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Cengiz Ünder

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Cengiz Ünder
Ünder with Turkey in 2018
Personal information
Full name Cengiz Ünder[1]
Date of birth (1997-07-14) 14 July 1997 (age 28)
Place of birth Sındırgı, Balıkesir, Turkey
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Position(s) Winger, forward
Team information
Current team
 Fenerbahçe
Number 20
Youth career
2007–2013 Bucaspor
2013–2015 Altınordu
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2016 Altınordu 51 (11)
2016–2017 Başakşehir 32 (7)
2017–2022 Roma 70 (13)
2020–2021 → Leicester City (loan) 9 (0)
2021–2022 → Marseille (loan) 32 (10)
2022–2023 Marseille 37 (5)
2023– Fenerbahçe 27 (9)
2025 → Los Angeles FC (loan) 12 (2)
International career‡
2014–2015 Turkey U18 6 (1)
2015–2016 Turkey U19 12 (6)
2016 Turkey U21 3 (0)
2016– Turkey 51 (16)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 03:18, 25 May 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 20:00, 12 September 2023 (UTC)

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.

Club career

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Early career

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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]

International career

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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]

Controversies

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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

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Club

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Ünder with Başakşehir in 2017
Ünder playing for Roma in 2018
As of match played 31 May 2025[33]
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
Altınordu 2014–15 TFF First League 20 5 6 0 — — 26 5
2015–16 TFF First League 31 6 1 0 — — 32 6
Total 51 11 7 0 0 0 0 0 58 11
Başakşehir 2016–17 Süper Lig 32 7 7 2 4[b] 0 — 43 9
Roma 2017–18 Serie A 26 7 1 0 5[c] 1 — 32 8
2018–19 Serie A 26 3 1 0 6[c] 3 — 33 6
2019–20 Serie A 18 3 2 0 3[b] 0 — 23 3
Total 70 13 4 0 14 4 0 0 88 17
Leicester City (loan) 2020–21 Premier League 9 0 2 1 8[b] 1 — 19 2
Marseille (loan) 2021–22 Ligue 1 32 10 3 1 12[d] 2 — 47 13
Marseille 2022–23 Ligue 1 37 5 3 0 6[c] 0 — 46 5
Total 69 15 6 1 18 2 0 0 93 18
Fenerbahçe 2023–24 Süper Lig 24 9 2 0 7[e] 0 0 0 33 9
2024–25 Süper Lig 3 0 2 0 4[b] 0 — 9 0
2025–26 Süper Lig 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Total 27 9 4 0 11 0 0 0 42 9
Los Angeles FC (loan) 2025 MLS 12 2 — 3[f] 0 1[g] 0 16 2
Career total 270 57 30 4 58 7 1 0 359 68
  1. ^ Includes Turkish Cup, Coppa Italia, FA Cup, Coupe de France
  2. ^ a b c d Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ a b c Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League, seven appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
  6. ^ Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
  7. ^ Appearance in FIFA Club World Cup play-off

International

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Ünder playing for Turkey in 2018
As of match played 12 September 2023[34]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Turkey 2016 1 0
2017 6 3
2018 10 1
2019 3 2
2020 6 2
2021 10[a] 3
2022 9 4
2023 6 1
Total 51 16
  1. ^ Three appearances in UEFA Euro 2020
Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ünder goal.
List of international goals scored by Cengiz Ünder
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 27 March 2017 New Eskişehir Stadium, Eskişehir, Turkey  Moldova 3–0 3–1 Friendly
2. 11 June 2017 Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkodër, Albania  Kosovo 2–1 4–1 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3. 13 November 2017 New Antalya Stadium, Antalya, Turkey  Albania 1–2 2–3 Friendly
4. 27 March 2018 Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro  Montenegro 1–0 2–2
5. 30 May 2019 New Antalya Stadium, Antalya, Turkey  Greece 1–0 2–1
6. 8 June 2019 Büyükşehir Stadium, Konya, Turkey  France 2–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
7. 11 November 2020 Vodafone Park, Istanbul, Turkey  Croatia 3–3 3–3 Friendly
8. 15 November 2020 Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey  Russia 2–1 3–2 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B
9. 3 June 2021 Benteler-Arena, Paderborn, Germany  Moldova 2–0 2–0 Friendly
10. 1 September 2021 Vodafone Park, Istanbul, Turkey  Montenegro 1–0 2–2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
11. 7 September 2021 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands  Netherlands 1–6 1–6
12. 29 March 2022 Büyükşehir Stadium, Konya, Turkey  Italy 1–0 2–3 Friendly
13. 4 June 2022 Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey  Faroe Islands 1–0 4–0 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C
14. 22 September 2022 Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey  Luxembourg 1–1 3–3
15. 16 November 2022 Diyarbakır Stadium, Diyarbakır, Turkey  Scotland 2–0 2–1 Friendly
16. 16 June 2023 Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia  Latvia 2–1 3–2 UEFA Euro 2024 qualification

Honours

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Leicester City

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Cengi̇z Ünder". Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Cengiz Ünder". A.S. Roma. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Cengiz Ünder Medipol Başakşehir'e transfer oldu". Habertürk (in Turkish). 18 May 2016.
  4. ^ Sarigul, Emre (22 November 2017). "Roma's Cengiz Under: 'I like to prove people wrong. I've been doing it since I was 10'". The Guardian.
  5. ^ "Roma complete the signing of Cengiz Under". www.asroma.com.
  6. ^ "Cengiz Ünder İtalya'yı salladı! Tarihe geçti..." www.hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Fantastic Fred gives Shakhtar edge over Roma". www.worldfootball.net.
  8. ^ "The youngest Turkish player ever to have scored in the Champions League..." Twitter. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  9. ^ "Cengiz Under: Leicester City sign Turkey winger on loan from Roma". BBC Sport. 20 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  10. ^ Blackwell, Jordan (5 October 2020). "Every word Brendan Rodgers said on Cengiz Under's Leicester City debut and conceding early goals". Leicestershire Live. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  11. ^ "Arsenal vs. Leicester City - Football Match Report". ESPN.com. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  12. ^ Johnston, Neil (10 December 2020). "Leicester 2-0 AEK Athens: Cengiz Under scores his first Foxes goal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  13. ^ "Cengiz Ünder is an Olympien". www.om.fr. Marseille. 4 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  14. ^ "Επίσημο: Στην Μαρσέιγ ο Ουντέρ!" [Official: Ünder in Marseille!]. www.sport-fm.gr (in Greek). 4 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Marsilya, Cengiz Ünder'i resmen kadrosuna kattı!".
  16. ^ "Fenerbahçemize hoş geldin Cengiz Ünder" (in Turkish). Fenerbahçe. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Cengiz Ünder transferinin sonuçlanması hk" (in Turkish). KAP. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Yılport Samsunspor 0-2 Fenerbahçe" (in Turkish). Fenerbahçe. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  19. ^ "Mondihome Kayserispor 3-4 Fenerbahçe" (in Turkish). Fenerbahçe. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  20. ^ "İstanbulspor 1-5 Fenerbahçe" (in Turkish). Fenerbahçe. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  21. ^ "Transfer Bilgilendirme" (in Turkish). Fenerbahçe. 20 February 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  22. ^ "Recap: LAFC 1 (4) - 2 (2) Columbus - Concacaf Champions Cup". Los Angeles FC. 12 March 2025. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  23. ^ "San Diego FC defeats Los Angeles FC 3-2, earning first ever home win". East Village Times. 29 March 2025.
  24. ^ "Ümit Milli Takım kadrosunda değişiklik - U-21 Milli Takım Haber Detay Sayfası TFF". www.tff.org (in Turkish). Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  25. ^ "Küskünler barıştı! Arda Turan yeniden Milli Takım'da!" (in Turkish). superhaber.tv. 4 November 2016. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  26. ^ "Turkey Euro 2020 squad profile: Best player, manager and past Euros record". FourFourTwo. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021.
  27. ^ Giulianelli, Emanuele (14 February 2018). "Il saluto militare di Cengiz Ünder, semplice esultanza o endorsement alla politica di Erdogan?". The Huffington Post (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  28. ^ "Roma 5–2 Benevento" (in Italian). Eurosport. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  29. ^ Dolci, Stefano (11 October 2019). "Demiral, Calhanoglu e Under nella bufera per i tweet a sostegno dell'offensiva turca contro i curdi" (in Italian). Eurosport. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  30. ^ Pinci, Matteo (11 October 2019). "Roma, Under: il post per l'esercito turco diventa un caso: "Non con la nostra maglia"". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  31. ^ Aliprandi, Jacopo (11 October 2019). "Maglia della Roma, saluto militare e bandiere turche: bufera social su Under". Il Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  32. ^ https://en.as.com/soccer/the-los-angeles-signing-that-could-divide-the-teams-fans-n/
  33. ^ "C. Ünder". Soccerway. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  34. ^ "Cengiz Ünder". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  35. ^ McNulty, Phil (15 May 2021). "Chelsea 0–1 Leicester City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  36. ^ "65. Gillette Milliyet Yılın Sporcusu Ödülleri sahiplerini buldu!". Milliyet. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
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