Our next stop on the journey of wonderkids from around the world on FM26 is Turkey. The country has produced many top players over the years, who have played at the very top level of the beautiful game and continue to do so.
Here are our favourite Turkish wonderkids, which include arguably one of the brightest young players in the world game:
Arda Guler (Real Madrid)
At 20, the young attacking midfielder is regarded as one of the brightest players of his generation. He has already shown flashes of his immense ability and potential, including an incredible long-range effort from his own half for Los Blancos against Elche recently.
If I remember rightly, Guler had been a wonderkid in previous editions of FM, even before he moved to Madrid from Fenerbahçe in 2023.
His FM26 stats reflect his real-life ability, as he has +16 in passing, technique, first touch, long shots (as shown by his goal against Elche), vision, teamwork, and determination. These stats are all good to have as a player in his position. His other stats are also promising.
It almost goes without saying, but Guler goes on to fulfil his potential and becomes one of the best players in the game.
As you can imagine, signing Guler in the first summer won’t be cheap. In fact, Los Blancos demand a fee of around £96m to sign him permanently. There is also the option of signing him on a season-long loan deal, with a mandatory future fee of £62m, plus other fees totalling around £96m.
For me, no player is worth that sort of fee, but if you wait a few seasons, Guler’s price will drop slightly, but he will never be cheap.
Can Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt)
I have to admit, Uzun is not just one of my favourite Turkish wonderkids, but one of my favourite players on FM26 overall. He was the player who helped my Everton team go from perennial runners-up to Premier League champions after three seasons.
He was highly prolific and brilliant at producing assists from any attacking midfield role. However, for me, he produced his best form playing as a number ten in a free role.
Incredibly, Uzun is available to sign on loan in the first transfer window, although any optional fee to make it a permanent deal would cost £107m. To sign him permanently in the opening transfer window, it will cost over £100m, including add-ons, which is a crazy fee.
When I signed him in my personal save, I bought him for around £60m, and as I said, he proved to be a game-changer, literally for me. If you get the chance to sign him for a reasonable fee, then don’t hesitate.
Uzun has enjoyed a highly promising campaign with the Eagles this season, so his performances on FM26 are unsurprising.
Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)
Yildiz is yet another highly versatile young Turkish player who has shone bright on the European football scene in recent times. The 20-year-old has been in outstanding form this season for Juventus, one of the Bianconeri’s standout players.
Yildiz was a wonderkid on FM24, with his stats updated to reflect his ability better. However, it is fair to say that his FM26 stats are far more reflective of his current ability and potential to improve. The highlights of his stats are +15 in dribbling, first touch, flair, agility, long shots and passing.
The versatile star becomes a highly consistent performer for a decade, regularly contributing with goals and assists, whichever position he plays.
Signing Yildiz will cost you an initial eye-watering fee of around £100m, plus add-ons, which could raise the price to around £135m. The fee is unrealistic and reflects the fact that Juventus don’t want to sell.
It is hard to sign Yildiz, but if your club has enough pull, both financially and reputation-wise, you can sign him at a slightly lower price.
Semih Kilicsoy (Besiktas, on loan at Cagliari)
It seems that Turkey is currently a factory for talented young attacking players. Yes, Semih Kilicsoy is another highly versatile young attacking player with abundant talent and even greater potential.
It could be argued that Semih isn’t quite in the same category as the first three players on our list. However, for me, he becomes a highly useful forward player after a few seasons.
He is contracted to Besiktas, but is on loan to Cagliari in the first season of the game. The Italian club have paid a €1m fee, with an option to buy for a further €12m, plus possible add-ons of €2m, which they are reportedly keen to activate after the Turkish star impressed with the Rossoblu.
The forward is rated between £24-29m on FM26, so the fee is more than in real life. His stats are decent, with +14 in finishing, dribbling, technique, flair, and determination.
Semih’s stats do improve immensely, and the forward becomes prolific if played in the right position. I have utilised him as a centre forward and also on both wings. For me, he was best used as your team’s main focal point.
There is a caveat with the Turkish international. Although he was highly effective for me, he doesn’t always fulfil his potential. He has to play regularly and be trained properly to get the best out of him.
Who is your favourite Turkish wonderkid on FM26? Let us know via our socials
