Top five best footballers from Turkey in the world currently

The Turks houses some of the top players in Europe.

Having recently emerged as a powerhouse in world football, Turkey is en route to stamping their name as one of football’s elite nations. The Crescent Stars went as far as being named as the dark horses in the World Cup 2022, but a disappointing campaign saw them head home in the group stages. 

Turkey’s qualification for Euro 2024 looked like a distant dream not so long ago. The team were struggling under Stefan Kuntz and looked low on confidence and ideas. In September 2023 the Turkish FA fired the German and replaced him with Vincenzo Montella, who had enjoyed success with the Turkish side Adana Demirspor. The Italian immediately injected a dose of confidence and Turkey ended up winning their qualifying group, beating Croatia away 1-0 on the way.

With the Euros in action, Turkey is surely still a side that is high on quality, and possesses the talent quotient required to emerge as the dark horses. 

With that being said, let us take a look at the five best players for Turkey at the moment.

Hakan Çalhanoğlu

Inter Mian’s star midfielder is surely Turkey’s marquee player at the moment. The 30 year old holds both the talent and the experience required to perform at the biggest stage, and with his recent title win with Inter, Hakan is surely a top notch player in the Turkish squad. 

Hakan had 13 goals and three assists in Serie A this season, and was one of Inter’s most highly rated players. Hakan’s exceptional playmaking abilities, in addition to his ability to score with power and accuracy from direct free kicks with his right foot,makes him an extremely dangerous player for any opponent. 

Arda Guler

Perhaps one of the biggest hotshots in World Football at the moment, Arda Guler is certainly a name that is well known in and around the footballing fraternity. Having recently become the first ever Turkish player to win the Champions League, Arda is already scripting history, and is definitely a player destined for greatness. 

Dispute having major injury setbacks this season, Arda is once again ready to make an impact, and has already proved his worth with one of the goals of the tournament against Georgia. 

Despite being only 19 years old, Arda’s all round attacking abilities surely makes him quite an impactful player for the Turks. 

Kerem Aktürkoğlu

Galatasaray forward Kerem Aktürkoğlu is surely one of the players to look out for at the moment. Coming off a blockbuster domestic season, Kerem has high confidence in front of the goal at the moment, and prove to be of high worth for Turkey. 

The 25 year old has turned up on some crucial occasions this season, including a last minute goal against Georgia to seal Turkey’s victory in their Euro opener, and goals against Man United in both of their UCL fixtures. 

With 12 goals and 7 assists to his name in the Super Ligue, Kerem is surely a player to be feared of. 

Barış Alper Yılmaz

When talking about Turkey, another name that comes to the picture is that of Yilmaz. The forward has made a name for himself this season after a stellar performance with Galatasaray, scoring six goals and getting seven assists. 

Yilmaz is a good dribbler with the ball at his feet and can make a few driving runs with the ball out in the wide areas. He can strike the ball purely and with power from long range, all of which makes him a target man at the front, and can be utilised by Turkey to get them a major offensive advantage. 

Samet Akaydin

30-year-old central defender, Samet Akaydin, has surprisingly emerged as a potential starter at UEFA EURO 2024 for Türkiye. The Fenerbache defender spent last season on loan at Panathinaikos, but has for the most part emerged as a solid option at the back for Vincenzo Montella’s side.

Samet Akaydin has impressed in recent friendlies, including their World Cup Qualifier with Wales where he was one of the best players on the pitch that night. Despite only being officially capped 3 times, Samet Akaydin’s towering presence in the Türkiye defence could be integral to their performance at UEFA EURO 2024.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram