Who is Hakan Çalhanoğlu? Life and career

Hakan Çalhanoğlu was born on 8 February 1994 in Mannheim, Germany. The footballer, who is of Turkish origin, began his career at Karlsruher SC.

Club career

He transferred to Hamburg in 2012 and moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2014. At Leverkusen he drew attention especially for his success on set pieces. He joined Milan in 2017 and wore the number 10 shirt. When his contract ended in 2021, he signed for Inter as a free agent. At Inter he stood out in a playmaker role, won the Italian Cup and the Italian Super Cup, and won the Serie A title in the 2023/24 season. In 2023 he played in the Champions League final.

National team

Çalhanoğlu, who has played for the Turkish national team for many years, is the team's captain. He was part of the squads at EURO 2016, EURO 2020 and EURO 2024. Turkey advanced as far as the quarterfinals at the 2024 tournament.

Playing characteristics

Known for his free kicks, the player also frequently takes responsibility on penalties. Known in midfield for his passing distribution and long-range shooting power, Çalhanoğlu is one of his team's key players both in build-up play and in set piece organization.