60 players and counting
©TM/IMAGO
The wave of migration that began with the labour agreement signed between Turkey and Germany in 1961 was not limited to factory workers. Today, their children and grandchildren, despite being born in Germany, take to the field wearing the Turkey national team jersey. We have compiled a list of footballers who were born in Germany but chose to play for the Turkish national team. To date, more than 60 footballers have taken to the field for Turkey, despite being born in different cities in Germany. On the list of approximately 63 footballers, the name that has worn the famous red jersey the most is Hakan Çalhanoğlu, born in Mannheim. He is followed by Hamit Altıntop, born in Gelsenkirchen, and Ogün Temizkanoğlu, one of the unforgettable defenders of the 1990s.
Çalhanoğlu, despite growing up in Germany, became one of the most powerful figures who dedicated his heart to Turkey. The experienced footballer, who has worn the national jersey 99 times, is now emerging as the captain of Turkey. Altıntop played 82 times for his country and was one of the few Turkish players to play for major European teams, both Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. His brother Halil Altıntop also managed to play for Turkey 38 times. Temizkanoğlu, meanwhile, wore the Turkish jersey in 76 matches, leaving a lasting impression with his successful performances.
The contribution of German-born footballers to the national team began in the 1990s. In those years, Yıldıray Baştürk, Tayfur Havutçu, Tayfun Korkut, and Ümit Davala were all raised in Germany and played for major Turkish clubs, taking on important roles. In the legendary squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup, Havutçu was also present alongside Davala and Baştürk. This generation went down in history as the first major wave of players born in Germany who played for Turkey.
From the mid-2000s onwards, Berlin-born Hakan Balta played for Galatasaray for many years and earned 50 caps. Lüdencheid-born Nuri Şahin came through the Borussia Dortmund youth system and earned 52 caps for Turkey. Cenk Tosun, born in Wetzlar, who has played 53 times for his country, was born and raised in Germany, playing for Eintracht Frankfurt before returning to Turkey to star for Beşiktaş. The striker then transferred to Premier League side Everton. Born in Gelsenkirchen, Kaan Ayhan played for Germany’s youth national teams before choosing to represent Turkey, earning 71 caps for the senior national team.
During the same period, Gökhan Töre, Ömer Toprak, Olcay Şahan, Yunus Mallı, Serdar Dursun and Tolga Ciğerci, who were also born in Germany, played for Turkey. In subsequent years, Cologne-born Salih Özcan rose through the ranks with Dortmund and joined the Turkish national team. Alongside him, Stuttgart-born Kenan Karaman also fought for Turkey in the attacking line. One of the most notable names of this generation was the young star Kenan Yıldız, who plys his trade at Juventus. With a market value of €75 million, Yıldız quickly became one of Turkey’s greatest attacking weapons. Similarly, young Frankfurt attacking midfielder Can Uzun also made it onto this list by choosing Turkey.