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Cengiz Ünder
Turkish footballer (born 1997) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Cengiz Ünder (Turkish pronunciation: [dʒeɲˈɟiz ynˈdæɾ]; born 14 July 1997) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and the Turkey national team.
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Club career
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Early career
Ünder began his professional career at Altinordu, and later transferred to Başakşehir for €700K.[3] In his breakout season with Başakşehir, Ünder established himself as one of the best players in the league, scoring 7 goals in 32 games in his debut season in the Süper Lig.[4]
Roma
On 16 July 2017, Ünder joined Serie A club Roma for a fee of €13.4 million.[5] He scored his first goal for Roma in a 1–0 win over Hellas Verona on 4 February 2018.[6] Later that month, he marked his Champions League debut with a goal; the opener in a 2–1 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of the first round of knockout fixtures,[7] becoming the youngest Turkish player ever to score in the Champions League.[8] In his first season with Roma, he recorded 7 goals and 1 assist in 26 league games, and 1 goal in 5 Champions League matches.
On 2 October 2018, he scored a goal and made an assist in a 5-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in a Champions League group stage match.
Loan to Leicester City
On 20 September 2020, Ünder signed for Premier League club Leicester City on a season-long loan, with the option of a permanent transfer.[9] He made his debut in a 3–0 defeat to West Ham United, coming on as a substitute.[10] On 25 October, he made his first goal contribution for Leicester when he assisted Jamie Vardy's winning goal in a 1–0 away win over Arsenal, which ended Leicester's 47-year wait for a victory away against Arsenal.[11] On 10 December, Ünder scored his first Leicester goal in a 2–0 home win over AEK Athens in the UEFA Europa League.[12]
Marseille
On 4 July 2021, Ünder moved to France, signing for Ligue 1 club Marseille on loan, with an option to buy[13] for €9 million.[14] On 8 August 2021, he made his debut for the club against Montpellier, where Marseille won 3–2.
On 6 April 2022, Marseille signed Ünder permanently from Roma, penning a five-year long deal.[15]
Fenerbahçe
On 13 August 2023, Ünder signed a four-year contract with Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe for a reported fee of €15 million.[16][17] On 21 August, he made his debut for the side in a 2-0 away win against Samsunspor.[18]
On 20 December 2023, he scored his first goal for the club against Kayserispor in a match where Fenerbahçe won 4–3.[19] On 7 January 2024, after a slow start to his career with the club, he scored four goals in a 5–1 win over Istanbulspor.[20]
Loan to Los Angeles FC
On 20 February 2025, he joined Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC on loan until the end of the season.[21] On 12 March, he made his debut with an assist for the team in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Colombus Crew.[22] On 29 March, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3-2 loss to San Diego FC.[23]
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International career
Ünder has represented the U18 and U19 levels of the Turkey national team. He had also been called up to the Turkey U21 national team.[24]
In November 2016, Ünder received his first call-up to the senior Turkey squad for the match against Kosovo.[25] He scored his first international goal in his second appearance for the national team in a friendly victory against Moldova in March 2017.
On 14 May 2021, Ünder was named in Turkey's 26-man squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.[26]
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Controversies
Following the Afrin offensive in Northern Syria, which was carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces in January 2018, on 11 February, Ünder performed a military salute as a goal celebration after scoring in Roma's 5–2 home win over Benevento.[27][28] In October 2019, following the Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Ünder posted a picture of the aforementioned celebration on Twitter;[29] his controversial post drew criticism on social media from Roma fans.[30][31]
When Los Angeles FC signed Ünder in February 2025, the team's Armenian fanbase (Los Angeles is home to the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia) threatened to boycott games due to historical tensions between Armenian and Turkey relating to the Armenian Genocide and Turkey's continuous denial as well as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (where Turkey has been accused of supporting Azerbaijan in attacking an ethnically Armenian area).[32]
Career statistics
Club
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- As of match played 31 May 2025[33]
- Includes Turkish Cup, Coppa Italia, FA Cup, Coupe de France
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League, seven appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
- Appearance in FIFA Club World Cup play-off
International
- As of match played 12 September 2023[34]
- Three appearances in UEFA Euro 2020
- Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ünder goal.
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Honours
Leicester City
Individual
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
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