Enes Ünal facts for kids
Ünal with AFC Bournemouth in 2024
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 May 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Osmangazi, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.87 m | ||
| Playing position | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | AFC Bournemouth | ||
| Number | 26 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2013 | Bursaspor | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2013–2015 | Bursaspor | 35 | (4) |
| 2015–2017 | Manchester City | 0 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | → Genk (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2016 | → NAC Breda (loan) | 11 | (9) |
| 2016–2017 | → Twente (loan) | 32 | (18) |
| 2017–2020 | Villarreal | 23 | (5) |
| 2017 | → Levante (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2018–2020 | → Valladolid (loan) | 68 | (12) |
| 2020–2024 | Getafe | 103 | (34) |
| 2024 | → AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 16 | (2) |
| 2024– | AFC Bournemouth | 17 | (2) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2012–2013 | Turkey U16 | 24 | (25) |
| 2012–2014 | Turkey U17 | 12 | (9) |
| 2014 | Turkey U19 | 6 | (6) |
| 2013–2015 | Turkey U21 | 13 | (3) |
| 2015– | Turkey | 34 | (3) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Enes Ünal (born 10 May 1997) is a professional football player from Turkey. He plays as a forward for the English club AFC Bournemouth. He also plays for the Turkey national team.
Enes made history on 25 August 2013. He scored a goal for Bursaspor against Galatasaray in his very first game in the Süper Lig. This made him the youngest player ever to score in Turkey's top football league. He has played for Turkey at many youth levels and joined the senior national team in 2015.
Contents
About Enes Ünal
Early Life and Family
Enes Ünal was born in Osmangazi, Bursa, Turkey, on 10 May 1997. His father, Mesut Ünal, was also a professional footballer. He played for Bursaspor and represented Turkey in youth international games.
Playing for Clubs
Enes Ünal started his football journey in the youth team of Bursaspor.
Starting at Bursaspor
Enes joined the main Bursaspor team from their youth academy. He played his first professional game on 1 August 2013. This was in a UEFA Europa League match against Vojvodina.
On 25 August 2013, Enes made his league debut against Galatasaray. He scored his first league goal just three minutes after coming onto the field. This goal made him the youngest player to score in the Süper Lig. He continued to score important goals for Bursaspor in both league and cup games.
Time with Manchester City
On 7 July 2015, Enes signed with the English club Manchester City. He joined them for about £2 million. He played his first game for Manchester City during a tour in Australia.
Manchester City then loaned Enes to other clubs to gain more experience.
- He first went to Genk in Belgium for a short time.
- Then, in February 2016, he was loaned to NAC Breda in the Netherlands. He scored in his first game for them. On 11 April 2016, he scored his first ever hat-trick (three goals in one game) against Telstar.
- In July 2016, he moved to another Dutch club, Twente, on loan. He scored another hat-trick in his first start for Twente. He also scored two more goals in his next game.
Moving to Spain: Villarreal
On 30 May 2017, Enes moved to the Spanish club Villarreal for £12 million. He played his first game for them on 21 August. He scored his first goal for Villarreal on 10 September.
Villarreal also loaned Enes to other Spanish clubs.
- He joined Levante on a temporary loan in October 2017. He scored in his debut game for Levante.
- In December 2017, Villarreal called him back to their team.
- In August 2018, he was loaned to Real Valladolid. His loan was extended until the end of the 2019–20 season.
Playing for Getafe
On 12 August 2020, Enes Ünal signed a five-year contract with Getafe, another Spanish club. He became a key player for Getafe, scoring many goals during his time there.
Joining AFC Bournemouth
On 1 February 2024, Enes joined AFC Bournemouth, a club in the English Premier League. He joined them on a loan deal, which later became a permanent move. He scored his first goal for Bournemouth on 9 March, helping them get a draw against Sheffield United. In the next game, he helped Bournemouth make an amazing comeback. They were losing 3-0 but won 4-3, becoming one of only five teams in Premier League history to do this.
In May 2024, Enes signed a four-year contract with AFC Bournemouth. Unfortunately, in January 2025, he suffered a serious knee injury during training. This injury will keep him out of play for the rest of the season.
Playing for Turkey
Enes Ünal has played for Turkey at many different age levels. He scored 25 goals in 24 games for the Turkey U16 team. Because of his great performance, he was quickly moved up to the U17 and then the Turkey U21 teams, even when he was only 16 years old.
He played his first game for the senior Turkey national team on 31 March 2015. This was a friendly match against Luxembourg. He made his first start in a competitive game for Turkey on 6 October 2016. On 17 November 2019, Enes scored his first two goals for Turkey in a 2-0 win against Andorra. He was also part of the squad for UEFA Euro 2020.
In May 2024, he was chosen for the preliminary squad for UEFA Euro 2024. However, he had to withdraw due to an injury.
Life Outside Football
Enes Ünal's family became big fans of Manchester City after a famous goal by Sergio Agüero in 2012.
Enes is married to Lisa Smellers, who is also a footballer from Belgium. She plays for Genk Ladies. They got married in December 2019. Their daughter, Lila Ela, was born in 2020.
See also
In Spanish: Enes Ünal para niños
