Arda Turan

Arda Turan was born on January 30 1987 in the Bayrampaşa district of Istanbul Arda began playing football with the neighborhood team Altıntepsi Makelspor and was quickly noticed for his talent joining Galatasarays youth academy at the age of 12 Rising quickly through the ranks of the yellowandred clubs youth academy Arda caught attention with his technical ability game intelligence and leadership qualities Arda began his professional career at Galatasaray but was loaned to Manisaspor for the 20052006 season to gain experience After his successful performance there he returned to Galatasaray in a stronger position and became one of the teams indispensable players Arda who became captain at a young age won the Super League 200708 Turkish Cup 200405 and Super Cup 2008 titles with Galatasaray His creativity and determination on the pitch made him a fan favorite In 2011 he transferred to Atlético Madrid one of Spains most established clubs opening a new chapter in his career Arda became one of the key players in the team managed by coach Diego Simeone spending four unforgettable seasons there While playing for Atlético Madrid he won prestigious titles such as La Liga 201314 Copa del Rey 201213 UEFA Europa League 201112 and UEFA Super Cup 2012 He also achieved the honor of playing in the UEFA Champions League final in 2014 His competitive spirit and technical skills earned him the admiration of Spanish football fans In the summer of 2015 he transferred to Barcelona one of the worlds top clubs Despite being unable to play for the first six months due to Barcelonas transfer ban he eventually joined the team During his time there he added new trophies to his collection including La Liga 201516 Copa del Rey twice and the Spanish Super Cup 2016 However he struggled to secure regular playing time in the starstudded squad In January 2018 he was loaned to Istanbul Başakşehir a team in the Super League He won the Super League title with Başakşehir in the 201920 season but left the team in the second half of the season In the final stage of his career he returned to his home club Galatasaray in 2020 and announced the end of his active football career in September 2022 after playing two more seasons Despite occasionally making headlines for onfield and offfield incidents throughout his career his talent was always widely recognized Arda Turan also represented the Turkish national team for many years making his debut in 2006 As captain of the national team he left a lasting impression with his performance at the 2008 European Championship where Turkey reached the semifinals With over 100 appearances for the national team he became one of the most important players in Turkish football history His playing style was characterized by superior ball control dribbling skills game vision creative passes and goalscoring ability He was a versatile player capable of playing both on the wings and in an offensive midfield position His leadership on the field and his determination to win were among his most notable traits After retiring from professional football Arda Turan returned to the pitch as a coach and took on his first coaching role with TFF 1 Lig side Eyüpspor