Eight Turks Progress to Champions League Last 16 [divider]
Eight Turks have progressed to the Champions League Last 16 following Match Day 5.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Ömer Toprak and Levin Öztunalı of Bayer Leverkusen secured a place in the second round despite losing 1-0 against Monaco in Group C.
Arda Turan will feature in the Last 16 for the second time in a row following Atletico Madrid’s convincing 4-0 win over Olympiacos in Group A.
İlkay Gündoğan, Nuri Şahin and Burak Çamoğlu of Borussia Dortmund had already made it to the next round before a ball had even been kicked in Group D.
Mesut Özil who has spent the last few weeks on the sidelines watched Arsenal cruise into the Last 16 with a 2-0 win against Borussia Dortmund.
Turan is the only player from the seven to have been born in Turkey. The other seven were born in Germany however, Çalhanoğlu, Toprak and Şahin are all Turkish internationals.
Özil and Gündoğan play for Germany at international level but were also eligible to also represent Turkey.
Eighteen-year old Öztunalı has played for the German national youth sides while 18-year-old Çamoğlu currently plays for the Turkish U19’s.
Kaan Ayhan of Schalke, Emre Can of Liverpool and Roma midfielder Salih Uçan could still qualify for the Last 16.
Turkish national team manager Fatih Terim did not play Çalhanoğlu, Toprak or Ayhan in Turkey’s last two games against Brazil and Kazakhstan.
