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Salih Özcan

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Salih Özcan
Image
Özcan with Borussia Dortmund in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (1998-01-11) 11 January 1998 (age 28)[1]
Place of birth Cologne, Germany
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Beşiktaş
Number 6
Youth career
–2007 SC West Köln
2007–2016 1. Köln
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2019 1. Köln II 22 (4)
2016–2022 1. Köln 110 (3)
2019–2020 → Holstein Kiel (loan) 28 (5)
2022–2026 Borussia Dortmund 71 (0)
2024–2025 → VfL Wolfsburg (loan) 11 (0)
2026– Beşiktaş 8 (0)
International career‡
2012–2013 Germany U15 7 (0)
2013–2014 Germany U16 6 (2)
2014–2015 Germany U17 16 (0)
2016 Germany U18 1 (0)
2016–2017 Germany U19 8 (1)
2017 Germany U20 1 (0)
2019–2021 Germany U21 15 (1)
2022– Turkey 36 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing Image Germany
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner2021 Hungary and Slovenia
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Runner-up2015 Bulgaria
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 October 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 5 October 2026 (UTC)

Salih Özcan (born 11 January 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for the Süper Lig club Beşiktaş. Born in Germany, he plays for the Turkey national team.[2]

Club career

[edit]

Köln

[edit]

Born in Germany, Özcan is of Turkish descent as he was born into a Turkish family. Özcan spent the majority of his youth career in 1. FC Köln's youth system. He first featured in 1. FC Köln's first team in September 2016 in a Bundesliga match against Schalke 04.[3] During the 2017–18 season he consistently started in central midfield. He scored his first league goal on 2 September 2018 in a 2. Bundesliga match against FC St. Pauli.[4]

In 2017, Özcan was awarded the golden Fritz Walter Medal for the best U19 player in Germany.[5]

Loan to Holstein Kiel

[edit]
Image
Özcan at Holstein Kiel in 2019

On 23 August 2019, Özcan joined Holstein Kiel on loan until the end of 2019–20 season.[6] Three days later, he made his debut with the team as a starter in a 2. Bundesliga away match against FC St. Pauli, which ended in a 2–1 defeat.[7]

Return to Köln

[edit]
Image
Özcan playing for 1. FC Köln in 2021

On 29 June 2021, in spite of speculations about a possible transfer, the club announced that Özcan had signed a new two-year contract with Köln.[8]

Borussia Dortmund

[edit]

On 23 May 2022, it was reported that Özcan would join Borussia Dortmund for the 2022–23 season and that he would sign a contract with the club until 2026. The German sports magazine kicker estimated the transfer fee to be €5 million.[9]

On 27 August 2022, he made his debut with the team as a starter in a Bundesliga match against Hertha BSC.[10] On 6 September 2022, he made his continental debut with the team in a UEFA Champions League match against København.[11]

Loan to Wolfsburg

[edit]

On 28 August 2024, Özcan moved on loan to VfL Wolfsburg.[12] Three days later, he made his debut with Wolfsburg in a 2–0 away win against his former club Holstein Kiel.[13]

Return to Borussia Dortmund

[edit]

In late January 2025, Özcan was recalled to Borussia Dortmund following the long-term injury of Felix Nmecha.[14] In March 2026, the club announced that his contract, which was due to expire at the end of the season, would not be renewed.[15] He left the club at the end of the 2025–26 season, with his final game being on May 8 in a 3–2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt where he came off the bench in the 78th minute for Marcel Sabitzer.[16]

Beşiktaş

[edit]

On 9 July 2026, Özcan joined the Süper Lig club Beşiktaş on a permanent three-year deal with an option for another year.[17]

International career

[edit]

Özcan was eligible for both the Turkish and German national teams,[18] and played for Germany's youth teams.[19] He played his last game for Germany U21 on 6 June 2021, starting in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship final.[20]

On 25 March 2022, Özcan was called up to the Turkey national team by head coach Stefan Kuntz.[21] He debuted in a friendly 3–2 loss to Italy on 29 March 2022.[22]

On 7 June 2024, he was named in the final squad of 26 players selected by Vincenzo Montella to take part in UEFA Euro 2024.[23] On 18 November 2025, he scored his first national goal against Spain in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification.[24]

On 2 June 2026, Özcan was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[25]

Career statistics

[edit]

Club

[edit]
As of match played 20 September 2026[26]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1. FC Köln II 2015–16 Regionalliga West 163———163
2016–17 Regionalliga West 20———20
2017–18 Regionalliga West 20———20
2019–20 Regionalliga West 21———21
Total 224———224
1. FC Köln 2016–17 Bundesliga 13020——150
2017–18 Bundesliga 230205[b]0—300
2018–19 2. Bundesliga 15120——171
2020–21 Bundesliga 28031—1[c]0321
2021–22 Bundesliga 31230——342
Total 110312150101284
Holstein Kiel (loan) 2019–20 2. Bundesliga 28510——295
Borussia Dortmund 2022–23 Bundesliga 260307[d]0—360
2023–24 Bundesliga 230209[d]0—340
2024–25 Bundesliga 110—3[d]0—140
2025–26 Bundesliga 1101000—120
Total 71060190—960
VfL Wolfsburg (loan) 2024–25 Bundesliga 11010——120
Beşiktaş 2026–27 Süper Lig 60007[b]0—130
Career total 248122013101030013
  1. ↑ Includes DFB-Pokal
  2. 1 2 Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  3. ↑ Appearance in Bundesliga relegation play-offs
  4. 1 2 3 Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

[edit]
As of match played 5 October 2026[27]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Turkey 202270
202390
202460
202551
202690
Total361
Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first.
List of international goals scored by Salih Özcan
No.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetitionRef.
118 November 2025La Cartuja, Seville, Spain27Image Spain2–12–22026 FIFA World Cup qualification[24]

Honours

[edit]

1. FC Köln

Borussia Dortmund

Germany U21

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "Salih Özcan | Playerprofile | Bundesliga". bundesliga.com. DFL. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  2. ↑ Salih Özcan at WorldFootball.net
  3. ↑ "Drei Punkte auf Schalke". 1.FC Köln (in German). Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "St. Pauli verliert Torspektakel gegen Köln". NDR.de (in German). Retrieved 2 September 2018.[permanent dead link]
  5. 1 2 "Auszeichnung vor Länderspiel FC-Talent: Öczan mit Fritz-Walter-Medaille ausgezeichnet". Kölner Stadtanzeiger (in German). 5 September 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
  6. ↑ "Die KSV verpflichtet Özcan vom 1. FC Köln" (in German). Holstein Kiel. 23 August 2019. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "St. Pauli 2–1 Holstein Kiel". ESPN. 26 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "FC verlängert mit Salih Özcan". 1. FC Köln (in German). Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  9. ↑ "Vierter BVB-Neuzugang perfekt: Özcan kommt vom 1. FC Köln". kicker (in German).
  10. ↑ "Hertha BSC - BVB: Borussia Dortmund gewinnt in Berlin" (in German). Sky Sport. 27 August 2022.
  11. ↑ "Borussia Dortmund 3–0 F.C. København". ESPN. 6 September 2022.
  12. ↑ "Leihe vom BVB" [Loan from BVB] (in German). VfL Wolfsburg. 28 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  13. ↑ "Comfortable away win". VfL Wolfsburg. 31 August 2024.
  14. ↑ "BVB holt Salih Özcan zurück". Borussia Dortmund. 28 January 2025.
  15. ↑ Pinnow, Kevin (13 March 2026). "Exklusiv: Ricken bestätigt BVB-Aus für Özcan und Süle Dortmund bastelt am Kader der Zukunft" (in German). Ruhr Nachrichten.
  16. ↑ "Dortmund 3-2 Frankfurt (May 8, 2026) Final Score - ESPN". ESPN. 8 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "Beşiktaşımıza Hoş Geldin Salih Özcan" (in Turkish). Besiktas J.K. 9 July 2026. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "1. FC Köln: Mergim Mavraj und Salih Özcan sprechen über ihre Freundschaft | Express.de". Archived from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  19. ↑ "Salih Özcan – Spielerprofil". DFB Datencenter.
  20. ↑ "Germany U21 1-0 Portugal U21 (Jun 6, 2021) Game Analysis". ESPN. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  21. ↑ "Salih Özcan aday kadroya dâhil edildi". Turkish Football Federation (in Turkish).
  22. ↑ "Turkey vs. Italy – 29 March 2022 – Soccerway".
  23. ↑ "A Millî Takımımızın EURO 2024 Kadrosu Açıklandı - A Milli Takım Haber Detayları TFF". www.tff.org. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  24. 1 2 "Bileti Mart'ta Alacağız, Teşekkürler Bizim Çocuklar! İSPANYA 2-2 TÜRKİYE". TFF.org (in Turkish). 18 November 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  25. ↑ "2026 Turkey World Cup roster: Complete 26-man team". 2 June 2026. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  26. ↑ Salih Özcan at Soccerway
  27. ↑ Salih Özcan at National-Football-Teams.com Edit this at Wikidata
  28. ↑ McNulty, Phil (1 June 2024). "Real Madrid 2–0 Borussia Dortmund". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  29. ↑ "Sechs Klubs vertreten: Die kicker-Elf der Saison 2021/22". Kicker (in German). 26 May 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
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