Türkiye have endured a mixed start to their qualifying campaign for the FIFA World Cup 26™. A vital 3-2 opening win in Georgia was followed by disappointment in Konya, where they were thoroughly outplayed by reigning European champions Spain and fell to a 6-0 defeat.
It was the Turks’ heaviest loss since the 1980s – and the mood was unsurprisingly downbeat afterwards. “We are ashamed of our performance,” said an apologetic coach Vincenzo Montella.
But there is an old adage in football: setbacks also offer opportunities, so nobody would be too surprised if Montella made some tweaks ahead of the upcoming matches in Bulgaria on 11 October and at home against Georgia three days later.
This is where a player who has been making waves in the Bundesliga this season may come into play. Nineteen-year-old Can Uzun has only played 24 minutes (spread over three games) in a Türkiye shirt so far, but his meteoric rise means that all doors are now open to him.
At first glance, the Eintracht Frankfurt attacking midfielder appears to be a perfect fit for the dynamic that Montella wants to instil in his team. Uzun is brave, technically strong, has an eye for goal and is impressively mature for his age.
“No matter who we are playing, Can always has the ability to score or provide assists for others. He fits in well with the group. He’s very open and eager to learn, he keeps his position well and he pops up in the spaces we ask him to before the game,” said Frankfurt coach Dino Toppmoller in praise of his protégé, who has made a lightning start to the Bundesliga season with five goals and three assists in six league matches.
Uzun’s breakthrough forms part of a larger trend as Turkish football is currently going through some exciting changes. Kenan Yildiz, Arda Guler, Deniz Gul and Yusuf Akcicek are all emerging talents who would theoretically still be eligible to play for the U-21 national team.
They all have their sights set firmly on next year’s FIFA World Cup™ in Canada, Mexico and the United States, however. Uzun could also have pursued that goal with Germany, but opted to pledge his future to Türkiye, whom he had previously represented at U-17 and U-18 levels, in March 2024.
“I simply followed my heart,” he said at the time. Germany had also fought long and hard for his services, but to no avail. “When I look at how his career is developing now, seeing him week in, week out on television, I do have a little tear in my eye,” admitted German Football Association Sports Director Rudi Voller. “He’s a wonderful player.”
Uzun was born in Regensburg and progressed through the ranks of the Nuremberg academy. Bayern Munich repeatedly tried to lure him south, but Uzun chose to stay with his family. He excelled in Nuremberg’s youth teams, scoring goal after goal, before making his professional debut in Germany’s second division in 2023-24. He finished that season with a highly impressive 16 strikes to his name, setting a new record for an 18-year-old in that division in the process.
The summer of 2024 brought a move to Frankfurt, where he now plays alongside Mario Gotze. “Mario is a legend, and it’s a privilege to play with him. Being called his heir fills me with pride,” said Uzun about the man who scored the winner in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final, who is also rather fond of his young Turkish team-mate: “He now tracks back really well, and also sets the tone up front.”
Vincent Kompany was also recently asked about the jewel in the Frankfurt crown. “The Bundesliga lost some top players in the summer, but now there’s room for a new generation. Uzun is one of them,” said the Bayern coach.
“He has a lot of quality between the lines; he can play a decisive pass, but he is also dangerous in front of goal. I always think it’s important to look at the different types of goal a player can score. He can shoot from distance, but can also cleverly pop up in up the right place to score with one touch.”
Although Uzun may still lose possession carelessly at times, he has well and truly made his mark with Eintracht, who always have a three-year plan for talented youngsters, as the club’s sporting director Markus Krosche once revealed: “Arrive in the first year, perform in the second year, peak in the third year.” Uzun, now in his second year with the Eagles, is well ahead of schedule.
Now he has the chance to play his way into the national team. There is no shortage of competition in a Turkish midfield blessed with creativity and flair, but Uzun does not appear to be someone to shy away from a challenge. He has wasted no time in establishing himself in Frankfurt, and he could well be about to do the same with his country.
