Champions League Final 2023; will İlkay Gündoğan follow his FA Cup heroics against Inter Milan tonight?

History is in the making for the blue side of Manchester tomorrow, as Pep Guardiola looks to complete a treble of competition victories; not content with the FA Cup and the Premier League title, Manchester City are now looking to finally capture the white whale that has eluded them for so many seasons - the UEFA Champions League.

As Manchester City fans flood to Istanbul, Turkey to watch the team play at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium, the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland have continued to be mentioned after their phenomenal seasons - especially in the case of record-breaker Haaland - but there is another name that has just been working diligently in the background, yet has now been viewed as fundamental to City’s successful 2022/2023 season.

İlkay Gündoğan has been a member of Manchester City since he joined the club from Borussia Dortmund in 2016 for £30 million GBP, but injuries in his first season and the rise of a number of homegrown talent, including Phil Foden, had left the German midfielder a little on the outskirts of the team. However, football pundits, this season especially, have pointed out that the steady hand, or feet rather, of Gündoğan has been pivotal to their success this year.

In 50 appearances for the club this season, the midfielder has scored 11 goals, including playing 12 games during Manchester City’s so-far successful UEFA Champions League campaign. His performance during Manchester City’s FA Cup win last weekend against rivals Manchester United, saw him earn the man of the match, scoring two goals in the final at Wembley, including the fastest goal scored in an FA Cup final, hitting the back of the net after just 12 seconds.

It’s that kind of understated form and workhorse temperament that has made Gündoğan one of the many Manchester City players to keep an eye on tomorrow night against Simone Inzaghi’s uncanny Inter Milan side - will İlkay become the difference maker once again and earn the long awaited UEFA European Champions league trophy?

What is İlkay Gündoğan's net worth and is he married?

İlkay Gündoğan is indeed married - in fact, his wife caused a stir with her not-so-glowing review of food in Manchester. Gündoğan married Sara Arfaoui in 2022 and they have had one child together. In early 2023, Arfaoui finally admitted that she found a restaurant in Manchester where she actually enjoyed the food.

As for Gündoğan's net worth, he is estimated to have net $45 Million USD, with a salary at Manchester City of $9 million USD per year.