Spot secured: Salih Özcan off to the World Cup with Turkey | OneFootball

The secret is out: three Bundesliga legionnaires have made it into Turkey’s final 26-man World Cup squad. National coach Vincenzo Montella (51) also called up Borussia Dortmund pro Salih Özcan (28).

Alongside Özcan, Frankfurt’s young star Can Uzun (20) and Hoffenheim center-back Ozan Kabak (26) are also part of the squad. Turkey will face Australia (June 14), Paraguay (June 20), and co-hosts the USA (June 26) in Group D of the preliminary round. The Milli Takim have a good chance of finishing top of the group.

For the BVB ball-winning midfielder, the World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States is the second major tournament of his career after taking part in EURO 2024. At EURO 2024, he made four appearances and reached the quarter-finals with Turkey. Overall, Özcan has earned 29 caps for the national team, scoring one goal.

European champion with Germany

In his youth, the Cologne-born player still represented the German Football Association (DFB). From U15 to U21, he was part of every German youth national team and made an impressive 61 international appearances. In 2021, he won the European Championship with Germany’s U21 side.

Photo: IMAGO

In March 2022, however, Özcan made his first senior international appearance for Turkey. He explained the reasons for switching associations in a BVB interview in December 2022: “It’s a completely different feeling to play for the country your parents come from and where your roots are. My mom is from Ankara, my dad from Malatya. That means something to me. We always spoke Turkish, sang, and cooked at home. Everything at home was Turkish. I grew up in Germany, but in my mind, Turkey is my home.”

In the summer of 2022, Özcan moved from 1. FC Köln to Borussia Dortmund. Apart from a six-month loan spell at VfL Wolfsburg, he stayed at BVB for a total of four seasons. His record stands at 96 appearances for the Black and Yellows (two assists). He will leave the Westphalians this summer on a free transfer due to his expiring contract. There is speculation about a return to 1. FC Köln.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.