After qualifying for the 1954 World Cup, Turkey had to wait until Euro ’96 before they were involved in another major tournament again, but they certainly made up for lost time.

The national side’s impressive performances at Euro 2000 and a third-place finish in the World Cup two years later propelled a proud footballing nation back among the elite. Domestic giants Galatasaray underscored Turkey’s rise with victory in the UEFA Cup final over Arsenal in 2000, three months before defeating Real Madrid in the European Super Cup.

Turkey have waned since finishing third at Euro 2008, but Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, the Real Madrid and Juventus youngsters, offer a lot of hope for the future.

Here are the legendary figures that the next generation has to live up to.

15

Emre Belozoglu

Career Span: 1996-2011

Emre Belozoglu emerged from Galatasaray’s famed youth system at the turn of the 20th century, prompting heads to turn with a string of combative and commanding performances. Italian giants Inter Milan snapped Emre up in 2001 for £5 million.

After four seasons in and out of Inter’s team, the diminutive midfielder joined Premier League side Newcastle United with one Italian Cup to his name. Emre was a dead-ball specialist and playmaker, but his fiery temper constantly got him into trouble. Controversy clouds a career that earned him a century of international appearances — only four players have racked up more caps for Turkey.

14

Tuncay Sanli

Career Span: 2000-2015

Celebrated in Turkey, Tuncay was a bit of a journeyman footballer in Europe’s elite leagues. After an adjustment period, he enjoyed a fruitful spell in England for Middlesbrough under former England manager Gareth Southgate, before turning out at Stoke City, Bolton Wanderers and in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg.

Tuncay’s revered reputation was earned chiefly through his success on home soil with Fenerbahce, where he won three Super Lig titles in four years. The Turkish winger was nicknamed “Cesur Yurek,” which translates to “Brave Heart,” because of his never-say-die attitude and effort during matches. Even Galatasaray fans respected the player despite his legendary status for their fearsome rivals.

13

Nuri Sahin

Career Span: 2005-2021

A player with immense talent but constant injuries, Nuri Sahin never reached the heights expected despite playing for some of the biggest clubs in football. Sahin’s best performances came at Borussia Dortmund, where he won the Bundesliga in 2011 and was voted Player of the Season. Then Jose Mourinho called.

Sahin would move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2011, but the German-born Turkish midfielder made just four appearances for Los Blancos. The following campaign wasn’t much different. Sahin played seven games during a pricey loan spell at Liverpool. He’d end up returning to Dortmund and spending over five more years there, before moving on to Werder Bremen. At 33, Sahin called it a day at the end of 2021 whilst playing for Antalyaspor in Turkey and became their manager.

12

Yildiray Basturk

Career Span: 1996-2010

In footballing terms, Yildiray Basturk was somewhat of a late bloomer. Another one of Turkey’s German-born talents, he went under the radar for a long time. It all changed after his performances for Bayer Leverkusen during the 2001/02 season.

Basturk played a pivotal role in Leverkusen’s run to the Champions League final – remembered for Zinedine Zidane’s spectacular volley. The 5ft 6′ midfielder took his form into the 2002 World Cup in South Korea, where he started every game on the way to a third-place finish. Although he never won a title – the only player on the list to have such an unfortunate feat – he was still highly talented among his generation of players

11

Hakan Calhanoglu

Career Span: 2011-Present

Widely considered to be Turkey’s best active player, and rightfully so, Hakan Calhanoglu is a dead ball specialist and captains his country. He first made headlines for Hamburg, when he levelled a free-kick from 41 yards out into the top corner. After Hamburg, he stayed in the Bundesliga for three further years with Bayer Leverkusen, before making the move to Italy, when AC Milan paid £20 million for his services.

He then made the move to city-rivals Inter Milan and almost became the first Turk to win the Champions League in 2023, when Inter finished as runners-up to Manchester City. It would have been even more special for the 29-year-old to achieve such a feat in Istanbul, where the final was held. Two years later, he’d become the first Turkish player to appear in more than one Champions League final, but Inter were battered 5-0 by Paris Saint Germain.

10

Sergen Yalcin

Career Span: 1993-2003

Before his glory days as a coach, Sergen Yalcin is first and foremost one of the great legends of Turkish football. The famous attacking midfielder also has the distinction of being one of the few players to have played for each of the teams in Turkey’s Big Three, Istanbul rivals Galatasaray, Besiktas and Fenerbahce.

And while he has never played outside his homeland, everyone agrees that his fate would have been similar, if not more incredible, if he had gone to play in Europe’s top five leagues. But no one will ever know. And that’s another part of his legend.

9

Lefter Kucukandonyadis

Career Span: 1948-1963

Lefter Kucukandonyadis will go down in history as the first Turkish player to play for a foreign club. After leaving Galatasaray in 1951, he joined Fiorentina and then OGC Nice, before returning to Cimbom, where he scored over 400 goals in some 600 games.

At the very end of his career, the man whose Greek origins are reflected in his surname decided to play – and later coach – in his parents’ homeland, joining AEK Athens. At international level, however, it was the colours of Turkey that Kucukandonyadis wore, donning them on 46 occasions, scoring 21 goals in the process.

8

Hamit Altintop

Career Span: 2000-2018

Hamit Altintop, which translates into English as “Golden Ball”, is one of two brothers who played for Turkey. Altintop (and his younger brother Halil) was another player of Turkish descent to be born in Germany, spending the majority of his career in the Bundesliga.

The elder Altintop brother spent four seasons playing for his hometown club Schalke 04, before doing what all good players in Germany seem to do, signing for Bayern Munich. After four years in Bavaria, Altintop joined Real Madrid.

The midfielder got very little playing time during the 2012/13 season, with the likes of Xabi Alonso, Lassana Diarra, Mesut Ozil, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo making up the bulk of the team. The fact that he was even snapped up by the Spanish giants, highlights his abundant talent.

7

Rustu Recber

1988-2012

In the early 2000s, Rustu Recber was one of the most sought-after goalkeepers in the game. He’d just enjoyed a marvellous World Cup in 2002 where Turkey finished third, and his contract at Fenerbahce had ended.

The Turkish keeper joined Barcelona, rejecting both Arsenal and Manchester United. Unfortunately for the Recber, La Liga had a non-European quota for domestic competitions which limited his involvement to just seven appearances.

Although Recber’s time at Barcelona lasted just one mediocre season, he is the country’s greatest goalkeeper of all time. The Turkish shot-stopper played a record 120 games for his country and conceded less than a goal per game during his club career.

6

Hakan Sukur

Career Span: 1987-2008

The greatest goalscorer in Turkish football, Hakan Sukur racked up an impressive 326 goals and provided 124 assists in 713 games in his domestic career. He scored at a similar rate for his country, where he’s Turkey’s all-time top scorer. He’s remembered by many for scoring the fastest goal in World Cup history, when his strike after just 11 seconds helped his nation win the third-place playoff.

In 2000, Sukur got his big move to Inter Milan, where he scored a few goals but never got a regular start. The Turkish striker was more of an understudy for Christian Vieri and Ronaldo. From Inter, Sukur went on loan to Parma before getting a transfer to Blackburn Rovers.

His time in the Premier League didn’t last long, and he soon ended up back at Galatasaray. Sukur cemented his place in the annals of history as the club’s all-time leading scorer. His total of 249 Super Lig goals still stands to this day.