VfB Stuttgart captain Atakan Karazor has decided to represent Turkey at the international level, according to Sky Germany.

The 27-year-old midfielder, who was born in Essen, has been a key player for Stuttgart since joining the club from Holstein Kiel in 2019.

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Despite being approached by German national team coach Julian Nagelsmann, Karazor has opted to play for the country of his parents.

Karazor’s decision follows in the footsteps of Can Uzun and Kenan Yıldız, who also chose to represent Turkey over Germany in recent seasons.

While Karazor has been a valuable asset to Stuttgart, his chances of making the German national team may have faced more competition due to the presence of younger midfielders like Aleksandar Pavlović and Stiller.

Karazor will join a large contingency of Turkish national team players who were actually born in Germany such as star names Hakan Calhanoglu, Kenan Yildiz and Can Uzun.

The Turkish national team has benefitted from the diaspora population in Germany over recent years with several players representing the country of their parents and grandparents.

The Turkish national side will face Montenegro next on Friday 11 October, Karazor will be eligible to play.