Hakan Çalhanoğlu facts for kids

"Çalhanoğlu" redirects here. For his younger brother, see Muhammed Çalhanoğlu. For his cousin, see Kerim Çalhanoğlu.

Quick facts for kids
Hakan Çalhanoğlu
Personal information
Çalhanoğlu with Turkey in 2016
Date of birth	(1994-02-08) 8 February 1994 (age 31)
Place of birth	Mannheim, Germany
Height	1.78 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Inter Milan
Number	20
Youth career
	1. FC Turanspor Mannheim
	Polizei SV Mannheim
2001–2009	Waldhof Mannheim
2009–2011	Karlsruher SC II
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
2011–2013	Karlsruher SC	50	(17)
2013–2014	Hamburger SV	32	(11)
2014–2017	Bayer Leverkusen	79	(17)
2017–2021	AC Milan	135	(22)
2021–	Inter Milan	112	(27)
National team^‡
2010	Turkey U16	6	(1)
2010–2011	Turkey U17	11	(1)
2011–2013	Turkey U19	15	(5)
2012–2013	Turkey U20	9	(1)
2012–2014	Turkey U21	2	(0)
2013–	Turkey	95	(20)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 28 December 2024. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 16 November 2024

Hakan Çalhanoğlu (born 8 February 1994) is a professional footballer. He plays as a midfielder for the Italian club Inter Milan.

Even though he was born in Germany, Hakan chose to play for the Turkey national team. He later became their captain. When he played in Germany's Bundesliga, he was famous for his amazing free kicks. He could score from many different distances and angles. In Italy, he also became known for being a great penalty taker and a creative player who sets up goals.

Hakan started his career in 2010 with Karlsruher SC, a German second division club. Two years later, he moved to the top-tier club Hamburger SV. He spent another season on loan back at Karlsruher. After playing well in his first Bundesliga season, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2014 for a fee of €14.5 million. He played there for three seasons, scoring 28 goals in 115 games. In 2017, Çalhanoğlu joined Milan. Then, in 2021, he moved to their city rivals, Inter Milan, for free.

Hakan Çalhanoğlu has played for Turkey at different youth levels, starting from under-16. He first played for the senior national team in 2013. He was part of the Turkish squad for the UEFA European Championship in 2016, 2020, and 2024.

Club Career Highlights
International Career
How He Plays Football
About His Life
Career Statistics Summary
- Club Appearances and Goals
- International Appearances and Goals
Awards and Achievements
Images for kids
See also

Club Career Highlights

Starting at Karlsruher SC

Hakan Çalhanoğlu was born in Mannheim, Germany. He began his football journey with Karlsruher SC in February 2012. He was moved up from the under-19 team to the main squad. Even though his team was relegated to the third division that season, Hakan showed great promise.

He signed a four-year deal to join Hamburger SV in 2012. However, he was loaned back to Karlsruher for another season. During this loan, he helped his team win the third division. This meant they moved back up to the second tier.

Playing for Hamburger SV

Hakan made his debut for Hamburg and in the Bundesliga on 11 August 2013. This was in a 3–3 draw against Schalke 04. He scored his first goals for the club on 31 August. He scored twice in a 4–0 win against Eintracht Braunschweig. One of these goals was a fantastic free kick.

On 5 February 2014, Hakan extended his contract with Hamburg until 2018. On 20 February, he scored an amazing free kick from 41 yards out against Borussia Dortmund. This goal helped Hamburg win 3–0 and end a tough period. Hakan was very happy, saying he hits free kicks like that all the time in practice.

In his only full season at Hamburg, the team finished 16th. They won a play-off to stay in the top league. This kept their record of being the only team to play in every season of the top flight.

Moving to Bayer Leverkusen

Çalhanoğlu warming up with Leverkusen before a friendly in July 2014

On 4 July 2014, Hakan left Hamburg to join Bayer Leverkusen. He signed a five-year contract. The transfer fee was €14.5 million. He made his debut for Leverkusen on 19 June in a Champions League qualifying match. Four days later, he played his first league game for his new club.

On 27 August, he scored his first goal for Leverkusen. This was in a 4–0 win in a European play-off game. He scored his first league goal for the club on 12 September. This was in a 3–3 draw against Werder Bremen. Hakan was even nominated for the 2014 Golden Boy Award in October.

Çalhanoğlu with Leverkusen in 2015

On 25 February 2015, he scored the only goal as Leverkusen beat Atlético Madrid in the Champions League. On 2 May, Çalhanoğlu scored with a free kick against league champions Bayern Munich.

He started his second season by scoring a penalty on 8 August. This was in a 3–0 win in the DFB-Pokal cup. Two weeks later, he scored the only goal in a league win against Hannover 96 with another free kick. On 26 August, he scored in a 3–0 win over Lazio. This helped Bayer qualify for the Champions League group stage. In their first group stage game, Hakan scored twice in a 4–1 win over BATE Borisov.

He scored his first goal of the 2016–17 season on 14 September. This was in a 2–2 draw against CSKA Moscow in the Champions League. It was his 50th goal in his senior club career. In February 2017, Hakan received a four-month ban from playing due to an old contract issue from his time at Karlsruher FC.

Joining AC Milan

On 3 July 2017, Hakan Çalhanoğlu signed a four-year contract with the Italian club A.C. Milan. The fee was reported to be around €20 million. He was given the famous number 10 jersey. Many legendary players had worn this number before him.

He made his first competitive appearance for Milan a month later. This was in a Europa League qualifying match. He scored his first goal for Milan in a 5–1 win against Austria Wien on 14 September. He also helped set up two other goals in that game. He made his league debut on 20 August in a 3–0 win. Hakan scored his first league goal on 25 October in a 4–1 win against Chievo. He became the first Turkish player to score in Italy's Serie A since 2003.

Moving to Inter Milan

Edison Ndreca Inter (cropped Hakan Çalhanoğlu)

Çalhanoğlu with Internazionale in 2023

On 22 June 2021, Hakan Çalhanoğlu signed a three-year contract with Inter Milan. This was a free transfer to the city rivals of his previous club.

Hakan scored a goal and helped set up another in his Inter Milan debut. This was a 4–0 win against Genoa on the first day of the 2021–22 season. He scored seven goals and made twelve assists in the league that season. He also scored in the Coppa Italia final win against Juventus. On 4 October 2022, he scored his first Champions League goal for Inter. This was in a 1–0 win over Barcelona.

On 14 March 2023, he was named Player of the Match in a Champions League game against Porto. Inter Milan qualified for the quarter-finals for the first time in twelve years.

Çalhanoğlu (left) playing with Internazionale in a friendly in August 2023

On 5 June 2023, he agreed to extend his contract with Inter Milan until 2027. On 4 November 2023, he scored his tenth penalty in a row. This was in a 2–1 win against Atalanta. He also matched a record for the most goals scored by a Turkish player in Serie A, with 36 goals. He finished the 2023–24 season with his personal best of 13 goals in Serie A.

International Career

Hakan Çalhanoğlu was born in Germany, but his family is from Trabzon, Turkey. So, he chose to play for Turkey. He played for the country at youth levels, including the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Turkey. In one group game, Hakan scored Turkey's equalizing goal in a 2–1 win over Australia.

Çalhanoğlu playing for Turkey in 2016

He made his first appearance for the senior national team on 6 September 2013. This was in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra. He made his first start on 25 May 2014 in a friendly win against the Republic of Ireland.

On 31 March 2015, Hakan scored his first international goal. This was in a 2–1 friendly win against Luxembourg. He scored two more goals in a 4–0 friendly win over Bulgaria on 8 June. One of these was another free kick. His first goal in a competitive match came on 10 October. This goal helped secure a 2–0 win over the Czech Republic in a Euro 2016 qualifier.

Çalhanoğlu became the first Turkish player to score against England on 22 May 2016. He was chosen for the 23-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2016. On 22 March 2019, Hakan scored a goal in Turkey's 2–0 win over Albania in a Euro 2020 qualifier. In March 2022, he became the captain of his country's team.

On 7 June 2024, he was called up for the UEFA Euro 2024. This made him only the second Turkish player to play in three European tournaments.

How He Plays Football

Hakan Çalhanoğlu is often compared to Mesut Özil. Özil is another German-born midfielder with Turkish roots. Hakan wants to be as important as Özil for the Turkey national team.

He is very good at taking free kicks. He is known for scoring many goals from them. He learned his free-kick style from players like Cristiano Ronaldo and especially Juninho Pernambucano. He can shoot with power and accuracy. He can also make the ball curve. His passes and crosses are also excellent.

In 2013, a sports show called Talksport said he was "a playmaker destined for the top." They praised his hard work and passing skills. Former England player Owen Hargreaves said in 2015 that Hakan's style would fit clubs like Liverpool.

Sometimes, people have said he is not fast enough to play as a winger. This is a position he sometimes played when his usual attacking midfield role was not used. Some also mentioned that his physical strength and how consistently he played could be better. However, his dribbling, skill with the ball, passing (both short and long), crossing, and vision are seen as his strong points. He is also good at shooting from far away. Hakan has also played in deeper midfield positions. He can be a player who controls the game from deep or a central midfielder who moves forward. He has even played as a second striker sometimes.

About His Life

Hakan Çalhanoğlu was born in Mannheim, Germany. His parents are Turkish and originally from Bayburt, Turkey. Hakan married his childhood sweetheart, Sinem Gündoğdu, in Mannheim in 2017. They have two daughters, Liya and Asil Can, and a son, Ayaz.

Hakan's younger brother, Muhammed, is also a professional footballer. Muhammed also played for Waldhof Mannheim and Karlsruher SC. Hakan's cousin, Kerim Çalhanoğlu, is also a footballer and played for Waldhof Mannheim.

In January 2017, Hakan shared a video on social media. It showed his support for Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In October 2019, after a goal for Turkey, Hakan and other players celebrated in a way that showed support for his country's actions. He also posted on social media supporting his country.

Hakan is a fan of the Turkish club Galatasaray. He has said he hopes to play for them one day. He dreamed of winning trophies with Galatasaray when he was a child.

Career Statistics Summary

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League		National cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Karlsruher SC	2011–12	14	0	—		—		2	0	16	0
	2012–13	36	17	3	0	—		—		39	17
	Total		50	17	3	0	0	0	2	0	55	17
Hamburger SV	2013–14	32	11	4	0	—		2	0	38	11
Bayer Leverkusen	2014–15	33	8	4	2	10	3	—		47	13
	2015–16	31	3	3	1	12	4	—		46	8
	2016–17	15	6	1	0	6	1	—		22	7
	Total		79	17	8	3	28	8	0	0	115	28
Milan	2017–18	31	6	4	0	10	2	—		45	8
	2018–19	36	3	4	0	5	1	1	0	46	4
	2019–20	35	9	3	2	—		—		38	11
	2020–21	33	4	1	0	9	5	—		43	9
	Total		135	22	12	2	24	8	1	0	172	32
Inter Milan	2021–22	34	7	5	1	6	0	1	0	46	8
	2022–23	33	3	3	0	12	1	1	0	49	4
	2023–24	32	13	0	0	6	1	2	1	40	15
	2024–25	13	4	1	0	5	2	2	0	21	6
	Total		112	27	9	1	29	4	6	1	156	33
Career total			407	94	36	6	81	20	11	1	536	121

International Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Turkey	2013	1	0
	2014	4	0
	2015	10	4
	2016	11	4
	2017	5	0
	2018	7	1
	2019	9	1
	2020	5	1
	2021	14	3
	2022	8	3
	2023	9	0
	2024	12	3
Total		95	20

As of match played 9 September 2024. Turkey score listed first, score column indicates score after each Çalhanoğlu goal.

List of international goals scored by Hakan Çalhanoğlu
No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	31 March 2015	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	7	Luxembourg	2–1	2–1	Friendly
2	8 June 2015	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium, Kasımpaşa, Turkey	8	Bulgaria	1–0	4–0	Friendly
3	8 June 2015	Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Stadium, Kasımpaşa, Turkey	8	Bulgaria	2–0	4–0	Friendly
4	10 October 2015	Generali Arena, Prague, Czech Republic	12	Czech Republic	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
5	29 March 2016	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	16	Austria	1–1	2–1	Friendly
6	22 May 2016	City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, England	17	England	1–1	1–2	Friendly
7	5 September 2016	Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia	23	Croatia	1–1	1–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	6 October 2016	Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium, Konya, Turkey	24	Ukraine	2–2	2–2	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
9	10 September 2018	Friends Arena, Solna, Sweden	35	Sweden	1–2	3–2	2018–19 UEFA Nations League B
10	22 March 2019	Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkodër, Albania	39	Albania	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
11	14 October 2020	Türk Telekom Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey	50	Serbia	1–2	2–2	2020–21 UEFA Nations League B
12	24 March 2021	Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey	53	Netherlands	3–0	4–2	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
13	30 March 2021	Atatürk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey	55	Latvia	2–0	3–3	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
14	4 September 2021	Victoria Stadium, Gibraltar	61	Gibraltar	2–0	3–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
15	11 June 2022	Stade de Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	71	Luxembourg	1–0	2–0	2022–23 UEFA Nations League C
16	14 June 2022	Gürsel Aksel Stadium, İzmir, Turkey	72	Lithuania	2–0	2–0	2022–23 UEFA Nations League C
17	19 November 2022	Gaziantep Stadium, Gaziantep, Turkey	74	Czech Republic	2–1	2–1	Friendly
18	26 March 2024	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	84	Austria	1–1	1–6	Friendly
19	26 June 2024	Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany	89	Czech Republic	1–0	2–1	UEFA Euro 2024
20	15 October 2024	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	94	Iceland	2–1	4–2	2024–25 UEFA Nations League B

Awards and Achievements

Karlsruher

3. Liga: 2012–13 (Third Division League Champion)

Inter Milan

Serie A: 2023–24 (Italian League Champion)
Coppa Italia: 2021–22, 2022–23 (Italian Cup Winner)
Supercoppa Italiana: 2021, 2022, 2023 (Italian Super Cup Winner)
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2022–23 (Second Place in Europe's Top Club Competition)

Individual Awards