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Cengiz Ünder
Turkish footballer (born 1997) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Cengiz Ünder (Turkish pronunciation: [dʒeɲˈɟiz ynˈdæɾ]; born 14 July 1997) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC, on loan from Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe, and the Turkey national team.
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Club career
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Early career
Ünder began his professional career at Altinordu, and later transferred to Başakşehir for €700K.[3] In his breakout season with Başakşehir, Ünder established himself as one of the best players in the league, scoring 7 goals in 32 games in his debut season in the Süper Lig.[4]
Roma
On 16 July 2017, Ünder became a Roma player for a €13.4 million fee.[5] He scored his first goal for Roma in a 1–0 win over Hellas Verona in the Serie A on 4 February 2018.[6] In the same month, he marked his Champions League debut with a goal; the opener in a 2–1 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of the first round of knockout fixtures,[7] becoming the youngest Turkish player ever to score in the Champions League.[8] In his first season with Roma, he recorded 7 goals and 1 assist in 26 league games, 1 goal in 5 champions league matches.
On 2 October 2018, he scored a goal and made an assist against Viktoria Plzen in 5-0 win 2018–19 UEFA Champions League Group G match.
Leicester City (loan)
On 20 September 2020, Ünder signed for Premier League club Leicester City on a season-long loan, with the option of a permanent transfer.[9] He made his debut in a 3–0 defeat to West Ham United, coming on as a substitute.[10] On 25 October, he made his first goal contribution for Leicester when he assisted Jamie Vardy's winning goal in a 1–0 away win over Arsenal, which ended Leicester's 47-year wait for a victory away at Arsenal.[11] On 10 December, Ünder scored his first Leicester goal in a 2–0 home win over AEK Athens in the UEFA Europa League.[12]
Marseille
On 4 July 2021, Ünder signed on loan for Ligue 1 club Marseille, with an option to be buy[13] of €9 million.[14] On 8 August 2021, he made his debut with the team against Montpellier in Ligue 1, Marseille won 3–2.
On 6 April 2022, Marseille used the option and signed permanent five-year contract.[15]
Fenerbahçe
On 13 August 2023, Ünder signed a four-year contract with Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe for a reported fee of €15 million.[16][17] On 21 August 2023, he made his debut with the team against Samsunspor in Süper Lig away game, Fenerbahçe won 2–0.[18]
On 20 December 2023, he scored his first goal for the team against Kayserispor in league match that Fenerbahçe won 4–3.[19] On 7 January 2024, after a slow start to his career with Fenerbahçe, he scored four goals in a 5–1 win over Istanbulspor.[20]
Los Angeles FC (loan)
On 20 February 2025, he joined Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC on loan until the end of June.[21]
On 12 March 2025, he made his debut with an assist for the team in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Colombus Crew.[22] On March 29, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3-2 loss to San Diego FC.[23]
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International career
Ünder has represented the U18 and U19 levels of the Turkey national youth football team. He most recently was called up to the Turkey national under-21 football team.[24]
In November 2016 Ünder received his first call-up to the senior Turkey squad for the match against Kosovo.[25] He scored his first international goal in his second cap for his country in a friendly victory against Moldova in March 2017.
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Controversy
Following the Afrin offensive in Northern Syria, which was carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces in January 2018, on 11 February, Ünder performed a military salute as a goal celebration after netting in Roma's 5–2 home win over Benevento in Serie A.[26][27] In October 2019, following the Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Ünder posted a picture of the aforementioned celebration on Twitter;[28] his controversial post drew criticism on social media from Roma fans.[29][30]
When Los Angeles FC signed Ünder in 2025, the team's Armenian fanbase (Los Angeles is home to the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia) threatened to boycott games due to historical tensions between Armenian and Turkey relating to the Armenian Genocide and Turkey's continuous denial as well as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (where Turkey has been accused of supporting Azerbaijan in attacking an ethnically Armenian area).[31]
Career statistics
Club
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- As of match played 3 May 2025[32]
- Includes Turkish Cup, Coppa Italia, FA Cup, Coupe de France, Leagues Cup
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League, seven appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
International
- As of match played 12 September 2023[33]
- Three appearances in UEFA Euro 2020
- Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ünder goal.
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Honours
Leicester City
Individual
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
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