Merih Demiral

Merih Demiral

Demiral with Türkiye in 2020
Personal information
Full name	Merih Demiral [1]
Date of birth	(1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 26) [2]
Place of birth	Karamürsel, Turkey
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) [3]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Al-Ahli
Number	28
Youth career
2009–2011	Karamürsel Idmanyurduspor
2011–2016	Fenerbahçe
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2017	Alcanenense	12	(0)
2017	→ Sporting CP B (loan)	3	(0)
2017–2019	Sporting CP B	26	(0)
2018–2019	→ Alanyaspor (loan)	16	(1)
2019	→ Sassuolo (loan)	14	(2)
2019–2022	Juventus	21	(1)
2021–2022	→ Atalanta (loan)	28	(1)
2022–2023	Atalanta	28	(1)
2023–	Al-Ahli	35	(2)
International career‡
2014–2015	Turkey U17	7	(1)
2015	Turkey U18	2	(0)
2015–2016	Turkey U19	10	(1)
2018	Turkey U20	9	(0)
2016–2018	Turkey U21	13	(0)
2018–	Turkey	53	(4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:13, 30 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22:55, 19 November 2024 (UTC)

Merih Demiral (born 5 March 1998) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and Turkish national team.

Club career

Early years

Product of the Fenerbahçe youth system, Demiral was signed by Portuguese side Alcanenense in 2016. ^[4]

In January 2017, he was loaned out to Sporting B, and made his professional debut in the Segunda Liga for the latter club on 5 February 2017 in a 1–1 home draw against Famalicão. ^[5] At the end of the season, he was signed outright by the club. ^[6]

On 15 August 2018, he joined Turkish club Alanyaspor on loan. ^[7] On 29 January 2019, he permanently joined Alanyaspor for €3.5 million. ^[8]

Sassuolo

On 30 January 2019, Demiral joined Italian club Sassuolo on loan with an obligation to buy. ^[9] He made his Serie A and club debut on 24 February, in a 1–1 home draw against SPAL, ^[10] and scored his first goals both for the club and in Serie A—a brace in a 4–0 home win over Chievo—on 4 April. ^[11]

Juventus

On 5 July 2019, Juventus officially announced the transfer of Demiral from Sassuolo, on a five-year contract for €18 million. ^[12] His salary was reportedly unfolded as €1.3 million per year. ^[13] He became the first Turkish player to play for the club. ^[14] He made his club debut on 21 September, in a 2–1 home win over Verona in Serie A. ^[15] He subsequently made his Champions League debut on 11 December, in the club's final group match, earning praise in the media for his performance as he helped Juventus keep a clean sheet in a 2–0 away win over Bayer Leverkusen. ^{[16] [17]}

He scored his first goal for the club on 12 January 2020, the opener in a 2–1 away win over Roma, which saw Juventus secure the unofficial title of "Winter Champions", though he was later substituted for Matthijs de Ligt after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury. As a result, he was expected to be ruled out for the remainder of the season, including Euro 2020. ^{[18] [19] [20]} He returned to action on 1 August, featuring as a substitute in Juventus' 3–1 home defeat to Roma in Serie A, with Juventus already confirmed as league champions. ^[21]

Loan to Atalanta

On 6 August 2021, Atalanta announced the signing of Demiral from Juventus on loan with an option to buy. ^[22] During the 2021–22 season, he accumulated a total of 42 appearances in all competitions, scored two goals, and provided three assists. Atalanta exercised the right to buy on 17 June 2022 for a fee of €20 million. ^{[23] [24]}

Al-Ahli

On 19 August 2023, Demiral joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli on a three-year contract. ^[25]

International career

Demiral represented Turkey at junior levels, including Under-17 and Under-19. He made his debut for the senior squad on 20 November 2018 in a friendly against Ukraine, as an 85th-minute substitute for Mert Müldür. ^[26] On 11 June 2021, Demiral scored an own goal in a 3–0 defeat against Italy in the first game of the UEFA Euro 2020 campaign; it was the first time in the tournament's history that the match opener kicked off with an own goal. ^[27]

On 7 June 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. ^[28] In the round of 16 match against Austria, he was awarded player of the match by scoring a brace in a 2–1 victory, securing his country's qualification to the quarter-finals. ^[29] His first goal, netted just 57 seconds into the game, set a record as the fastest goal in the knockout stages of the European competition. ^[30]

Style of play

Demiral is usually deployed as a centre-back, in either a three or four-man defence, although he is a versatile player, who is also capable of playing as a right-sided full-back. ^[31]

An aggressive and instinctive defender, his main traits are his physicality, tactical intelligence, tackling, composure, and determination, which allow to excel at reading plays, and also enable him to anticipate or mark his opponents well. ^[31] A tall and physically strong defender, he is also known for his ability in the air, which enables him to defend opposing crosses and clear the ball away from his own penalty area. ^{[31] [32]} Despite his tall stature and imposing physique, he is also a mobile defender, which allows him to make recoveries, win back the ball effectively, or restrict his opponents' movements when defending off the ball. ^{[31] [32]}

Regarded as a promising young defender in the media, due to his characteristics, he has been compared to Nemanja Vidić, whom Demiral himself has also cited as an inspiration. ^[33] Another one of his influences is his Juventus teammate Giorgio Chiellini, to whom he has also been compared. ^[31] He has also been likened to former Juventus defender Paolo Montero. ^[34]

Controversy

Military salute during the Euro 2020 qualifier

On 11 October 2019, following Cenk Tosun's goal in a 1–0 home win over Albania in a Euro 2020 qualifier, He was one of the Turkish players who participated in a controversial "military salute" goal celebration. ^{[35] [36] [37]} The same day, he stated his open support for the Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria on Twitter; while his post was praised by Turkish supporters of the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, it also drew criticism from numerous football fans of Juventus on social media, as well as those of other clubs, some of whom asked for the club to take disciplinary actions against the player; others even demanded that Demiral be dismissed by the club. ^{[38] [39] [40] [41]}

Euro 2024 ban and wolf salute

On 2 July 2024, after the match against Austria in the Euro 2024 in Germany, Demiral displayed the so-called wolf salute, which is associated with Turkish nationalism, pan-Turkism, and the Grey Wolves organization. ^[42] The salute is banned in Austria. ^[43] At the press conference, he stated that it was an expression of Turkish pride and he intends to do it again when the opportunity arises. In addition to criticism from politicians and journalists, ^[44] UEFA started an investigation for alleged inappropriate behaviour. ^[45] On 3 and 4 July 2024 Turkey and Germany respectively summoned the other nations ambassador to discuss the incident. ^[46] UEFA announced on 5 July that he would be banned for a total of two matches for failing to comply with the general principles of conduct and for violating the basic rules of decent conduct. ^[47] The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said they would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). ^[48] TFF president Mehmet Büyükeksi later that day acknowledged that, according to article 63 of UEFA statutes, the CAS has no authority over cases were a player has been banned for less than three matches and there is no way for the TFF to appeal his ban. ^[49] UEFA's ban on Demiral was criticised by some as hypocritical and of double standard by drawing comparisons with the lighter penalty received by Jude Bellingham for offensive gesture made at the same tournament and with political gestures made by footballers of other nations which had gone unpunished in previous editions of the tournament. ^{[50] [51]}

Personal life

Merih Demiral married the Albanian model Heidi Lushtaku in 2021. ^[52]

On 20 April 2022, Demiral and his wife became the parents of a son and made this public a month after the birth. ^[53]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 26 January 2025 ^[54]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [a]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Alcanenense	2016–17	Campeonato de Portugal	12	0	1	0	—		—		13	0
Sporting CP B (loan)	2016–17	LigaPro	3	0	—		—		—		3	0
Sporting CP B	2017–18	LigaPro	26	0	0	0	—		—		26	0
Sporting CP	2017–18	Primeira Liga	—		1	0	—		—		1	0
Alanyaspor (loan)	2018–19	Süper Lig	16	1	4	0	—		—		20	1
Sassuolo (loan)	2018–19	Serie A	14	2	—		—		—		14	2
Juventus	2019–20	Serie A	6	1	0	0	1 [b]	0	1 [c]	0	8	1
	2020–21	Serie A	15	0	4	0	5 [b]	0	0	0	24	0
	Total		21	1	4	0	6	0	1	0	32	1
Atalanta (loan)	2021–22	Serie A	28	1	2	0	12 [d]	1	—		42	2
Atalanta	2022–23	Serie A	28	1	0	0	—		—		28	1
Al-Ahli	2023–24	Saudi Pro League	20	1	1	0	—		—		21	1
	2024–25	Saudi Pro League	14	1	1	0	5 [e]	0	1 [f]	0	21	1
	Total		34	2	2	0	5	0	1	0	42	2
Career total			182	8	14	0	23	1	2	0	221	9

1. Includes Taça de Portugal, Turkish Cup, Coppa Italia, King's Cup
2. Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
3. Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
4. Six appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League
5. Appearances in AFC Champions League Elite
6. Appearance in Saudi Super Cup

International

As of match played 19 November 2024 ^{[54] [55]}

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Turkey	2018	1	0
	2019	11	0
	2020	7	0
	2021	12	1
	2022	4	1
	2023	6	0
	2024	12	2
Total		53	4

Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first.

List of international goals scored by Merih Demiral

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	13 November 2021	Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey	Gibraltar	4–0	6–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	4 June 2022	Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey	Faroe Islands	4–0	4–0	2022–23 UEFA Nations League C
3	2 July 2024	Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany	Austria	1–0	2–1	UEFA Euro 2024
4				2–0

Honours

Juventus

• Serie A: 2019–20 ^[56]
• Coppa Italia: 2020–21 ^[57]
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2020

Turkey U20

• Toulon Tournament third place: 2018 ^[58]

References

1. "Merih Demiral". Turkish Football Federation. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
2. "Merih Demiral: Overview". ESPN. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
3. "Merih Demiral". Saudi Pro League. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
4. Toucedo, Rafael (11 January 2017). "Turco Merih Demiral chega emprestado" [Turk Merih Demiral is loaned out] (in Portuguese). O Jogo. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
5. "Game Report by Soccerway". Soccerway. 5 February 2017. Archived from the original on 11 July 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
6. Tornesi, Duarte (30 May 2017). "Demiral quer convencer Jesus na pré-temporada" [Demiral wants to convince Jesus during the pre-season] (in Portuguese). O Jogo. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
7. "Hoşgeldin Merih Demiral!" [Welcome to Merih Demiral!] (in Turkish). Alanyaspor. 15 August 2018. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
8. Hürriyet.de-Redaktion, Anil P. Polat Stellvertretender Chefredakteur GazeteFutbol (31 January 2019). "Deadline-Day: GazeteFutbols Transferticker" (in German). gazetefutbol.de. Archived from the original on 28 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
9. "UFFICIALE: Sassuolo, arriva Demiral in prestito con obbligo di riscatto" [OFFICIAL: Sassuolo, Demiral arrives on loan with an obbligation to buy] (in Italian). tuttomercatoweb.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
10. Pergolizzi, Dario (29 May 2019). "Perché la Juventus vuole prendere Demiral" [Why Juventus want to get Demiral] (in Italian). www.ultimouomo.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
11. "Sassuolo, doppietta da sogno per Demiral: prime gioie in Serie A!" [Sassuolo, dream-like brace for Demiral: first joys in Serie A!] (in Italian). www.calcionews24.com. 4 April 2019. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
12. "Official: Merih Demiral is Bianconero!". Juventus FC. 5 July 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019. The Turkish defender joins Juventus from Sassuolo: he will be a Bianconeri until 30 June 2024.
13. "Merih Demiral'ın Juventus'taki maaşı belli oldu" (in Turkish). Sözcü. Archived from the original on 14 July 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
14. "Demiral: 'Being the first Juve turk is an honor, Chiellini helps me a lot'". www.calciomercato.com. 20 August 2019. Archived from the original on 29 February 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
15. Vaciago, Guido (21 September 2019). "Serie A, Juve-Verona 2-1: Ramsey e Cristiano Ronaldo firmano la rimonta" [Serie A, Juve–Verona 2–1: Ramsey and Cristiano Ronaldo mark the comeback]. Tutto Sport (in Italian). Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
16. Thorogood, James (11 December 2019). "Leverkusen 0–2 Juventus". UEFA.com. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
17. Agresti, Romeo (13 December 2019). "Juventus, Demiral da urlo contro il Bayer Leverkusen: arma in più per Sarri" [Juventus, Demiral outstanding against Bayer Leverkusen: an additional asset for Sarri] (in Italian). Goal.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
18. "Euro roundup: Zaniolo and Demiral likely to miss Euros after rupturing ACLs". The Guardian. 13 January 2020. Archived from the original on 8 March 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
19. "Roma 1 - 2 Juventus". Football Italia. 12 January 2020. Archived from the original on 16 March 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
20. "Demiral dalla gioia (del gol) al dolore (dell'infortunio): distorsione al ginocchio, domattina il verdetto" [Demiral from joy (for his goal) to pain (for his injury): knee strain, tomorrow the verdict]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 12 January 2020. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
21. Baldini, Sergio (1 August 2020). "Juve-Roma 1-3: Higuain non basta, ora testa alla Champions". www.tuttosport.com (in Italian). Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
22. "Benvenuto Demiral!". atalanta.it (in Italian). 6 August 2021. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
23. "Demiral: esercitato il diritto di opzione". atalanta.it (in Italian). 17 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
24. Campanale, Susy (17 June 2022). "Atalanta to purchase Demiral from Juventus after all". Football Italia. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
25. "الأهلي يواصل صفقاته القوية ويضم "المقاتل" دميرال". Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
26. "Turkey v Ukraine game report". ESPN. 20 November 2018. Archived from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
27. "'Juve's in his blood!' – Turkish defender Demiral nets historic own goal to open Euro 2020 against Italy | Goal.com". goal.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
28. "A Millî Takımımızın EURO 2024 Aday Kadrosu Açıklandı" [EURO 2024 Candidate Squad of Our National Team Announced] (in Turkish). Turkish Football Federation. 7 June 2024. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
29. "Austria 1–2 Türkiye". UEFA. 2 July 2024. Archived from the original on 2 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
30. Fitzpatrick, Peter (2 July 2024). "Demiral makes EUROs knockout history with rapid-quick goal vs Austria 😲". OneFootball. Archived from the original on 3 July 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
31. "Demiral looking to learn from 'idol' Chiellini at Juventus". as.com. 20 August 2019. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
32. Barbagallo, Anthony (29 July 2019). "Demiral as decisive as De Ligt". Football Italia. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
33. Zanon, Federico (29 January 2019). "Chi è Merih Demiral, il nuovo Vidic che la Juve ha preso con il Sassuolo" [Who is Demiral, the new Vidic that Juve acquired with Sassuolo] (in Italian). Calciomercato.com. Archived from the original on 14 January 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
34. "LETTERA DEL TIFOSO Massimiliano: "Demiral nuovo Chiellini, non si può cedere"" [Letter from a fan called Massimiliano: "Demiral new Chiellini, he can't be given away"] (in Italian). www.tuttojuve.com. 22 July 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
35. "Turkey v Albania (1–0)". BBC Sport. 11 October 2019. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
36. "UEFA to examine Turkey 'military' celebrations: Calhanoglu and Demiral at risk". Calciomercato.com. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
37. "Euro 2020: Uefa probes Turkey footballers' military salute". BBC Sport. 14 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
38. "Francia-Turchia, Demiral protagonista: grande prova e nuovo saluto militare" [France–Turkey, Demiral protagonist: great performance and new military salute]. Goal.com (in Italian). Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
39. "Francia-Turchia, lo juventino Demiral insiste: esulta col saluto militare pro-Erdogan" [France–Turkey, the Juventus player Demiral insists: celebrates with a pro–Erdogan military salute]. Open (in Italian). 14 October 2019. Archived from the original on 24 December 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
40. "DemiralOut trending: Juventus fans want defender due to political views". Calciomercato.com. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
41. Dolci, Stefano (11 October 2019). "Demiral, Calhanoglu e Under nella bufera per i tweet a sostegno dell'offensiva turca contro i curdi" [Demiral, Calhanoglu and Under in turbulence for their tweets supporting the Turkish offensive against the Kurds]. Eurosport (in Italian). Retrieved 29 October 2019.
42. Matusitz, Jonathan (2014). Symbolism in Terrorism: Motivation, Communication, and Behavior. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 12. ISBN   9781442235793.
43. "Germany summons Turkish ambassador over rightist 'wolf' goal celebration at soccer tournament". NBC News. 4 July 2024. Archived from the original on 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
44. "Uefa ermittelt gegen Demiral wegen des 'Wolfsgrußes'" [Uefa investigation against Demiral because of "Wolf salute"]. Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Südwestdeutsche Medien Holding. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
45. "UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector appointed". UEFA . 3 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
46. "Wegen Demirals "Wolfsgruß": Bundesregierung bestellt türkischen Botschafter ein". Tagesspiegel . 4 July 2024. Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
47. "Appeals Body decision: 2024 European Championship match, Austria - Türkiye". UEFA . 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
48. "Turkey appeals Demiral match ban for extremism; They can still beat Oranje, says Kökçü | NL Times". nltimes.nl. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
49. ""Voreingenommenes Verhalten gegenüber Ausländern": Kein Einspruch gegen Demiral-Sperre möglich". Tagesspiegel . 5 July 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
50. "Giving Turkish defender Merih Demiral 2-match ban shows UEFA's double standards". aa.com. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
51. "UEFA's 2-match ban on Merih Demiral sparks allegations of Western hypocrisy". turkiyetoday.com. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
52. TheSportsGrail; Shukla, Rizu (3 July 2024). "Who is model Heidi Lushtaku wife of Merih Demiral, biography, age, children and Instagram". The SportsGrail. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
53. "Heidi Lushtaku bëhet nënë për herë të parë – zbulon lidhjen me futbollistin e njohur Merih Demiral" [Heidi Lushtaku becomes a mother for the first time – reveals the relationship with the famous footballer Merih Demiral] (in Albanian). Telegrafi. 20 May 2022. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
54. "M. Demiral". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 1 December 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
55. "Merih Demiral". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
56. "Juventus 2-0 Sampdoria: Maurizio Sarri's side claim ninth straight Serie A title". BBC Sport. 26 July 2020. Archived from the original on 12 December 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
57. "Coppa: Juventus end Atalanta dream". 19 May 2021. Archived from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
58. "47è Festival International Espoirs" [47th Festival International Espoirs] (in French). festival-foot-espoirs.com. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2020.

External links

• Merih Demiral at the Turkish Football Federation
• Merih Demiral – UEFA competition record ( archive )