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Central midfielder: Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City)
Originally deployed as a wide midfielder, Ilkay Gundogan struggled in that role before then-Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp moved him centrally, a move that unlocked the player's true potential. The German then seamlessly fit into Borussia Dortmund's explosive playing style by combining his creativity and passing skills with his defensive prowess to devastating effect.
In 157 games for Borussia Dortmund, Ilkay Gundogan scored 15 times and made 20 assists before moving to Manchester City in 2016 for £20 million. After an injury-riddled first year at City, Gundogan has grown into a vital cog in Pep Guardiola's team.
Right winger: Ousmane Dembele (FC Barcelona)
Unlike many other players on this list, Ousmane Dembele lasted just one season in the North-Rhine Westphalia, but that was enough for the player to attract interest from mighty Barcelona. Dembele joined the Blaugrana on a £138 million transfer in 2017, making the Frenchman one of the five most expensive players of all time.
He scored ten goals and made 20 assists in 49 games for Borussia Dortmund, helping the Yellow and Blacks to the DFB Pokal title. Dembele also featured in the Bundesliga team of the season for his top-drawer performances. Unfortunately, the 23-year old is yet to replicate those heroics with the Catalans, given his series of injuries.
Attacking midfielder: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (AS Roma)
After Mario Gotze joined Bayern Munich in 2013, Borussia Dortmund signed the then-unknown Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Shakhtar Donetsk for €23 million. But just like many other players on this list, he too proved to be a bang for the buck, scoring 41 goals and making another 49 assists from 140 appearances for Borussia Dortmund.
Even though Mkhitaryan did not win any major trophies at Dortmund, his creative ability, accurate passing and set-piece prowess won him rich superlatives. After three successful years at the Bundesliga club, the Armenian star moved to the Premier League in 2016 but struggled during his spells with Manchester United and Arsenal.
Mkhitaryan is now trying to resurrect his career at AS Roma, whom he joined permanently this year after an impressive loan spell in 2019-20.
Left winger: Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
Christian Pulisic's numbers weren't as extraordinary as that of many of the other players in this list, but his talent sure was.
After joining Borussia Dortmund's youth side in 2015 when he was only 16 years old, the American starlet quickly came through the ranks after a series of promising displays. He soon made his senior debut for the club, in the process, becoming the then youngest player to do so for Borussia Dortmund.
Despite having an injury-riddled stint at the club, Pulisic was always superb when on the field, garnering attention for his creative instincts and prolific dribbling skills. After scoring 19 goals and providing 26 assists from 127 appearances, he joined Chelsea last year, where the US international has continued his development into a world-class winger.
