One year after his retirement, a former Barcelona star has changed drastically. After two years with his final club Galatasaray, the 36-year-old retired from the sport.
On Sunday, a photo of the winger went viral on social media. They were wearing an off-white Nike trainer, black shorts, and a teal top in the photo. They had a full beard and a cap that was dark blue.
The 100-cap Turkey international began his career with Galatasaray and spent nine years playing in La Liga. He played for Atletico Madrid for the first four years of his time in Spain, appearing 178 times at the Vicente Calderón Stadium, before signing a £35 million (£29 million initial fee) transfer to Barcelona.
The star did not play a single minute of the 2017–18 season, however, and as a result, he lost favor at Camp Nou, which is currently undergoing renovations. The final two years of his Barcelona contract were spent on loan with Istanbul Basaksehir in Turkey.
Then, after an emotional trip back to Galatasaray, he remained there until his retirement.
Arda Turan can be identified as the enigma player.
Former FC Barcelona player Arda Turan turned 36. 🎈 pic.twitter.com/rhSmeokHOX
— Managing Barça (@ManagingBarca) July 16, 2023
In his career, Turan won two La Liga championships, three Copa del Rey crowns, and twice the Turkish Superliga. In addition to finishing second in the Champions League in 2013/14, he also won the Europa League and Uefa Super Cup.
Turan is Turkey’s fifth-most-capped player and assisted his country in finishing third at the 2008 European Championships on the international stage. Turan now oversees Eyupspor in Turkey’s second division after retiring.
Online fans responded to the image by expressing surprise that it was actually him.
Even my grandpa looks younger, one fan jokingly said.
The second person said, “I thought that was Jurgen Klopp.”
A third person remarked, “He looks like 45.”
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