Inter Milan Star Declares: ‘I Dream Of Becoming The Most-Capped Player Ever For Turkey’ | OneFootball

Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu says that he “dreams of becoming the most-capped player ever” for Turkey.

The 31-year-old gave his thoughts to reporters, via FCInterNews.

Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu currently has 97 caps for Turkey.

That means that Calhanoglu is currently sixth in the list of appearance-makers for Turkye.

However, Calhanoglu is only three caps behind Arda Turan, who made 97 appearances for Turkey. And then, Emre Belozoglou made 101, and Bulunt Korkmez made 102.

Therefore, if Calhanoglu is to make a few more appearances, he could quickly climb the ranks.

The Inter midfielder is the captain of Turkey. Therefore, it stands to reason that, barring injury, he will be in the starting eleven more often than not.

As such, it is likely that Calhanoglu will rise in the list of top appearance-makers.

Then, the player with the most caps ever for Turkey is former goalkeeper Rustu Recber. He made a total of 120 appearances for the national team.

That means that Calhanoglu is still some way from breaking that record.

However, at 31 years of age, there is certainly time for the former AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen to get there.

Calhanoglu: “Dream Of Becoming Most-Capped Player For Turkey”

MUNICH, GERMANY – APRIL 08: Hakan Calhanoglu of FC Internazionale controls the ball during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Quarter Final First Leg match between FC Bayern München and FC Internazionale Milano at Fussball Arena Muenchen on April 08, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

Calhanoglu commented that “of course I dream of becoming the most-capped player for the Turkish national team.”

“I have brothers who I’ve played with here,” he said. “We’ve shared the same team for year.”

Calhanoglu then noted that “today I talked to Hakan Baita.”

“We played together,” the 31-year-old noted. “And today he’s coaching me, along with Montella.”

“I hope that I can reach a hundred appearances,” Calhanoglu said.

“Then my goal is to break Rustu’s record,” he didn’t hide. “Because I’m a footballer who dreams.”

“But the most important thing is to have an injury-free season,” he added. “I hope that happens.”