Merih Demiral
Full nameMerih Demiral[1]
Birth date5 March 1998 (age 28)[2]
Birth placeKaramürsel, Turkey
Height1.90 m[3]
PositionCentre-back
CurrentclubAl-Ahli
Clubnumber28
Youthyears 12009–2011
Youthclubs 1Karamürsel Idmanyurduspor
Youthyears 22011–2016
Youthclubs 2Fenerbahçe
Years 12016–2017
Clubs 1Alcanenense
Caps 112
Goals 10
Years 22017
Clubs 2→ Sporting CP B (loan)
Caps 23
Goals 20
Years 32017–2019
Clubs 3Sporting CP B
Caps 326
Goals 30
Years 42018–2019
Clubs 4→ Alanyaspor (loan)
Caps 416
Goals 41
Years 62019
Clubs 6→ Sassuolo (loan)
Caps 614
Goals 62
Years 72019–2022
Clubs 7Juventus
Caps 721
Goals 71
Years 82021–2022
Clubs 8→ Atalanta (loan)
Caps 828
Goals 81
Years 92022–2023
Clubs 9Atalanta
Caps 928
Goals 91
Years 102023–
Clubs 10Al-Ahli
Caps 1070
Goals 104
Nationalyears 12014–2015
Nationalteam 1Turkey U17
Nationalcaps 17
Nationalgoals 11
Nationalyears 22015
Nationalteam 2Turkey U18
Nationalcaps 22
Nationalgoals 20
Nationalyears 32015–2016
Nationalteam 3Turkey U19
Nationalcaps 310
Nationalgoals 31
Nationalyears 42018
Nationalteam 4Turkey U20
Nationalcaps 49
Nationalgoals 40
Nationalyears 52016–2018
Nationalteam 5Turkey U21
Nationalcaps 513
Nationalgoals 50
Nationalyears 62018–
Nationalteam 6Turkey
Nationalcaps 661
Nationalgoals 66
Club-update22:08, 20 May 2026 (UTC)
Nationalteam-update23:56, 18 November 2025 (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 Turkey national team.

Club career

Early years

Product of the Fenerbahçe youth system, Demiral was signed by Portuguese side Alcanenense in 2016.[4] On 16 October 2016, he made his Taça de Portugal debut against Feirense in a 2-1 home loss.[citation needed]

Sporting

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 12 July 2017, he made his first and only performance with Sporting in a 2-4 Taça de Portugal third round away win against Oleiros as a late substitute.[7][citation needed]

Loan to Alanyaspor

On 15 August 2018, he joined Turkish club Alanyaspor on loan.[8] On 29 January 2019, he permanently joined Alanyaspor for €3.5 million.[9]

Sassuolo

On 30 January 2019, Demiral joined Italian club Sassuolo on loan with an obligation to buy.[10] He made his Serie A and club debut on 24 February, in a 1–1 home draw against SPAL,[11] 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.[12]

Juventus

On 5 July 2019, Juventus officially announced the transfer of Demiral from Sassuolo, on a five-year contract for €18 million.[13] His salary was reportedly unfolded as €1.3 million per year.[14] He became the first Turkish player to play for the club.[15] He made his club debut on 21 September, in a 2–1 home win over Verona in Serie A.[16] 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.[17][18]

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.[19][20][21] 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.[22]

Loan to Atalanta

On 6 August 2021, Atalanta announced the signing of Demiral from Juventus on loan with an option to buy.[23] 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.[24][25]

Al-Ahli

On 19 August 2023, Demiral joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli on a three-year contract for a reported fee of €17 million..[26]

On 24 August 2023, he made his debut with the team against Al-Okhdood in a 1-0 Saudi Pro League win. On 22 December 2023, he scored his first goal with the team and also made his first assist against Al-Fayha in a 0-4 Saudi Pro League away match win.

On 16 September 2024, he made his AFC Champions League Elite debut against Persepolis in a 1-0 home win. He played all 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite matches and helped the team to win the trophy with his performance.

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.[27] 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.[28]

On 7 June 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024.[29] 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.[30] 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.[31]

On 14 October 2025, he scored twice in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Georgia in Kocaeli Stadium, in Kocaeli where he was born.[32]

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, Demiral was one of the Turkish players who participated in a controversial "military salute" goal celebration.[33][34][35] 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, 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.[36][37][38][39]

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.[40] The salute is banned in Austria.[41] 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,[42] UEFA started an investigation for alleged inappropriate behaviour.[43] On 3 and 4 July 2024 Turkey and Germany respectively summoned the other nations ambassador to discuss the incident.[44] 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.[45] The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) said they would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).[46] 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.[47] 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.[48][49]

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.[50]

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.[50] 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.[50][51] 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.[50][51]

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.[52] Another one of his influences is his Juventus teammate Giorgio Chiellini, to whom he has also been compared.[50] He has also been likened to former Juventus defender Paolo Montero.[53]

Personal life

Merih Demiral married the Albanian model Heidi Lushtaku in 2021.[54]

On 20 April 2022, Demiral and his wife became the parents of a son and made this public a month after the birth.[55]

Career statistics

Club

[56]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup[a]ContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Alcanenense2016–17Campeonato de Portugal12010——130
Sporting CP B (loan)2016–17LigaPro30———30
Sporting CP B2017–18LigaPro26000——260
Sporting CP2017–18Primeira Liga—10——10
Alanyaspor (loan)2018–19Süper Lig16140——201
Sassuolo (loan)2018–19Serie A142———142
Juventus2019–20Serie A61001[b]01[c]081
2020–21Serie A150405[b]000240
Total211406010321
Atalanta (loan)2021–22Serie A2812012[d]1—422
Atalanta2022–23Serie A28100——281
Al-Ahli2023–24Saudi Pro League20110——211
2024–25Saudi Pro League3011012[e]01[f]0441
2025–26Saudi Pro League202306[e]03[g]0322
Total7045018040974
Career total218101703615027611
  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
  7. ^ Two appearances in Saudi Super Cup, one appearance in FIFA Intercontinental Cup

International

[56][57]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Turkey201810
2019110
202070
2021121
202241
202360
2024122
202582
Total616

Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first.

List of international goals scored by Merih Demiral
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
113 November 2021Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul, TurkeyGIB4–06–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
24 June 2022Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul, TurkeyFRO4–04–02022–23 UEFA Nations League C
32 July 2024Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, GermanyAustria1–02–1UEFA Euro 2024
42–0
514 October 2025Kocaeli Stadium, Kocaeli, TurkeyGeorgia2–04–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification
63–0

Honours

Sporting CP

Juventus

Al-Ahli

Turkey U20

References

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