Çağlar Söyüncü: Turkey’s Sensation

[davieG]

Seldom do you see a player transform so swiftly from a relatively unknown quantity to one of the Premier League’s most in-form defenders than the way Çağlar Söyüncü has done in Leicester City colours.
ByRichard Mellor

 

https://www.lcfc.com/news/1660448/alar-sync-turkeys-sensation/featured?fbclid=IwAR1wGs9iiL9NBjuw2E3MHDnV1dhaMYTupQEtA8gvukksbAFMVB-RIctzw_g

An undisclosed fee for the central defender was agreed in August 2018, when he arrived from Bundesliga outfit SC Freiburg, following two successful years of first team action in Germany’s top tier.

There, as an inexperienced but inspired defender, he came up against some supremely gifted attackers, including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmane Dembélé, Arjen Robben and Robert Lewandowski to name but a few. 

To discover his path into professional football, his interview with Issue 10 of LCFCQ, published last year, started where it all began.

Çağlar was born in Menemen, a district of İzmir, which is the third most populous city in Turkey. Over 2.9M people reside there, and a namesake of its capital town, Konak, is where he unveils the life choices that has led him to England. 

“It’s one of the best places in Turkey, it’s wonderful,” Çağlar says of İzmir while seated in Konak – an authentic Turkish restaurant situated on London Road, Leicester, where he is about to enjoy a familiar cuisine. 

“It’s a beautiful city and the people there are friendly and it’s a very good place to be. I was born in Menemen and lived there until I was maybe eight or 10-years-old. 

“I haven’t been to Menemen for a long time. My family are in another part of İzmir, so that’s where I go to see them. My parents, Ayse and Omar are still in İzmir and I have two brothers Çağatay and Kazim. My mum, she doesn’t travel, but my father has come to some of my games.

“İzmir is quite a modern city. I could say that people in İzmir, their mentalities are different to other areas in Turkey – it’s a nice place to be. 

Söyüncü has settled into life in England, but still enjoys home comforts to remind him of life in Turkey.

“Whenever I play for the national team, that’s when I go back, and for when I go on holiday, too – I love to go anywhere in my country.” 

In 2008, the 23-year-old watched Turkey reach the semi-finals of the 2008 UEFA European Championships, where they were narrowly beaten by a last-minute winner from Germany’s Philipp Lahm, despite İzmir-born Semih Şentürk’s late leveller in Basel, Switzerland. 

 

He recalled huddling around TV screens as Turkey recovered from their Group A opening defeat by Portugal to beat joint-hosts Switzerland in injury time, before a three-minute brace from Nihat Kahveci saw them come from behind to win 3-2 against Czech Republic – qualifying for the knockout stages in turn.

“I remember the World Cup in 2002 too, that must be one of the first things I remember about football,” says Söyüncü. “I was six or seven-years-old and I’d just been introduced to football then. 

 

“In 2008, I think I remember Turkey finishing third in the European Championships.”

They met Croatia in the quarter-finals and more late drama followed as Şentürk struck in the 120th minute of extra-time to cancel out Ivan Klasnić’s 119th-minute opener. 

Luka Modrić and Ivan Rakitić both missed their spot-kicks in the penalty shootout before Mladen Petrić was denied by Rüştü Reçber to send the sea of fans wearing red into ecstasy in Vienna.

“Everybody was glued to the screens and they were our role models, I could say,” he continues. “You’re proud and you want to be like one of them, to be like one of the players. You share the happiness that it brought to Turkey, which is something very special for me.” 

About a decade later and Söyüncü is now one of the rising stars of the Turkey national team, and now it is his turn to try and deliver joy to his country through international football. 

“I can’t even describe it, it’s amazing to play for Turkey,” says the defender, who at the age of 23 has already been capped 28 times at senior level. “I’m sure that it’s a special moment for every player to play for their own national team, so it’s hard to describe in words when I play for them.”

There are plenty of players that Söyüncü has idolised during his career so far, but they have gradually changed depending on what position he would play. 

At Menemen Belediyespor, now Menemenspor, he was a prolific striker. At Bucaspor he played just in front of the back line, and it was only at Gümüşorduspor, where one of his team-mates got injured, that he would drop into centre-back to replace him. 

“I’ve changed so many positions in my career, so it’s hard for me to pick one player that I looked up to when I was younger,” he explains. “Of course, there are names that I looked up to, but it’s not possible to pick just one player because there are so many.

“At the very beginning of my career, I was a striker when I was at Menemen, which was in my neighbourhood. I had just gotten my licence and compared to the players that were in the same age group as me, I was quite good. I wasn’t that tall, but I was good.

 

“After, I was a striker, I started to play as a no.6 at my second club, Bucaspor, which is on the outskirts of İzmir. The manager there told me to play in that role, so I did.

“At Menemen, my schoolteacher was also the manager there. It was good because we were together at school and also there at the football club, so we were close and that helped me.

“I only became a defender because one of our centre-backs got injured. We beat the other team 2-1, but no, I didn’t score!” 

The nature of becoming a professional footballer is a challenging one, but Çağlar, with the support of his family, ensured he used his energy and enthusiasm to achieve his aspirations. 

“It was quite difficult for me in the beginning because I was very young and I had to leave my family behind,” he says. “I was only 11 when I left them, but I had my goal, my targets, so I had to work hard, and I did. My family had high expectations of me, and I worked hard for that – and I’m here now.” 

Such was his talent, he became the first player ever to make the move from Turkey’s second tier to Germany’s top flight, the Bundesliga, after two years at Altınordu F.K. – a club that is well known for producing Turkish talent, including one of Çağlar‘s close friends, AS Roma attacker Cengiz Ünder.

Reflecting on his decision to leave his homeland to further his career, he explains: “I was playing in the second division in Turkey, so it was going to be the first time ever that a player from the Turkish second league moved to the Bundesliga. It was difficult. There was no one with me and I was very young, so of course, it was difficult.”

Freiburg im Breisgau, where he lived, is situated in the south-west of Germany near to the French border and is a hub of tourism that contains several areas of historical interest with easy access to the Black Forest. 

The Turkey international is now a popular member of Brendan Rodgers' squad.

 

7“My football friends – I made quite a few friends that were my team-mates, so we used to hang around with each other in my free time,” he continues. “I spent almost all my time with my friends, and it was in the city centre, so it was okay, actually. I had time to do some sightseeing and go here and there.” 

During the time period immediately before he completed his transfer to SC Freiburg, he was linked with moves to Turkish Süper Lig sides Beşiktaş J.K. and Galatasaray S.K., as well as Spanish outfit Sevilla, who had just won their third-straight UEFA Europa League title. 

But it would be a historic transfer if he joined Freiburg, and that was a decisive factor in him heading to the Bundesliga.  

“Of course, it would have been easier to stay in Turkey, and it was very difficult to make that decision at the age of 19 or 20-years-old,” he says. “When I first started playing football, I had my goal – to represent my family and make them proud, as well as the people that knew me. I wanted to make them proud. That was my aim. 

“I was going to be the first one, the first player, to move from the second division in Turkey to the Bundesliga – and that’s hard to resist.”

The support of his countrymen, not only while on international duty but also since he has become a regular in Brendan Rodgers’ starting XI in the Premier League, has been a catalyst for him to continue his fine work at the Foxes. 

Turkey, with Söyüncü’s help, meanwhile, have secured their spot at the 24-team European Championships Finals, by following up their 1-1 draw with France by playing out a stalemate with Iceland and then defeating Andorra. 

Discussing his involvement at international level, he says: “At the moment, we are doing so well and the fans are amazing, they’re great because the people, the Turkey supporters, they like me. That’s a proud moment because it makes me happy that they respect the team that I play for. They’ve followed me here.” 

The City No.4 is one of just 16 Turkish players to have featured in the Premier League, and only the second Turkey international to play for Leicester City alongside Foxes icon Muzzy Izzet, who featured in the 2002 FIFA World Cup Semi-Final against Brazil. 

I knew that my time would come, but meanwhile, I was focusing on my own skills as a footballer. I was trying to learn every day. I was working hard, and now, I work even harder because I’m playing regularly.

Çağlar Söyüncü LCFCQ
“At that time, the Turkish national team didn’t have many players who played in Europe, or abroad anywhere, really, but I was aware that he played in England and he played for Leicester City,” says Söyüncü. “I was aware of him, and he was a great player.” 

Söyüncü’s time in England’s top flight has provided him with a steep learning curve that has been made much more manageable thanks to the work of his Foxes team-mates, as well as Rodgers, who has a reputation for developing young talent. 

“There is a lot of pressure and responsibility on you as a player in the Premier League,” says the 23-year-old. “For me, I try to focus on my football. Whatever role is given to me, I try to do it to my best ability, and I try to listen to every comment or piece of input. Obviously, my coach and my team-mates – they all have input as well and that’s very important. With their help, I deal with that pressure.”

Now a key figure in City’s XI in 2019/20, Söyüncü was prepared to step into the fold at any time after a frustrating first season in England. 

He did not lose sight of the targets that he set himself when he was a youngster back in İzmir, where the dream of becoming a professional football is now very much a reality. 

“It’s good here in Leicester,” he concludes. “It’s been much better since I started playing regularly, of course! Last year, it was fine as well, when I wasn’t playing that regularly, but you have to get used to it. As a footballer, it’s part of the game – you have to adapt. 

“I knew that my time would come, but meanwhile, I was focusing on my own skills as a footballer. I was trying to learn every day. I was working hard, and now, I work even harder because I’m playing regularly.”

[Collymore]

I'm so glad that Cags was at the club before Brendan arrived as I don't think having a physical unit with a degree of pychosis is high up on Rodgers's 'to do' list.

 

Cags is the one player in the side that you need who's going to look after you and take no s***. Every side needs one IMO and managers in the past have understood this.

 

Under MON we had these in abundance, Tags, Elliott, Walsh, Lennon spring to mind but we are much nicer side these days and probably only going to get nicer under BR.

 

Cags is the one player at the moment who is that protection when things start to heat up - Vardy is too to a certain degree and I also think Wilf quietly goes under the radar but Cags will take things a step further if needed (think Was elbow)...

 

When we had Waseleski he was like a one man army, I don't think I've ever witnessed a player with such a physical and menacing manner. Big Nige knew that was important at the time and probably thought 'well if I'm not going to be able to get 3 or 4 players in like that due to space in the side, I'll get one and make it a special one' 

 

Quote from Nigel Pearson

 

"Nigel, how do you deal with Marcian if he is late for a meeting?" 

 

"I change the time of the meeting" 

 

One of my favourite Pearson answers! 

 

Edited 27 April 2020 by Collymore

[StriderHiryu]

Very nice article, seems like a great guy as we all know.

 

I wonder how long he will be here for? He is very talented and whilst I am sure he likes the club, he will see us as a stepping stone for sure like a number of other players. But usually in most clubs you get one or two that end up staying the distance and becoming true club legends. Kasper, Wes and Vardy for me are all well on the way to becoming that at the moment and Kasper and Vardy could definitely have left if they wanted to. Of the young guns, if I had to pick one it wouldn't surprise me if Ndidi ended up staying at Leicester for the best years of his career. He's more than good enough to leave, but I could both see him becoming a captain here and I don't think he would push for a move away as he doesn't seem to be that sort of person. He is also loved by the fans and he seems to like the area too. Barnes and Hamza will probably stay too, but they are academy players so it's a bit different.

 

Despite having limited English, I could see Soyuncu becoming a good captain at a club someday. He's always very assertive not just in the way he anticipates the ball, but also his demeanor. I have seen him clearly tell off Wes Morgan in a few matches this season which I think is great given that Wes is a living legend and club captain. It shows that he cares about keeping that clean sheet and doesn't care about egos, which is important in a leader. He could even end up becoming captain here, though I would be surprised if he doesn't go for Maguire style money. Maguire at his best was good, but not as good as Soyuncu at his best IMO. Also Soyuncu for me is the more consistent player even if he is sometimes more rash.

[Spudulike]

Signing up his Turkish teammate would be a good move. 

[Out Foxed]

they should get him ans Muzz together for an article, have Muzzy interview him at the ground. 

[st albans fox]

2 hours ago, Out Foxed said:

they should get him ans Muzz together for an article, have Muzzy interview him at the ground. 

 I’ve been to Istanbul 30 times which makes me more Turkish than muzzy!  

[Ric Flair]

I'd like to see us play him up front for a laugh, that pace of his would cause no end of bother

[foxinsocks]

I think cags demonstrates the requirement for young players to work hard and take on board the directions given.  Now he has kolo toure guiding him.  His agent told me that cags would be the best centre back in the world in 3 years and I think he will be proven right

[Collymore]

13 hours ago, foxinsocks said:

I think cags demonstrates the requirement for young players to work hard and take on board the directions given.  Now he has kolo toure guiding him.  His agent told me that cags would be the best centre back in the world in 3 years and I think he will be proven right

How do you know his agent? 

[Spudulike]

 

[Leeds Fox]

On 27/04/2020 at 10:15, Collymore said:

Quote from Nigel Pearson

 

"Nigel, how do you deal with Marcian if he is late for a meeting?" 

 

"I change the time of the meeting" 

 

One of my favourite Pearson answers! 

 

To be fair, he was out of this world. 

[An Away Move]

Nice article on Cags in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/01/caglar-soyuncu-trailblazing-defender-who-transformed-turkey-football-euro-2020

[st albans fox]

1 hour ago, SydenhamFox said:

Nice article on Cags in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/01/caglar-soyuncu-trailblazing-defender-who-transformed-turkey-football-euro-2020

The last sentence is very relevant ..... the fifty goals we conceded this season cost us in the end .....

[Chocolate Teapot]

35 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

The last sentence is very relevant ..... the fifty goals we conceded this season cost us in the end .....

Our defensive record was down to the 19 different combinations we had to field rather than any one individual.

[Ric Flair]

45 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

The last sentence is very relevant ..... the fifty goals we conceded this season cost us in the end .....

Yes it did and we seemed to concede more and look at times defensively weaker by going 5 at the back. Need to sack that off next season or completely overhaul the team to play it which would be silly.

[st albans fox]

2 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

Our defensive record was down to the 19 different combinations we had to field rather than any one individual.

Just as the previous season, where we needed to play a back three with Bennett,  it’s not just about the number of injuries - it’s also about the quality of who you bring in or the damage it does to other parts of the team (ie losing wilf from cdm v Spurs or Timmy from wing back )

 

liverpool discovered that dropping Fabinho from midfield was costing them big time. 
 

our defensive squad hasn’t been deep enough for the last two seasons and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy as those who aren’t fit are asked to play and then suffer injuries.  
 

you could argue that if we get an effective cover in for wilf then we could drop him back when necessary but he isn’t a CB. 
 

anyway, the point is that winning leagues and tournaments is generally dependant on a strong defence. 

[UniFox21]

47 minutes ago, Chocolate Teapot said:

Our defensive record was down to the 19 different combinations we had to field rather than any one individual.

Not enough pundits/Journo's have recognised or appreciated the number of injuries we have had. I've said it a few times and I'll continue to say it, because Brendan didn't kick up like Klopp did we weren't cared about

[Ric Flair]

1 minute ago, UniFox21 said:

Not enough pundits/Journo's have recognised or appreciated the number of injuries we have had. I've said it a few times and I'll continue to say it, because Brendan didn't kick up like Klopp did we weren't cared about

The worrying thing is as a back 5 we were suspect but even more so when one of Evans, Fofana or Soyuncu were out. We have to move away from 3-4-1-2 as the only player it suits is Iheanacho in the whole squad.

 

Defensively we are worse, Maddison drops too deep and loses any threat, Vardy not as effective and Barnes struggled in it earlier in the season. Our full backs playing as wingback aren't that dominant either. 

[UniFox21]

1 minute ago, Ric Flair said:

The worrying thing is as a back 5 we were suspect but even more so when one of Evans, Fofana or Soyuncu were out. We have to move away from 3-4-1-2 as the only player it suits is Iheanacho in the whole squad.

 

Defensively we are worse, Maddison drops too deep and loses any threat, Vardy not as effective and Barnes struggled in it earlier in the season. Our full backs playing as wingback aren't that dominant either. 

100%, 5 back suited Nacho and that's about it. We lost our attacking potency from fullback, our wing play and much of the pressing we had. 

 

We cannot start to use that formation when everyone returns to fitness, it simply doesn't suit us.

[An Sionnach]

2 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

The worrying thing is as a back 5 we were suspect but even more so when one of Evans, Fofana or Soyuncu were out. We have to move away from 3-4-1-2 as the only player it suits is Iheanacho in the whole squad.

 

Defensively we are worse, Maddison drops too deep and loses any threat, Vardy not as effective and Barnes struggled in it earlier in the season. Our full backs playing as wingback aren't that dominant either. 

We know that Soyuncu - Fofana is not ready yet , so I assume Fofana is benched which means we do not need another top line CB. A very experienced veteran fits the bill better.

[Reginaldo]

13 minutes ago, An Sionnach said:

We know that Soyuncu - Fofana is not ready yet , so I assume Fofana is benched which means we do not need another top line CB. A very experienced veteran fits the bill better.

Or a youth...

[Ric Flair]

35 minutes ago, An Sionnach said:

We know that Soyuncu - Fofana is not ready yet , so I assume Fofana is benched which means we do not need another top line CB. A very experienced veteran fits the bill better.

I think rather than a veteran we need a mid to late twenties defender who will come here to rebuild their career or a new challenge. We also have an exceptional young defender in Ben Nelson coming through too. 

[Shane]

19 minutes ago, Ric Flair said:

I think rather than a veteran we need a mid to late twenties defender who will come here to rebuild their career or a new challenge. We also have an exceptional young defender in Ben Nelson coming through too. 

Do like the Nelson idea but seems unlikely. I think he will be in the squads for some Europa games like last season though. 

 

What about another talented youngster on loan with an option to buy. Someone like Tanguy Nianzou at Bayern who needs game time.

Gives us depth for the season + will be succession planning for when Fofana or Soyuncu eventually leave.

 

We can sign Tarkowski on a free next summer if needed.

 

 

 

Edited 1 June 2021 by Shane

[enmac]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jun/01/caglar-soyuncu-trailblazing-defender-who-transformed-turkey-football-euro-2020?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[sacreblueits442]

6 hours ago, Shane said:

Do like the Nelson idea but seems unlikely. I think he will be in the squads for some Europa games like last season though. 

 

What about another talented youngster on loan with an option to buy. Someone like Tanguy Nianzou at Bayern who needs game time.

Gives us depth for the season + will be succession planning for when Fofana or Soyuncu eventually leave.

 

We can sign Tarkowski on a free next summer if needed.

 

 

 

....i hope Ejaria is watching this, as it seems a defender has more awareness and vision that an attacking midfielder with his skill level!!!

Ejaria could be an amazing player but lacks awareness and as a results all his good work is unproductive, absolutely no end product. Tanguy looks a very good player, positive and looks forward to support the team, he is very similar to what we have at the moment and we need something different. Unless one of our back three goes then we do not need to go down this road with getting Tanguy in.