Kerem Aktürkoglu has been in the spotlight for the first time with an eagle on his chest, at this early stage of the 2024/25 season. Already with established credits in the main Turkish division and a strong name in the national team, the winger arrived from Galatasaray for 12 million euros, on the last day of the market.
A transfer that practically ‘inaugurated’ a new path in Portuguese football, as until now none of the big three had seriously invested in Turkish internationals. Aktürkoglu himself took an unusual path for footballers in this country, who normally prefer to play in their own championship.
The transfer of Kerem Aktürkoglu also leads to reflection in Turkish football. Yuksel Yildirim, president of Samsunspor, second in the country’s first division (above José Mourinho’s Fenerbahçe), took the winger’s example to talk about the market values of the Turks.
“Turkish football needs to be among the top six in the world. This way, our revenues will increase. Players will benefit most from this development. Today, everyone speaks with pride about Kerem Aktürkoglu. Sometimes, when I went to Galatasaray games, I was sad to see Kerem booed. Now we are all proud”, he began by saying in a debate space on HT Spor television.
Recalling the transfer to Benfica, he stated: “I think he left for a very cheap price. It could have cost 60 million euros. We should increase its value. This is how the value of Turkish football and clubs will increase”, adding other examples such as Arda Guler (Real Madrid) or Bertug Yildirim (Getafe).
Kerem Aktürkoglu scores four goals in the Nations League, plus another four for Benfica, in this brilliant start to the season.
