Çağlar Söyüncü

Çağlar Söyüncü (Turkish pronunciation: [tʃaːˈɫaɾ ˈsœjyŋdʒy]; born 23 May 1996) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and the Turkey national team.

Çağlar Söyüncü

Söyüncü with Turkey in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Çağlar Söyüncü[1]
Date of birth	(1996-05-23) 23 May 1996 (age 28)[2][3]
Place of birth	İzmir, Turkey
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[4]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Fenerbahçe
Number	4
Youth career
2006–2011	Menemen Belediyespor
2011–2013	Bucaspor
2013–2014	Gümüşorduspor
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2016	Altınordu	34	(2)
2016–2018	SC Freiburg	50	(1)
2018–2023	Leicester City	98	(4)
2023–2024	Atlético Madrid	6	(0)
2024	→ Fenerbahçe (loan)	12	(2)
2024–	Fenerbahçe	17	(1)
International career‡
2014	Turkey U18	1	(0)
2015	Turkey U19	3	(0)
2015	Turkey U20	3	(0)
2015	Turkey U21	1	(0)
2016–	Turkey	56	(2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 February 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 September 2024

Söyüncü's first senior professional team was the Turkish second division Altınordu. In the summer of 2016, he joined SC Freiburg of Germany's Bundesliga, before moving to Leicester City in 2018. He made 132 total appearances for Leicester, winning the FA Cup and FA Community Shield in 2021. In 2023, he moved to Atlético Madrid of La Liga and soon on to Fenerbahçe, initially on loan.

Söyüncü made his senior national team debut in 2016 and has earned over 50 caps for Turkey. He was part of the Turkish squad at UEFA Euro 2020.

Club career

Altınordu

Söyüncü began his senior professional career with Altınordu in the TFF First League, the second level of the Turkish football league system. During the 2015–16 season with Altınordu, Söyüncü was linked with Beşiktaş,^[5] Galatasaray and Sevilla, but he selected the Bundesliga because he thought it was better choice for his career and his improvement.^[6]

SC Freiburg

On 24 May 2016, in the 2016 Bundesliga summer transfer window, Söyüncü joined German side SC Freiburg, which was promoted to the top flight competition of Germany for the 2016–17 season.^[7][8] He is the first Turkish footballer who made a transfer to the Bundesliga directly from the TFF First League, the second-highest professional level football league of Turkey.^[9]

He made his Bundesliga debut away against Hertha Berlin which ended in a 2–1 loss, on 28 August 2016.^[10] He was linked with Lille, Roma, and Villarreal during the mid-season transfer window of the 2016–17 season.^[11] Manchester City was also reported to be interested in Söyüncü.^[12]

Leicester City

On 9 August 2018, Söyüncü joined English Premier League side Leicester City on a five-year contract.^[13] He signed for an apparent £18 million transfer fee, possibly rising to £20 million with add-ons.^[14] Söyüncü had his Premier League debut on 27 October 2018 at the King Power Stadium where Leicester shared points with West Ham United following the final score of 1–1.^[15]

Söyüncü scored his first Premier League goal in Leicester's 11th game of the 2019–20 season on 3 November 2019 against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, a 2–0 win.^[16][17] His performances during the 2019–20 season earned him a place in the Premier League PFA Team of the Year.^[18]

Söyüncü after heading the ball during a Leicester City match in 2021

On 11 May 2021, Söyüncü scored the winning goal for Leicester City in a 2–1 away victory over Manchester United, to be their first win at Old Trafford since 1998.^[19] Four days later he played in the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea, a 1–0 win; Jacob Steinburg of The Guardian said he stood firm after fellow defender Jonny Evans was substituted with injury.^[20] In August, he featured in the 2021 FA Community Shield, a 1–0 win against league champions Manchester City.^[21]

During the 2022–23 season Söyüncü found himself out of the first 11, despite having played more than 20 matches per season for the previous three seasons. This was allegedly due to a personality clash with manager Brendan Rodgers.^[22] Söyüncü impressed when he was restored to the team after Dean Smith took over as manager, however this was insufficient to prevent relegation.^[23] On 5 June 2023, following the club's relegation from the Premier League, it was announced that Söyüncü and six other first team players would be leaving the club upon the expiration of their contracts at the end of the month.^[24]

Atlético Madrid

On 5 July 2023, Söyüncü joined Spanish La Liga side Atlético Madrid on a four-year deal.^[25] He played nine games, of which six in the league (115 minutes), two in the UEFA Champions League (59 minutes) and one half of a Copa del Rey match.^[26] He was sent off in a 1–0 win over Sevilla on 23 December for a foul on Lucas Ocampos, only four minutes after coming on as a substitute.^[27]

Fenerbahçe

On 29 January 2024, Söyüncü signed for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe on loan for the rest of the season.^[28]

On 3 February 2024, he make his Süper Lig debut in his career against Antalyaspor in a 2-0 away win.^[29] Four days later, on 7 February 2024, he made his Turkish Cup debut with the team against Gaziantep in a 2-0 away win and helped his team to reached quarter final.^[30] On 8 March 2024, he made his continental debut with the team in a 3-0 away victory against Union SG, also made an assist.^[31]

He scored twice in his first half-season, including the only goal on 19 May away to rivals Galatasaray.^[32] His move became permanent on 1 July, on a three-year deal with the option for one more. Atlético, who had paid no fee to sign him, received €8 million in the deal.^[26]

International career

In November 2015, he was called up to Turkey national football team by coach Fatih Terim, following the injury of central defender Serdar Aziz.^[33][34] Söyüncü is the first Altınordu player called up to Turkey national football team after 78 years, since Sait Altınordu, the iconic player of the club, was selected in 1937.^[35] He is also the first player called up to national team from any İzmir-based football clubs since 1997. On 17 November 2015, Söyüncü was a reserve for the friendly game against Greece, but stayed on the bench and did not actually get a chance to play.^[36] On 18 March 2016, he was called to national squad for friendly games against Sweden and Austria, to be held on 24 March 2016 in Antalya, Turkey and on 29 March in Austria, respectively.^[37][38]

Substituting for Ozan Tufan in the dying minutes of a friendly game against Sweden, Söyüncü earned his first senior national team cap on 24 March 2016.^[39] Earning his second cap, he was in the starting line-up in the friendly with Russia on 1 September 2016, which ended 0–0.^[40]

On 1 June 2018, Söyüncü scored his first senior international goal on a friendly game against Tunisia, held at Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland.^[41] On 1 June 2021, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2020.^[42]

On 24 May 2024, he was named in the 35-man preliminary squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.^[43] However, on 29 May, he was withdrawn due to injury.^[44]

Style of play and reception

Possessing leadership attributes, Söyüncü is good at playmaking, dribbling and timing.^[45] Standing at 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in), he is strong in the air.^[45] In 2016, he stated that his idol is Spanish defender Carles Puyol and he admires German international Mats Hummels.^[46]

Former English international and current pundit Martin Keown analysed Söyüncü for BBC Sport in 2019, describing him "a defender made for the modern game", highlighting his agility, aggressiveness and heading attributes.^[47]

Personal life

Söyüncü is a longtime fan of Fenerbahçe since his childhood.^[48]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 9 February 2025^[49][50]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup[a]		League cup[b]		Europe		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Altınordu	2014–15	TFF First League	4	0	6	0	—		—		—		10	0
	2015–16	TFF First League	30	2	0	0	—		—		—		30	2
	Total		34	2	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	40	2
SC Freiburg	2016–17	Bundesliga	24	0	1	0	—		—		—		25	0
	2017–18	Bundesliga	26	1	2	0	—		2[c]	0	—		30	1
	Total		50	1	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	55	1
Leicester City	2018–19[51]	Premier League	6	0	0	0	2	0	—		—		8	0
	2019–20[52]	Premier League	34	1	4	0	4	0	—		—		42	1
	2020–21[53]	Premier League	23	1	6	0	0	0	3[c]	0	—		32	1
	2021–22[54]	Premier League	28	1	1	0	3	0	8[d]	0	1[e]	0	41	1
	2022–23[55]	Premier League	7	1	1	0	1	0	—		—		9	1
	Total		98	4	12	0	10	0	11	0	1	0	132	4
Atlético Madrid	2023–24	La Liga	6	0	1	0	—		2[f]	0	0	0	9	0
Fenerbahçe (loan)	2023–24	Süper Lig	12	2	1	0	—		3[g]	0	0	0	16	2
Fenerbahçe	2024–25	Süper Lig	17	1	2	0	—		10[h]	1	—		29	2
	Total		29	3	3	0	0	0	13	1	0	0	45	4
Career total			217	10	25	0	10	0	28	1	1	0	281	11

1. Includes Turkish Cup, DFB-Pokal, FA Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
4. Six appearances in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
5. Appearance in FA Community Shield
6. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
7. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
8. Four appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 6 September 2024^[56]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Turkey	2016	2	0
	2017	9	0
	2018	11	1
	2019	6	0
	2020	2	0
	2021	13[a]	1
	2022	8	0
	2023	4	0
	2024	1	0
Total		56	2

1. Three appearances in UEFA Euro 2020

Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first.^[57]

List of international goals scored by Çağlar Söyüncü

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1 June 2018	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	Tunisia	2–2	2–2	Friendly
2	27 March 2021	La Rosaleda Stadium, Malaga, Spain	Norway	2–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Leicester City

• FA Cup: 2020–21^[58]
• FA Community Shield: 2021^[59]

Individual

• Turkish Footballer of the Year: 2019^[60]
• PFA Team of the Year: 2019–20 Premier League^[18]

References

1. "Çağlar Söyüncü". Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
2. "Çağlar Söyüncü'nün doğum günü kutlandı" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 25 May 2018. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
3. "Çaglar Söyüncü: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
4. "Çaglar Söyüncü". Leicester City F.C. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
5. "Beşiktaş'tan Eto'o bombası!" (in Turkish). Milliyet. 24 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
6. "Çağlar Söyüncü için itiraf:Beşiktaş ve Sevilla" (in Turkish). Milliyet. 20 May 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
7. "Offiziell: Söyüncü schlägt im Breisgau auf" (in German). Kicker. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
8. "Freiburg sign Turkey defender Caglar Söyüncü". www.bundesliga.com. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
9. "1. Lig'den yurt dışına ilk transfer" (in Turkish). Al Jazeera Türk. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
10. "Çağlar Söyüncü Freiburg ile ilk maçına çıktı" (in Turkish). Fanatik. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
11. "Çağlar Söyüncü'nün yıldızı parlıyor" (in Turkish). Four Four Two Turkish Edition. 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
12. "Guardiola'nın hedefindeki Türk: Çağlar Söyüncü" (in Turkish). Fanatik. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
13. "Leicester City Agree Çağlar Söyüncü Transfer". Leicester City F.C. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
14. "Leicester City 'agree Caglar Soyuncu fee'". Sports Mole. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
15. "As it happened: Leicester City 1-1 West Ham United" (in Turkish). West Ham United. 27 October 2018. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
16. Saj Chowdhury (3 November 2019). "Crystal Palace 0-2 Leicester: Caglar Soyuncu and Jamie Vardy scores as Foxes go third". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
17. "Çağlar Söyüncü gol attı, İngiltere sallandı!" (in Turkish). Habertürk. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
18. "PFA Player of the Year: Kevin de Bruyne and Beth England named 2020 winners". BBC Sport. 8 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
19. "Manchester United 1–2 Leicester City". BBC Sport. 11 May 2021.
20. "Chelsea 0-1 Leicester City: FA Cup final player ratings". The Guardian. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
21. Hytner, David (7 August 2021). "Iheanacho punishes wasteful City to win Community Shield for Leicester". The Observer. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
22. "Soyuncu set to be overlooked again as Rodgers explains thinking". 15 October 2022.
23. "'Fire in eyes' of Soyuncu won over Smith to end period as Leicester City outcast". 15 April 2023.
24. "Seven Players To Depart LCFC". Leicester City F.C. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
25. "Caglar Soyuncu: Turkey defender completes Atletico Madrid move". BBC Sport. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
26. Medina, David G. (1 July 2024). "Soyuncu, un negocio redondo para el Atlético" [Söyüncü, a proftiable business for Atlético]. Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 July 2024.
27. "Llorente earns 10-man Atletico 1-0 win over Sevilla". ESPN. 23 December 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
28. "Ailemize hoş geldin Çağlar Söyüncü". Fenerbahce.org (in Turkish). 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
29. "Bitexen Antalyaspor 0-2 Fenerbahçe". Fenerbahce.org (in Turkish). 3 February 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
30. "Fenerbahçemiz, Ziraat Türkiye Kupası'nda çeyrek finale yükseldi". Fenerbahce.org (in Turkish). 7 February 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
31. "Union SG 0-3 Fenerbahçe". Fenerbahce.org (in Turkish). 8 March 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
32. "Galatasaray's title bid stalls as Fenerbahçe win in dramatic derby". Daily Sabah (in Turkish). 20 May 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
33. "Hedefim kalıcı olmak" (in Turkish). Habertürk. 15 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
34. "Terim'den sürpriz davet!" (in Turkish). NTV Spor. 14 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
35. "İzmir'in son gururu: Çağlar Söyüncü" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
36. "Türkiye 0–0 Yunanistan" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
37. "A Milli Takım'ın İsveç ve Avusturya maçları aday kadrosu ve programı" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
38. "A Milli Takımı'nın Aday Kadrosu Açıkandı" (in Turkish). Milliyet. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
39. "Türkiye 2–1 İsveç" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
40. "Türkiye – Rusya: 0–0" (in Turkish). NTV Spor. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
41. "Tunus - Türkiye Maç Detayı - TFF" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 1 May 2018. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
42. "A Millî Takımın nihai kadrosu açıklandı" [Final squad of the national team announced]. Turkish Football Federation (in Turkish). 1 June 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
43. "A Millî Takımımızın EURO 2024 Geniş Kadrosu Açıklandı" [EURO 2024 squad of our national team announced] (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
44. "Çağlar Söyüncü, A Millî Takım Aday Kadrosundan Çıkarıldı" [Çağlar Söyüncü was removed from the National Team Candidate Squad] (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
45. "Bu çocukta iş var: Çağlar Söyüncü (Altınordu)" (in Turkish). Four Four Two Turkish Edition. 16 November 2015. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
46. "A Milli Takımı'nın Aday Kadrosu Açıkandı" (in Turkish). Milliyet. 8 May 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
47. Keown, Martin (3 November 2019). "Leicester defender Caglar Soyuncu is 'a defender made for the modern game' - Martin Keown analysis". BBC Sport (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
48. "Fenerbahçe formalı bu miniği tanıdınız mı? Çocukluk hayalini gerçekleştirdi". haber7.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 13 October 2020.
49. "C. Söyüncü". Soccerway. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
50. "Çağlar Söyüncü (Altınordu) @ Maçkolik.com". mackolik.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 19 March 2016.
51. "Games played by Çağlar Söyüncü in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
52. "Games played by Çağlar Söyüncü in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
53. "Games played by Çağlar Söyüncü in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
54. "Games played by Çağlar Söyüncü in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
55. "Games played by Çağlar Söyüncü in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
56. "Çağlar Söyüncü TFF Futbolcu Bilgileri" (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
57. "Söyüncü, Çağlar". National Football Teams. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
58. McNulty, Phil (15 May 2021). "Chelsea 0–1 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
59. Hafez, Shamoon (7 August 2021). "Leicester City 1–0 Manchester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
60. "Gillette-Milliyet Yılın Sporcusu Ödülleri sahiplerini buldu".

External links

• Çağlar Söyüncü at fenerbahce.org (in Turkish)
• Çağlar Söyüncü at the Turkish Football Federation website (in Turkish)
• Çağlar Söyüncü at National-Football-Teams.com
• Çağlar Söyüncü – UEFA competition record (archive)