Mert Hakan Yandaş
Turkish footballer (born 1994)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mert Hakan Yandaş (born 19 August 1994) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe.
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Yandaş with Fenerbahçe in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mert Hakan Yandaş | ||
| Date of birth | 19 August 1994 | ||
| Place of birth | Osmangazi, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Positions | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Fenerbahçe | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2011 | Bursa Güven | ||
| 2011–2012 | Yeşil Bursa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2013 | Yeşil Bursa | 17 | (1) |
| 2013–2015 | Altınordu | 4 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | → Tirespor 1922 (loan) | 25 | (13) |
| 2015–2016 | Tirespor 1922 | 34 | (21) |
| 2016–2017 | Menemen Belediyespor | 35 | (12) |
| 2017–2020 | Sivasspor | 63 | (7) |
| 2020– | Fenerbahçe | 102 | (6) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2020 | Turkey | 1 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 28 March 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 3 September 2020 | |||
Professional career
Early career
Born in Bursa, he lost his father when he was only 9 years old. His father was also an amateur football player and in an interview, he said that he grew up in a family that loved football and that he promised his father to be a football player when he was little.[2]
He spent part of his youth in Bursa Güven and Yeşil Bursa and his first season as a senior in amateur football.[3] Mert Hakan made his first professional contract with Altınordu.
In the 2014–15 season, he loaned to Tire 1922. He made a very strong start with new coach Taha Evke in there and became one of the key players who took more responsibility on the field,[3] scored 13 goals in 25 TFF Third League matches. He signed with them a permanent contract for the 2015–16 season, where has been top goalscorer with 21 goals (in 34 matches) in 2015–16 TFF Third League season.[2]
In the 2016–17 season, he transferred to TFF Second League side Menemen Belediyespor where he played with Serkan Çalık, Erman Kılıç, Gökhan Ünal and İbrahim Dağaşan.[3]
Sivasspor
Mert Hakan Yandaş joined Süper Lig side Sivasspor on 14 July 2017, after a couple successful seasons[3] in the lower Turkish leagues with Tirespor 1922 and Menemen Belediyespor.[4]
He made his professional debut for Sivasspor in a 2–0 Süper Lig win over Yeni Malatyaspor on 19 August 2017.[5] On 21 September 2017, he scored his first goal with the team against Bugsaşspor in a 3–0 win Turkish Cup match.
Fenerbahçe
On 11 August 2020, he transferred to Süper Lig powerhouse Fenerbahçe on a free transfer, signed four years deal.[6] On 21 September 2020, he made his debut in a 0–0 tie against Hatayspor in 2020–21 Süper Lig season. On 21 November 2020, he scored his first goal against Gençlerbirliği in Süper Lig match, netting the first goal in a 5–1 away game victory.
In the 2021–22 season, he became vice-captain of the team after Altay Bayındır and Mesut Özil.[7]
On 16 September 2021, he made his continental debut in his career against Eintracht Frankfurt in UEFA Europa League away game which finished 1–1.[8] On 4 November 2021, he captained first time of the team in UEFA Europa League match, 3–0 win against Royal Antwerp and also scored a goal from outside the box.[7]
On 23 August 2023, he made his 100th appearances in all competitions for Fenerbahçe against Twente in 5–1 UEFA Europa Conference League play-off round victory.[9] On 21 June 2024, Fenerbahçe extended his contract for two years.[10] On 16 February 2025, he made his 100th Süper Lig appearances for Fenerbahçe against Kasımpaşa in a 3–1 home win.[11][12]
Betting investigation
As part of an investigation conducted by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office and known to the public as the “Football Betting Investigations”, he was detained on 5 December 2025, after it was determined that he had placed bets on legal betting sites through another person.[14][15] On 27 February, an indictment has been prepared against him, seeking a prison sentence ranging from 4 to 13 years.[16] On 3 April, the court issued a release order for him.[17]
International career
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Without any youth international experience, Yandaş made his debut with the Turkey national football team in a 1-0 UEFA Nations League loss to Hungary on 3 September 2020.[18]
Playing style
Yandaş is a modern midfielder known for his strong passing and shots from outside the box. He is known for his good technique. He plays mainly as an attacking or a central midfielder but can also operate in several other positions and has been used as a deeper creative midfield position and on occasion, a box-to-box role, winger or second striker.[3] He is often described by pundits as modern day advanced playmakers due to his technique, skill, athleticism, work-rate off the ball, vision, crossing accuracy, wide range of passing, and powerful long-range shooting ability with either foot.[19]
His nickname is Commandante to his combative nature and dominance on the field.[20]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 28 March 2025.
| Club | Season | League | Turkish Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Yeşil Bursa | 2012–13 | TFF Third League | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| Altınordu | 2013–14 | TFF Second League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||
| Tire 1922 (loan) | 2014–15 | TFF Third League | 25 | 13 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 14 | ||
| Tire 1922 | 2015–16 | TFF Third League | 34[a] | 21 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 21 | ||
| Total | 59 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 35 | ||
| Menemen Belediyespor | 2016–17 | TFF Second League | 35[b] | 12 | 7 | 4 | — | — | 42 | 16 | ||
| Sivasspor | 2017–18 | Süper Lig | 22 | 1 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 26 | 3 | ||
| 2018–19 | Süper Lig | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1[c] | 1 | 10 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | Süper Lig | 32 | 6 | 5 | 4 | — | — | 37 | 10 | |||
| Total | 63 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 73 | 14 | ||
| Fenerbahçe | 2020–21 | Süper Lig | 34 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 24 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7[d] | 2 | — | 33 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 15 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4[e] | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 16 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8[f] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 3 | |
| 2024–25 | Süper Lig | 13 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11[g] | 0 | — | 27 | 1 | ||
| 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 102 | 6 | 17 | 2 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 149 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 280 | 60 | 36 | 13 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 347 | 76 | ||
- Two appearances in TFF 3. Lig Play-offs
- Two appearances and two goals in TFF 2. Lig Play-offs
- Five appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League, two appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa Conference League
- Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Conference League
- Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances in UEFA Europa League
International
- As of match played 3 September 2020.[21]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | |||
| 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
