortmund performed spectacularly that season, especially for their legendary performance in the semi-finals that saw them overcome Real Madrid 4-3 on aggregate. Gundogan's performance in particular was praised across both the matches. Dortmund was on the verge of making history, but Bayern Munich went on to inflict heartbreak yet again for Klopp and his men. The Champions League final saw Gundogan score the equalizer from the penalty spot to keep Dortmund's hopes alive, but a late goal from Arjen Robben saw Bayern Munich end the match as European champions.

Final 3 years

Gundogan and Dortmund were able to get revenge on Bayern after their previous season's heartbreak, as Dortmund destroyed Bayern 4-2 to win the 2013 DFL-Supercup. This also ended up being the final silverware won by Gundogan at Dortmund.

It was during this period that Gundogan suffered a serious back injury while playing for the German national side, and this kept him out for a whole year. After returning from injury, Gundogan managed to get one final revenge on Bayern Munich as Dortmund beat them in the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal after a penalty-shootout. It wouldn't have been a fitting end for Gundogan to end his stint at the club with one more trophy, but Dortmund lost the DFB-Pokal final that year against Wolfsburg with the match ending 1-3.

This was followed by Gundogan signing a contract extension with the club, but his stay at the club was not meant to last longer. Ilkay Gundogan's legendary stint at Borussia came to an end, as Manchester City went on to sign the player for around £20 million.

It was the end of an era at Dortmund, and Gundogan will always be remembered as one of the finest midfielders to have played in the Signal Iduna Park.