#4 Hakan Calhanoglu – Turkey
The 23-year-old dead-ball specialist has a lot of expectations riding on his shoulders going into the tournament. Making it out of a group which includes heavyweights Spain, a talent-laden Croatian side, and a Czech Republic side that definitely won’t be a pushover, is assured to be an onerous task. Calhanoglu, along with the influential captain Arda Turan, is probably their best hope of making it into the knockout stage.
The Bayer Leverkusen man will act as the creative hub of the team, and his performances will be vital to spurring on a side that was extremely goal-shy in the qualifiers, managing only 9 goals in 10 games. He won’t be a stranger to the role, though, having been the creative focal point of a brilliant Leverkusen side that managed to finish third in the Bundesliga this season.
Often regarded as the best free-kick taker currently active in the world, the fleet-footed midfielder is also a potent goal threat, as he proved in an international friendly against England last month. Influential performances in the tournament would alert multiple European big guns, with Liverpool and Barcelona being known admirers of the player.
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