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.jpg) Demiral withTürkiye in 2020 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Merih Demiral[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1998-03-05)5 March 1998 (age 27)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Karamürsel, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Al-Ahli | ||
| Number | 28 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2011 | Karamürsel Idmanyurduspor | ||
| 2011–2016 | Fenerbahçe | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Alcanenense | 12 | (0) |
| 2017 | →Sporting CP B (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2017–2019 | Sporting CP B | 26 | (0) |
| 2018–2019 | →Alanyaspor (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2019 | →Sassuolo (loan) | 14 | (2) |
| 2019–2022 | Juventus | 21 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | →Atalanta (loan) | 28 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | Atalanta | 28 | (1) |
| 2023– | Al-Ahli | 65 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2015 | Turkey U17 | 7 | (1) |
| 2015 | Turkey U18 | 2 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Turkey U19 | 10 | (1) |
| 2018 | Turkey U20 | 9 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | Turkey U21 | 13 | (0) |
| 2018– | Turkey | 61 | (6) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20:44, 20 January 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:56, 18 November 2025 (UTC) | |||
Merih Demiral (born 5 March 1998) is a Turkish professionalfootballer who plays as acentre-back forSaudi Pro League clubAl-Ahli andTurkey national team.
Product of theFenerbahçe youth system, Demiral was signed by Portuguese sideAlcanenense in 2016.[4] On 16 October 2016, he made hisTaça de Portugal debut againstFeirense in a 2-1 home loss.[citation needed]
In January 2017, he was loaned out toSporting B, and made his professional debut in theSegunda Liga for the latter club on 5 February 2017 in a 1–1 home draw againstFamalicão.[5] At the end of the season, he was signed outright by the club.[6]
On 12 July 2017, he made his first and only performance withSporting in a 2-4Taça de Portugal third round away win againstOleiros as a late substitute.[7][citation needed]
On 15 August 2018, he joined Turkish clubAlanyaspor on loan.[8] On 29 January 2019, he permanently joined Alanyaspor for €3.5 million.[9]
On 30 January 2019, Demiral joined Italian clubSassuolo on loan with an obligation to buy.[10] He made hisSerie A and club debut on 24 February, in a 1–1 home draw againstSPAL,[11] and scored his first goals both for the club and in Serie A—a brace in a 4–0 home win overChievo—on 4 April.[12]
On 5 July 2019,Juventus officially announced the transfer of Demiral from Sassuolo, on a five-year contract for €18 million.[13] His salary was reportedly unfolded as€1.3 million per year.[14] He became the first Turkish player to play for the club.[15] He made his club debut on 21 September, in a 2–1 home win overVerona in Serie A.[16] He subsequently made hisChampions League debut on 11 December, in the club's final group match, earning praise in the media for his performance as he helped Juventus keep a clean sheet in a 2–0 away win overBayer Leverkusen.[17][18]
He scored his first goal for the club on 12 January 2020, the opener in a 2–1 away win overRoma, which saw Juventus secure the unofficial title of "Winter Champions", though he was later substituted forMatthijs de Ligt after sustaining ananterior cruciate ligament injury. As a result, he was expected to be ruled out for the remainder of the season, includingEuro 2020.[19][20][21] He returned to action on 1 August, featuring as a substitute in Juventus' 3–1 home defeat to Roma in Serie A, with Juventus already confirmed as league champions.[22]
On 6 August 2021,Atalanta announced the signing of Demiral fromJuventus on loan with an option to buy.[23] During the2021–22 season, he accumulated a total of 42 appearances in all competitions, scored two goals, and provided three assists. Atalanta exercised the right to buy on 17 June 2022 for a fee of €20 million.[24][25]
On 19 August 2023, Demiral joinedSaudi Pro League clubAl-Ahli on a three-year contract for a reported fee of €17 million..[26]
On 24 August 2023, he made his debut with the team againstAl-Okhdood in a 1-0Saudi Pro League win. On 22 December 2023, he scored his first goal with the team and also made his first assist againstAl-Fayha in a 0-4Saudi Pro League away match win.
On 16 September 2024, he made hisAFC Champions League Elite debut againstPersepolis in a 1-0 home win. He played all2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite matches and helped the team to win the tropy with his performance.
Demiral represented Turkey at junior levels, includingUnder-17 andUnder-19. He made his debut for thesenior squad on 20 November 2018 in a friendly againstUkraine, as an 85th-minute substitute forMert Müldür.[27] On 11 June 2021, Demiral scored anown goal in a 3–0 defeat againstItaly in the first game of theUEFA Euro 2020 campaign; it was the first time in the tournament's history that the match opener kicked off with an own goal.[28]
On 7 June 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for theUEFA Euro 2024.[29] In the round of 16 match againstAustria, he was awarded player of the match by scoring a brace in a 2–1 victory, securing his country's qualification to the quarter-finals.[30] His first goal, netted just 57 seconds into the game, set a record as the fastest goal in the knockout stages of the European competition.[31]
On 14 October 2025, he scored double in a2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match againstGeorgia inKocaeli Stadium, inKocaeli where he birth.[32]
On 11 October 2019, followingCenk Tosun's goal in a 1–0 home win overAlbania in aEuro 2020 qualifier, Demiral was one of the Turkish players who participated in a controversial "military salute"goal celebration.[33][34][35] The same day, he stated his open support for theTurkish offensive into north-eastern Syria onTwitter; while his post was praised by Turkish supporters, it also drew criticism from numerous football fans of Juventus on social media, as well as those of other clubs, some of whom asked for the club to take disciplinary actions against the player; others even demanded that Demiral be dismissed by the club.[36][37][38][39]
On 2 July 2024, after the match againstAustria in theEuro 2024 in Germany, Demiral displayed the so-calledwolf salute, which is associated with Turkishnationalism,pan-Turkism, and theGrey Wolves organization.[40] The salute is banned in Austria.[41] At the press conference, he stated that it was an expression of Turkish pride and he intends to do it again when the opportunity arises. In addition to criticism from politicians and journalists,[42]UEFA started an investigation for alleged inappropriate behaviour.[43] On 3 and 4 July 2024 Turkey and Germany respectively summoned the other nationsambassador to discuss the incident.[44] UEFA announced on 5 July that he would be banned for a total of two matches for failing to comply with the general principles of conduct and for violating the basic rules of decent conduct.[45] TheTurkish Football Federation (TFF) said they would appeal the decision to theCourt of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).[46] TFF president Mehmet Büyükeksi later that day acknowledged that, according to article 63 of UEFA statutes, the CAS has no authority over cases were a player has been banned for less than three matches and there is no way for the TFF to appeal his ban.[47] UEFA's ban on Demiral was criticised by some as hypocritical and of double standard by drawing comparisons with the lighter penalty received byJude Bellingham for offensive gesture made at the same tournament and with political gestures made by footballers of other nations which had gone unpunished in previous editions of the tournament.[48][49]
Demiral is usually deployed as acentre-back, in either a three or four-man defence, although he is a versatile player, who is also capable of playing as a right-sidedfull-back.[50]
An aggressive and instinctive defender, his main traits are his physicality, tactical intelligence,tackling, composure, and determination, which allow to excel at reading plays, and also enable him to anticipate ormark his opponents well.[50] A tall and physically strong defender, he is also known for his ability in the air, which enables him to defend opposingcrosses and clear the ball away from his ownpenalty area.[50][51] Despite his tall stature and imposing physique, he is also a mobile defender, which allows him to make recoveries, win back the ball effectively, or restrict his opponents' movements when defending off the ball.[50][51]
Regarded as a promising young defender in the media, due to his characteristics, he has been compared toNemanja Vidić, whom Demiral himself has also cited as an inspiration.[52] Another one of his influences is his Juventus teammateGiorgio Chiellini, to whom he has also been compared.[50] He has also been likened to former Juventus defenderPaolo Montero.[53]
Merih Demiral married the Albanian model Heidi Lushtaku in 2021.[54]
On 20 April 2022, Demiral and his wife became the parents of a son and made this public a month after the birth.[55]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Alcanenense | 2016–17 | Campeonato de Portugal | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||
| Sporting CP B (loan) | 2016–17 | LigaPro | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Sporting CP B | 2017–18 | LigaPro | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 0 | ||
| Sporting CP | 2017–18 | Primeira Liga | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Alanyaspor (loan) | 2018–19 | Süper Lig | 16 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 1 | ||
| Sassuolo (loan) | 2018–19 | Serie A | 14 | 2 | — | — | — | 14 | 2 | |||
| Juventus | 2019–20 | Serie A | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 15 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5[b] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | |
| Total | 21 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
| Atalanta (loan) | 2021–22 | Serie A | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 12[d] | 1 | — | 42 | 2 | |
| Atalanta | 2022–23 | Serie A | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 1 | ||
| Al-Ahli | 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 1 | ||
| 2024–25 | Saudi Pro League | 30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12[e] | 0 | 1[f] | 0 | 44 | 1 | |
| 2025–26 | Saudi Pro League | 15 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3[e] | 0 | 3[g] | 0 | 24 | 2 | |
| Total | 65 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 89 | 4 | ||
| Career total | 213 | 10 | 17 | 0 | 33 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 268 | 11 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 12 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 8 | 2 | |
| Total | 61 | 6 | |
Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 November 2021 | Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium,Istanbul, Turkey |  Gibraltar | 4–0 | 6–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 4 June 2022 | Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey |  Faroe Islands | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C |
| 3 | 2 July 2024 | Red Bull Arena,Leipzig, Germany |  Austria | 1–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2024 |
| 4 | 2–0 | |||||
| 5 | 14 October 2025 | Kocaeli Stadium,Kocaeli, Turkey |  Georgia | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 3–0 |
Sporting
Juventus
Al-Ahli
Turkey U20
The Turkish defender joins Juventus from Sassuolo: he will be a Bianconeri until 30 June 2024.
Turkey squads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
