Cem Özdemir

Cem Özdemir — Biography

Cem Özdemir, a Turkish footballer born on 27 July 1992 in the Seyhan district of Adana, is not related to the more widely known German politician of the same name. Standing 1.80 m tall, he plays as a midfielder and began his football career in the youth academy of Seyhan Belediyespor before moving into Adanaspor's youth system, signing professional terms with the club in 2010. He made his official debut for Adanaspor in a Turkish Cup match against Gaziantep Büyükşehir Belediyespor that September, though he featured mainly for the reserve side in his first two seasons before earning regular playing time. He was part of the Adanaspor squad that won the TFF First League title in the 2015-16 season, and after the club's longtime captain Merthan Açıl departed ahead of the 2016-17 Süper Lig campaign, Özdemir was named the team's new captain. At youth international level he was called up to Turkey's under-18 side, and other sources credit him with a single appearance for the under-20 national team in a 1-0 win over Ukraine. He later moved on to play for TFF Second League club İsparta 32 SK.