Cengiz Ünder Turkish Footballer From Sındırgı

Early life

Cengiz Ünder was born on 14 July 1997 in Sındırgı, Turkey. He began his professional career at Altınordu in 2014 and also played for Turkey's under-19 side during the 2015–16 season.

Career

Ünder moved from Altınordu to İstanbul Başakşehir in 2016 for a reported 700,000 euros. In his first Süper Lig season he scored seven goals in 32 matches and was named in the league's Team of the Season for 2016–17.

On 16 July 2017 he joined Roma in Serie A for a fee of 13.4 million euros. He scored his first Roma goal on 4 February 2018 in a 1–0 win over Hellas Verona. Later that month he scored on his Champions League debut, the opening goal of a 2–1 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk, which made him the youngest Turkish player to score in the competition. In his first season in Rome he recorded seven goals and one assist in 26 league games, plus one goal in five Champions League matches. In October 2018 he scored and set up a goal in a 5–0 Champions League win over Viktoria Plzeň, and in the quarter-final against Barcelona he assisted Kostas Manolas's header in a 3–0 win that took Roma to the semi-finals for the first time since 1984. He was named Turkish Footballer of the Year for 2018.

In September 2020 Ünder joined Leicester City in the Premier League on a season-long loan. He came on as a substitute on his debut against West Ham United, and on 25 October he set up Jamie Vardy's winner in a 1–0 victory at Arsenal, which ended a 47-year wait for an away win there. He scored his first Leicester goal on 10 December in a 2–0 Europa League win over AEK Athens, and Leicester won the FA Cup in 2020–21.

In July 2021 he moved to Marseille on loan with an option to buy at 9 million euros, making his debut on 8 August in a 3–2 win over Montpellier. Marseille signed him permanently from Roma on 6 April 2022 on a five-year deal.

He returned to Turkey on 13 August 2023, signing a four-year contract with Fenerbahçe for a reported 15 million euros. He scored his first goal for the club against Kayserispor in a 4–3 win on 20 December 2023, and on 7 January 2024 he scored four times in a 5–1 win over Istanbulspor. In February 2025 he joined Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer on loan, assisting on his debut in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match and scoring his first goal for the club on 29 March in a 3–2 loss to San Diego FC. On 8 September 2025 he went on a season-long loan to Beşiktaş and scored the winning goal on his debut, a 2–1 home win over his former club Başakşehir. On 28 August 2026 he signed a one-year deal with newly promoted Çorum.

For Turkey, Ünder played at under-18 and under-19 level and was called up to the under-21 team. He received his first senior call-up in November 2016 for a match against Kosovo, and scored his first international goal in his second appearance, a friendly win over Moldova in March 2017. On 14 May 2021 he was named in Turkey's 26-man squad for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020.

Recognition

Ünder won the FA Cup with Leicester City in 2020–21. His individual honours are a place in the Süper Lig Team of the Season for 2016–17 and the title of Turkish Footballer of the Year for 2018.