Background and career
Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈhaːkan ˈtʃaɫhanoːɫu], born 8 February 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan. Born in Germany, he plays for and captains the Turkey national team.
Çalhanoğlu began his career at German second division club Karlsruher SC in 2010 and moved to top-flight side Hamburger SV two years later, spending another season back at his first club on loan. His performance in his first Bundesliga season earned him a €14.5 million transfer to Bayer Leverkusen in 2014. He played for three seasons there, totalling 28 goals in 115 official appearances. In 2017, Çalhanoğlu signed for AC Milan for an initial €20 million fee, before joining city rivals Inter on a free transfer in the summer of 2021.
Born in Germany, Çalhanoğlu represents Turkey at international level, from under-16 level onwards. He made his senior debut in 2013, and was part of their squad at the UEFA European Championship in 2016, 2020 and 2024, and the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
