Merih Demiral

Merih Demiral — Biography

Merih Demiral was born on 5 March 1998 in the Karamürsel district of Kocaeli. A centre-back, he came through Fenerbahçe's youth system before moving to Portuguese lower-league side Alcanenense in 2016 and, a year later, to Sporting Lisbon's B team. Loaned to Alanyaspor in 2018, he was signed permanently by the Süper Lig club at the end of the season, then loaned to Sassuolo in Serie A with a purchase option that was exercised; just five days later he was sold on to Juventus for 19.5 million euros. In two seasons in Turin he won the 2019-20 Serie A title and the 2020-21 Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana. He was loaned to Atalanta in 2021 with a buy option, and in 2023 he moved to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Ahli.

Demiral made his senior Turkey debut in 2018 and has since won more than 40 caps, representing the country at both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024; at the latter he scored twice in the round of 16 against Austria but was later handed a two-match UEFA ban over a hand gesture used in his goal celebration. In spring 2026 he won a second consecutive Saudi Pro League title with Al-Ahli, and after Turkey's elimination from the 2026 World Cup he issued a public apology to the country. In July 2026 his visit to MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli drew wide media attention.