Kerem Aktürkoğlu: Benfica’s Turkish Treasure
For a while, Porto and Benfica were the global headline makers in Portuguese football. But there has been a recent shift led by Rúben Amorim and Viktor Gyökeres. Having won last season’s Primeira Liga by the longest margin since the 2010/11 season, Sporting CP have yet to drop points with nearly one-third of the season gone.
Amorim’s departure could bring changes, however. Helped by attackers who came very close to signing elsewhere in the summer window – Samu Omorodion (Chelsea) and Wenderson Galeno (Al-Ittihad) – Porto enjoyed its best start since 2017/18 before a crushing O Clássico defeat. Despite an opening matchday defeat at Famalicão, Benfica are also well alive in the title race with a late signing making a big difference.
While Victor Osimhen’s unexpected move to Galatasaray outshone Kerem Aktürkoğlu’s transfer, the outcome has been equally impressive. Under the new format, the Turkish international is the only player to score in the first three Champions League rounds. Meanwhile, he averaged a direct goal involvement per 54 minutes in his first couple of months at Primeira Liga.
With the signings of Álvaro Fernández and Jan-Niklas Beste, Benfica further strengthened their left side which suffered heavily after Alejandro Grimaldo’s departure. After scoring his first international hat-trick against Iceland the previous month, Aktürkoğlu quickly adapted to the new league without taking part in Benfica’s pre-season preparations. Similarly, a first-half hat-trick against Rio Ave is his standout performance at a club level.
In retrospect, Aktürkoğlu didn’t enjoy the best of starts at Galatasaray. He only started six Super Lig games in his debut season with half of his six goals coming away at Göztepe. The very first game of the next campaign was even more difficult. Aktürkoğlu headbutted and punched by Marcão after a feisty altercation between the Galatasaray teammate.
The Brazilian saw a straight red card, while Fatih Terim immediately subbed off the visibly shocked youngster. Marcão, who was slapped with an eight-game suspension, apologized for his outburst after the game.
Facing challenges come naturally for the 26-year-old winger. While he was only 10 months old, Aktürkoğlu went missing under the rubble when his hometown Izmit struck by an earthquake. Eventually, he was found alive after a search led by his grandfather, who happened to be the mayor of the town at the time.
When southern Türkiye went through a series of deadly earthquakes in early 2023, Aktürkoğlu traveled to the region with the then vice-president of Galatasaray, Erden Timur. At times of difficulty for his nation, he was among the celebrities who helped the aiding process by carrying boxes of supplies.
And, when the season returned after a short break, he helped Galatasaray beat Fenerbahçe for the title by providing 10 assists in the final 12 games. With the high-profile signings of Hakim Ziyech and Wilfried Zaha, Aktürkoğlu’s playing time was slightly reduced last season.
But it was still a memorable ride for both him and the club. He scored home and away against Manchester United in the Champions League group stage. He also had 12 goals in the league campaign, which saw Galatasaray collect a record 102 points.
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That’s his second-best return in professional football. In 2019-20, Aktürkoğlu registered 20 goals when 24 Erzincanspor won a first-ever promotion to the third-division via a playoff. After failing to make İstanbul Başakşehir’s first team, he had to kickstart his career again in Turkish football’s lowest professional league.
Luckily, that was the end of his time in the multi-tiered 3. Liga. Galatasaray signed him on a free transfer after his exploits for the Erzincan outfit in a campaign blighted by COVID-19. Aktürkoğlu’s spell at Galatasaray hasn’t always been smooth sailing, but he took nothing for granted as someone who spent three seasons in fourth-tier football before signing for Süper Lig’s most successful club.
Already in his second season at Galatasaray, Aktürkoğlu finished as the club’s top-scorer and assist maker in all competitions. Furthermore, only Mauro Icardi scored more goals for the Lions in the past two campaigns. He also started this season in bright form before Gala’s late business necessities outgoing transfers. The €12 million transfer fee is the most expensive Turkish player sale from the club after Arda Turan’s move to Atlético Madrid in 2012.
After another successful window that saw them land nearly €150 million from transfers – including João Neves to PSG, Marcos Leonardo to Al Hilal, and David Neres to Napoli – Benfica made Aktürkoğlu one of their marquee signings this summer. At Benfica, Aktürkoğlu united with his international teammate Orkun Kökçü. The Eagles also signed Swiss international Zeki Amdouni, who represented Türkiye at U21 level, before the end of the transfer window.
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Earlier in the season, Aktürkoğlu played in Galatasaray’s defeat to Young Boys in the Champions League qualifiers. He now made the most of his second chance at the continental stage by scoring in the opening three rounds. After successive defeats to Feyenoord and Bayern Munich, Benfica will face a tricky challenge to get past the extended group stage with upcoming games against Monaco, Barcelona and Juventus. But it also means there will be more spotlight on the winger who has a €60 million release clause.
After Marcos Leonardo’s premature departure, Benfica’s attacking department lacked the usual youth exuberance. In addition to Aktürkoğlu, 36-year-old Ángel Di María is still a first choice while last season’s Eredivisie top-scorer Vangelis Pavlidis leads their line upfront. Perhaps their experiences could be key in their effort to end Sporting’s dominance post-Amorim.
The situation couldn’t be any different for Aktürkoğlu in the national team setup. All eyes are on Arda Güler (19) and Kenan Yıldız (22) as Vincenzo Montella hopes to match the passion and potential of Turkish football. Benfica’s left-winger is the sixth most-capped player in Türkiye’s latest UEFA Nations League squad.
Meanwhile, Aktürkoğlu’s age mate Viktor Gyökeres became the latest player to complete a first-half hat-trick in Primeira Liga. While there seems to be little chance of stopping the Swede from becoming the first striker to win back-to-back Bola de Prata since Jackson Martínez, the title race is wide open in Portugal. Harry Potter, as nicknamed by Galatasaray’s faithful, could play a vital role in deciding the winner.
By: Eskender Tamrat /@eskeFussball
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Gualter Fatia / Getty Images