Cengiz Ünder
Turkish footballer (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cengiz Ünder (Turkish pronunciation: [dʒeɲˈɟiz ynˈdæɾ]; born 14 July 1997) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a winger or forward for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and the Turkey national team.
|
Ünder with Turkey in 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cengiz Ünder[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 14 July 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Sındırgı, Balıkesir, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2] | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Fenerbahçe | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2007–2013 | Bucaspor | ||
| 2013–2015 | Altınordu | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2016 | Altınordu | 51 | (11) |
| 2016–2017 | Başakşehir | 32 | (7) |
| 2017–2022 | Roma | 70 | (13) |
| 2020–2021 | → Leicester City (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | → Marseille (loan) | 32 | (10) |
| 2022–2023 | Marseille | 37 | (5) |
| 2023– | Fenerbahçe | 28 | (9) |
| 2025 | → Los Angeles FC (loan) | 12 | (2) |
| 2025–2026 | → Beşiktaş (loan) | 26 | (5) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2015 | Turkey U18 | 6 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | Turkey U19 | 12 | (6) |
| 2016 | Turkey U21 | 3 | (0) |
| 2016– | Turkey | 51 | (16) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 23:19, 1 July 2026 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 20:00, 12 September 2023 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Early career
Ünder began his professional career at Altinordu, and later transferred to Başakşehir for €700K.[3] In his breakout season with Başakşehir, Ünder established himself as one of the best players in the league, scoring 7 goals in 32 games in his debut season in the Süper Lig.[4]
Roma
On 16 July 2017, Ünder joined Serie A club Roma for a fee of €13.4 million.[5] He scored his first goal for Roma in a 1–0 win over Hellas Verona on 4 February 2018.[6] Later that month, he marked his Champions League debut with a goal; the opener in a 2–1 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of the first round of knockout fixtures,[7] becoming the youngest Turkish player ever to score in the Champions League.[8] In his first season with Roma, he recorded 7 goals and 1 assist in 26 league games, and 1 goal in 5 Champions League matches.
On 2 October 2018, he scored a goal and made an assist in a 5-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in a Champions League group stage match.
Loan to Leicester City
On 20 September 2020, Ünder signed for Premier League club Leicester City on a season-long loan, with the option of a permanent transfer.[9] He made his debut in a 3–0 defeat to West Ham United, coming on as a substitute.[10] On 25 October, he made his first goal contribution for Leicester when he assisted Jamie Vardy's winning goal in a 1–0 away win over Arsenal, which ended Leicester's 47-year wait for a victory away against Arsenal.[11] On 10 December, Ünder scored his first Leicester goal in a 2–0 home win over AEK Athens in the UEFA Europa League.[12]
Marseille
On 4 July 2021, Ünder moved to France, signing for Ligue 1 club Marseille on loan, with an option to buy[13] for €9 million.[14] On 8 August, he made his debut for the club against Montpellier, where Marseille won 3–2.
On 6 April 2022, Marseille signed Ünder permanently from Roma, penning a five-year long deal.[15]
Fenerbahçe
On 13 August 2023, Ünder signed a four-year contract with Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe for a reported fee of €15 million.[16][17] On 21 August, he made his debut for the side in a 2-0 away win against Samsunspor.[18]
On 20 December 2023, he scored his first goal for the club against Kayserispor in a match where Fenerbahçe won 4–3.[19] On 7 January 2024, after a slow start to his career with the club, he scored four goals in a 5–1 win over Istanbulspor.[20]
Loan to Los Angeles FC
On 20 February 2025, he joined Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC on loan until the end of the season.[21] On 12 March, he made his debut with an assist for the team in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Colombus Crew.[22] On 29 March, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3-2 loss to San Diego FC.[23]
Loan to Beşiktaş
On 8 September 2025, Ünder joined Süper Lig club Beşiktaş on a season-long loan with option to buy.[24] On September 13, he scored winning goal in his debut with Beşiktaş in a 2-1 Süper Lig home win against his former club Başakşehir.[25]
International career
Ünder has represented the U18 and U19 levels of the Turkey national team. He had also been called up to the Turkey U21 national team.[26]
In November 2016, Ünder received his first call-up to the senior Turkey squad for the match against Kosovo.[27] He scored his first international goal in his second appearance for the national team in a friendly victory against Moldova in March 2017.
On 14 May 2021, Ünder was named in Turkey's 26-man squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.[28]
Controversies
Following the Afrin offensive in Northern Syria, which was carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces in January 2018, on 11 February, Ünder performed a military salute as a goal celebration after scoring in Roma's 5–2 home win over Benevento.[29][30] In October 2019, following the Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Ünder posted a picture of the aforementioned celebration on Twitter;[31] his controversial post drew criticism on social media from Roma fans.[32][33]
When Los Angeles FC signed Ünder in February 2025, a small LAFC supporters’ group identifying as Armenian threatened to boycott games in case of signing a Turkish player, expressing hostility toward players of Turkish nationality.[34]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 15 May 2026[35]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Altınordu | 2014–15 | TFF First League | 20 | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 5 | ||
| 2015–16 | TFF First League | 31 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 6 | |||
| Total | 51 | 11 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 58 | 11 | ||||
| Başakşehir | 2016–17 | Süper Lig | 32 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 4[b] | 0 | — | 43 | 9 | |
| Roma | 2017–18 | Serie A | 26 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 5[c] | 1 | — | 32 | 8 | |
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6[c] | 3 | — | 33 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3[b] | 0 | — | 23 | 3 | ||
| Total | 70 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 4 | — | 88 | 17 | |||
| Leicester City (loan) | 2020–21 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8[b] | 1 | — | 19 | 2 | |
| Marseille (loan) | 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 32 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 12[d] | 2 | — | 47 | 13 | |
| Marseille | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 37 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 6[c] | 0 | — | 46 | 5 | |
| Marseille total | 69 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 2 | — | 93 | 18 | |||
| Fenerbahçe | 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 24 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 9 |
| 2024–25 | Süper Lig | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2026–27 | Süper Lig | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fenerbahçe Total | 28 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 9 | ||
| Los Angeles FC (loan) | 2025 | MLS | 12 | 2 | — | 3[f] | 0 | 1[g] | 0 | 16 | 2 | |
| Beşiktaş (loan) | 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 26 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 297 | 62 | 33 | 4 | 58 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 389 | 73 | ||
- Includes Turkish Cup, Coppa Italia, FA Cup, Coupe de France
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- Five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League, seven appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in CONCACAF Champions Cup
- Appearance in FIFA Club World Cup play-in
International
- As of match played 12 September 2023[36]
- Three appearances in UEFA Euro 2020
- Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ünder goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 27 March 2017 | New Eskişehir Stadium, Eskişehir, Turkey |  Moldova | 3–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 11 June 2017 | Loro Boriçi Stadium, Shkodër, Albania |  Kosovo | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 13 November 2017 | New Antalya Stadium, Antalya, Turkey |  Albania | 1–2 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 4. | 27 March 2018 | Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica, Montenegro |  Montenegro | 1–0 | 2–2 | |
| 5. | 30 May 2019 | New Antalya Stadium, Antalya, Turkey |  Greece | 1–0 | 2–1 | |
| 6. | 8 June 2019 | Büyükşehir Stadium, Konya, Turkey |  France | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
| 7. | 11 November 2020 | Vodafone Park, Istanbul, Turkey |  Croatia | 3–3 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| 8. | 15 November 2020 | Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey |  Russia | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B |
| 9. | 3 June 2021 | Benteler-Arena, Paderborn, Germany | Moldova | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 10. | 1 September 2021 | Vodafone Park, Istanbul, Turkey | Montenegro | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11. | 7 September 2021 | Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands |  Netherlands | 1–6 | 1–6 | |
| 12. | 29 March 2022 | Büyükşehir Stadium, Konya, Turkey |  Italy | 1–0 | 2–3 | Friendly |
| 13. | 4 June 2022 | Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey |  Faroe Islands | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C |
| 14. | 22 September 2022 | Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey |  Luxembourg | 1–1 | 3–3 | |
| 15. | 16 November 2022 | Diyarbakır Stadium, Diyarbakır, Turkey |  Scotland | 2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 16. | 16 June 2023 | Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia |  Latvia | 2–1 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualification |
Honours
Leicester City
Individual
