9 forgotten ballers you had no idea are now playing in Turkey: Abraham, Icardi… | OneFootball

Turkish football is a hotbed for old Premier League cult heroes and one-time next big things from the continent, as this list of eclectic names will demonstrate.

We’re ignoring the likes of Victor Osimhen, Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson, famous names that most casual fans will be aware are now playing in Turkey, and dug a little deeper.

Some of these footballers have played in the Champions League and the World Cup, but find themselves in the Turkish second division. Here are nine names you won’t quite believe.

Mauro Icardi

One of football’s ultimate supervillains, PSG splashing €50million on Icardi felt rather apt for a club equally as chaotic at the time.

The deal was completed following his loan spell a year earlier, but Icardi failed to fire for the Ligue 1 juggernauts and was soon shipped off to Galatasaray.

He made his move to Turkey permanent in 2023 and has been banging them in for fun ever since, in what feels like a match made in heaven.

Tammy Abraham

Abraham bagged 15 goals and four assists in his best Premier League campaign, for Chelsea in 2019-10, but was marginalised under Thomas Tuchel and sold in 2021.

The striker left for Roma, where he bagged 27 goals in his first season before succumbing to a string of injury problems.

He then moved to Milan on loan, before switching his temporary allegiance to Besiktas for the 2025-26 campaign.

Abraham has bagged five goals in 12 Super Lig appearances. We suspect his true level is a tad higher than Besiktas, but it’s nice to see him playing regularly again.

Wissam Ben Yedder

You’ll remember Ben Yedder as a stalwart of midweek European football back in the 2010s, first with Sevilla and then Monaco.

It was with the latter that the striker was most prolific, scoring 118 goals in 201 games before his release in 2024.

A curious five-game cameo for Iranian club Sepahan followed, before Ben Yeddar switched to Sakaryaspor in the Turkish Second Division.

Ben Yeddar has four goals in eight league matches this season. That’s pretty good for a 35-year-old.

Mame Biram Diouf

Diouf never quite made the grade at Manchester United after being signed up as a youngster from Molde back in 2009.

He never quite caught fire on loan at Blackburn, and while his graft was appreciated at Stoke, a record of just 25 goals in 157 appearances left a lot to be desired.

Diouf left Stoke for Super Lig outfit Hatayspor back in 2020.

It was there he enjoyed the best goalscoring return of his career, notching 19 goals in 38 Super Lig appearances in 2020-21 and a still-decent tally of 12 in year two.

Now aged 37, Diouf has dropped down a league and currently plays for Ankara Keciorenguc. He has four goals and two assists to his name in 2025-26.

Stefan Savic

Savic’s time at Manchester City under Roberto Mancini was as brief as it was forgettable, but he went on to enjoy a real resurgence at Atletico Madrid.

He spent nine years with the Spanish giants, for whom he made almost 300 appearances, won La Liga and Europa League titles and started in a Champions League final.

Now into his twilight years, he’s playing for Trabzonspor. Why not, I suppose.

Gael Kakuta

The ultimate modern-day journeyman, Kakuta’s career hasn’t quite panned out as expected when he was poached from Lens as a teenager, a signing that ultimately led to Chelsea being handed a FIFA charge and transfer ban.

Nowadays, the Congolese winger is turning out for Sakaryaspor in the Turkish second tier. This is the 15th different club he’s represented (including six on loan from Chelsea in his early years).

Cheikhou Kouyate

A Premier League stalwart at West Ham and Crystal Palace, we’ll ignore Kouyate’s forgotten fling at Nottingham Forest as we prefer to remember his clutch goals and telescopic limbs.

The Senegal midfielder spent over a year unattached after leaving Forest in 2024, but has recently signed for second-tier Amedspor.

Andre Gray

Gray has enjoyed a nomadic career since leaving Watford in 2022, first signing for Greek outfit Aris Thessaloniki following the Hornets’ relegation.

A year in Saudi Arabia with Al-Riyadh was next, where the striker scored seven goals in 27 appearances, before returning to England with Plymouth Argyle.

Seemingly resistant to the charms of Devon’s largest city, Gray is now playing in the Turkish Super Lig for Fatih Karagumruk. He has scored two goals in 22 games to date.