Türkiye National Football Team has finalized its 26-player squad for EURO 2024.
The 26-man list submitted to the Union of Football Association (UEFA) includes the following names:
Goalkeepers: Altay Bayindir (Man. Unt.) (26-years-old), Mert Gunok (Besiktas) (35-years-old), Ugurcan Cakır (Trabzonspor) (28-years-old) – Average Age: 29.6
Defenders: Mert Muldur (Fenerbahce) (25-years-old), Ferdi Kadioglu (Fenerbahce) (24-years- old), Zeki Celik (AS Roma) (27-years-old), Abdulkerim Bardakci (Galatasaray) (29 years-old), Ahmetcan Kaplan (Ajax), Merih Demiral (Al-Ahli) (26-years-old), Samet Akaydin (Panathinaikos FC) (30-years-old), Kaan Ayhan (Galatasaray) (29-years-old) – Average Age: 26.4
Midfielders: Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter) (30-years-old), Ismail Yuksek (Fenerbahce) (25-years-old), Okay Yokuslu (West Bromwich) (30-years-old), Orkun Kokcu (SL Benfica) (23-years- old), Salih Ozcan (B. Dortmund) (26-years-old), Yusuf Yazici (Lille) (27-years-old), Arda Guler (R. Madrid) (19-years-old) – Average Age: 25.7
Attackers: Irfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahce) (28-years-old), Yunus Akgun (Leicester City) (23- years-old), Kenan Yildiz (Juventus) (19-years-old), Kerem Akturkoglu (Galatasaray) (25-years- old), Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray) (23-years-old), Bertug Yildirim (Rennes) (21-years old), Cenk Tosun (Besiktas) (33-years old), Semih Kilicsoy (Besiktas) (18-years-old) – Average Age: 23.8
Injuries unfortunately played a significant role in determining Türkiye’s 26-player list submitted to UEFA. Due to injuries, Caglar Soyuncu, Enes Unal, and Ozan Kabak were previously removed from the provisional squad.
Players who couldn’t make it from the extended 35-man squad to the final squad are Dogan Alemdar, Cenk Ozkacar, Berat Ozdemir, Abdulkadir Omur, Can Uzun and Oguz Aydin.
Türkiye stands out as one of the youngest teams in the tournament, being one of the latest teams to finalize its squad for Euro 2024. After the Czech Republic with an average age of 25.3 in Group F, Türkiye is the youngest team in the tournament with an average age of 25.8 for its 26-man squad.
Goalkeeping experience, youth in defense and attack
The forward position has the youngest average age at 23.8, while the oldest position is goalkeeper with 29.6 in Türkiye.
The youngest player in the National Team is 18-year-old Semih Kilicsoy, who contributed to 15 goals (12 goals, 3 assists) in 35 matches played for Besiktas this season. The oldest player is goalkeeper Mert Gunok, who plays for Besiktas.
Key player values, leadership
The value of Türkiye’s 26-man squad submitted to UEFA is $350 million. The most valuable player in the squad is captain Hakan Calhanoglu, who led his team to the Serie A title in Italy and was voted as Italy’s best midfielder at the age of 30, with a value of $48.6 million. Following Calhanoglu are 19-year-old rising stars Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, valued at $32.4 million each.
Legionnaires
It’s worth noting that 53.8% of the players in the squad are legionnaires (playing outside Türkiye). Legionnaires play in Italy (3), England (3), France (2), Spain (1), Portugal (1), Saudi Arabia (1), Germany (1), Netherlands (1) and Greece (1).
