İsmail Yüksek
Turkish footballer (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
İsmail Yüksek (born 26 January 1999) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe and the Turkey national team.
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Yüksek playing for Fenerbahçe in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 26 January 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | İznik, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Fenerbahçe | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2011–2012 | Bursaspor | ||
| 2012–2015 | Bursa Merinosspor | ||
| 2015–2016 | Yeşil Bursa | ||
| 2016–2017 | Yıldırım Belediyespor | ||
| 2017–2018 | Bursa Yıldırımspor | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2018–2020 | Gölcükspor | 49 | (9) |
| 2020– | Fenerbahçe | 101 | (1) |
| 2020–2021 | → Balıkesirspor (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2021 | → Adana Demirspor (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | → Bursaspor (loan) | 29 | (3) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022– | Turkey | 34 | (1) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 August 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 15 August 2026 | |||
Club career
Youth and Gölcükspor
Yüksek began his youth career with hometown club Bursaspor and also played in youth level with Bursa Merinosspor, Yeşil Bursa, Yıldırım Belediyespor and Bursa Yıldırımspor. He started his professional career with Gölcükspor and played two successful season with them.
Fenerbahçe
Yüksek signed a five-year contract with Fenerbahçe on 2 May 2020.
Loans
On 5 October 2020, Yüksek joined Balıkesirspor on loan.
He returned to Fenerbahçe on 12 January 2021.[2] Yüksek made his professional debut with Fenerbahçe in a 3–1 Süper Lig win over MKE Ankaragücü on 18 January 2021.[3]
On 1 February 2021, he joined Adana Demirspor on loan in the TFF First League for the second half of the 2020–21 season.[4]
2022–23 season
After return to Fenerbahçe, Yüksek made a very strong start to the 2022–23 season with coach Jorge Jesus, made good use of his first 11 chances and called to the national team.[6][7] On 6 October, he was selected man of the match by supporters votes for his performance in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League Group B third week AEK Larnaca match.[8]
On 20 January 2023, Fenerbahçe announced to sign new contract with him until May 2027.[9]
2023–24 season
In his second season as a starter in the team, he made his top performance with new coach and team's local legend İsmail Kartal, he consolidate his place with Fenerbahçe and international team.[10] He changed his shirt number from 80 to 5.[11]
2024–25 season
On 20 December 2024, he made his 100th appearances in all competitions for Fenerbahçe against Eyüpspor in a 1-1 Süper Lig away tie.[12]
On 28 March 2025, he extended his contract with Fenerbahçe until May 2028.[13]
2025–26 season
On 2 November 2025, he scored his first league goal for Fenerbahçe against Beşiktaş in a 2-3 Süper Lig away derby victory.[14]
International career
Without any youth international experience, Yüksek made his international debut against Luxembourg on 22 September 2022, coming on as an 81st minute substitute and he scored his first goal six minutes later. He wasn't selected to the Turkey youth national teams and directly played for senior level.[15]
On 12 October 2023, he has become the first player to record 15+ duels and 10+ possessions won in a single Euro 2024 qualifier game, winning 16 duels and recovering 12 possessions against Croatia.[16][17]
On 2 June 2026, Yüksek was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[18]
Style of play
Yüksek is an all-round, box-to-box midfielder. He is known for his vision, technique, aggressive tackling, athletic attributes, stamina, and powerful, accurate long range shooting with his right foot. A versatile hard-working player, he is capable of playing center and defensive midfield roles, while adapting himself to several different formations, but usually operated in the centre of the pitch.[19]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 15 August 2026
| Club | Season | League | Turkish Cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gölcükspor | 2018–19 | TFF Third League | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | TFF Third League | 27 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 8 | |||
| Total | 49 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 9 | ||
| Fenerbahçe | 2020–21 | Süper Lig | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 19 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9[a] | 1 | — | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | Süper Lig | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14[b] | 1 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 1 | |
| 2024–25 | Süper Lig | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9[c] | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2025–26 | Süper Lig | 30 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 10[d] | 1 | 2[e] | 0 | 47 | 2 | |
| 2026–27 | Süper Lig | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[f] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 101 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 44 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 160 | 4 | ||
| Balıkesirspor (loan) | 2020–21 | TFF First League | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||
| Adana Demirspor (loan) | 2020–21 | TFF First League | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| Bursaspor (loan) | 2021–22 | TFF First League | 29 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 197 | 14 | 16 | 0 | 44 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 259 | 17 | ||
- Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, seven appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in UEFA Conference League
- Three appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League
- Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, eight appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
- Appearances in Turkish Super Cup
- Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
International
- As of match played 19 June 2026[20]
- Three appearances in UEFA Euro 2024
- Two appearances in 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Scores and results show Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Yüksek goal.[20]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 September 2022 | Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey |  Luxembourg | 3–3 | 3–3 | 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C |