Arda Turan

Arda Turan is a midfielder playing for Atlético Madrid and the national team of Turkey.

The career of the Turk started at Galatasaray when he was 12. As the footballer turned 18 he was loaned by Manisaspor and then returned to his first club where he started to deliver quality football almost at once. Arda was brought to the team by Gheorghe Hagi, a Romanian legend of Galatasaray who was a manager of the squad at that time.

Soon Arda became a transfer target for many European clubs such as AC Milan or Liverpool but he decided to extend his contract with the Turkish side saying he was completely satisfied with all the things that surround him and there’s nothing he would like to change. Turan aimed at earning captainship and accomplished that goal in the season 2007/08.

Arda moved to Atlético Madrid on August 10, 2011 having signed a 4-year contract with the ‘rojiblancos’.

Concerning his international career it should be said that Turan was called up to every youth team since his first ever start for the U-16 national team in 2002 and till he received his first call-up for the senior national team. He was one of those to bring bronze medals to the Turkish team in the European Championship of 2008. Arda scored 2 times in 4 games (including a winner against Switzerland) but he wasn’t allowed to the semifinal match where his team lost 2-3 to Germany due to disqualification.