Hakan Calhanoglu (born 8 February 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan and captains the Turkey national team. He is well renowned as a free kick specialist, known for being effective from a multitude of angles and distances.
Calhanoglu began his career at German second division club Karlsruher SC in 2010 and moved to top-flight side Hamburger SV two years later, spending another season back at his first club on loan. His performance in his first Bundesliga season earned him a €14.5 million transfer to Bayer Leverkusen in 2014. He played for three seasons there, totalling 28 goals in 115 official appearances. In 2017, Calhanoglu signed for Milan for an initial €20 million fee, before joining city rivals Inter on a free transfer in the summer of 2021.
Born in Germany, Calhanoglu opted to represent Turkey at international level, from under-16 level onwards. He made his senior debut in 2013, and was part of their squad at UEFA Euro 2016 and Euro 2020.
Calhanoglu has been likened to Mesut Ozil, another German-born midfielder of Turkish ancestry. He expressed a desire to be the equivalent of Ozil in the Turkey national team.
A set-piece specialist, he is known for scoring from free kicks, and models his set-piece technique on the knuckleball free kicks of Cristiano Ronaldo and especially Juninho Pernambucano. In addition to his ability to score with power and accuracy from direct free kicks with his right foot, he is also known for his ability to bend the ball, and his set-piece delivery. In December 2013, Talksport called him "a playmaker destined for the top", praising his dedication and passing ability. Former England international Owen Hargreaves said on BT Sport in August 2015 that Calhanoglu's style of play would fit Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite mostly positive reception in his late teens and early twenties, in recent years, however, he has drawn some criticism as well; his pace was deemed insufficient for a winger, a position he adopted due to absence of his natural classic "number 10" attacking midfield role in the preferred formations of his teams, particularly A.C. Milan. He has also been criticized in the media for his lack of physical attributes and overall inconsistency of his performances. However, his dribbling, technique, passing (both short and long), crossing, and vision, as well as his eye for goal and striking ability from distance, have been referred to as his strengths. Calhanoglu has also been used in deeper midfield positions throughout his career, including in a holding role, in which he usually operates as a deep-lying playmaker, as an offensive–minded central midfielder, known as the mezzala role in Italian football jargon, or even in more offensive roles on occasion, as a second striker, for example. He is also one of the best penalty takers in the world, with a 90% career conversion rate (36 out of 40). |
