Six German-born Turkish footballers who made it big

#6 Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Turkey)

AC Milan v Chievo Verona - Serie A

Born in Mannheim, Germany, Çalhanoğlu opted to represent Turkey at the international level, making his debut in a World Cup qualifier in 2013 against Andorra. The attacking midfielder has been capped 38 times, scoring nine goals.

Calhanoglu explaining his decision to play for Turkey told the Milliyet newspaper, “It’s thanks to the Germans that I became a footballer. But playing for the Turkish national team is an honor. I want to be Turkey’s Mesut Özil.”

Çalhanoğlu started his career with Karlsruher SC before joining Hamburg SV in 2012. In his only season with Hamburg, Çalhanoğlu made a name for himself, scoring outrageous free-kicks.

After a series of impressive performances, Hamburg was unable to prevent him from joining league rivals Bayern Leverkusen for a fee of €14.5 million. During his time at the club, Çalhanoğlu notched up 17 goals in 79 appearances.

After three seasons with Leverkusen, the elegant number.10 joined Serie A club AC Milan in 2017.