Caner Erkin (Turkish pronunciation: [dʒaneɾ æɾˈcin], born 4 October 1988) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a left-back for TFF First League club Eyüpspor.
Erkin with Turkey in 2016
| |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1988-10-04) 4 October 1988 (age 35) | ||
| Place of birth | Balıkesir, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Eyüpspor | ||
| Number | 88 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2002–2004 | Manisaspor | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2007 | Manisaspor | 43 | (4) |
| 2007–2010 | CSKA Moscow | 36 | (2) |
| 2009–2010 | → Galatasaray (loan) | 29 | (4) |
| 2010–2016 | Fenerbahçe | 157 | (9) |
| 2016–2017 | Inter Milan | 0 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | → Beşiktaş (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2017–2020 | Beşiktaş | 79 | (4) |
| 2020–2021 | Fenerbahçe | 34 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Fatih Karagümrük | 41 | (1) |
| 2023 | İstanbul Başakşehir | 6 | (0) |
| 2023– | Eyüpspor | 26 | (8) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2004–2005 | Turkey U17 | 19 | (8) |
| 2005 | Turkey U18 | 3 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Turkey U19 | 7 | (4) |
| 2006–2012 | Turkey U21 | 14 | (1) |
| 2006–2021 | Turkey | 63 | (2) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16 November 2021 | |||
Erkin began his professional career at the start of the 2004–05 season with Manisaspor who at the time were playing in the Second Division. That season they won the league and got promoted to the Süper Lig. During his 1.5-year stay at Manisaspor in, he scored 5 goals in 39 games. In the January 2007 transfer window, he moved to CSKA Moscow, for a £3.5 million transfer fee.[citation needed] He has played a total of 40 games, 7 in the UEFA Champions League and also won the Russian Super Cup on two occasions. On 31 August 2009, Galatasaray signed Erkin on a one-year loan from CSKA Moscow with an option to purchase at the end of the season.
Erkin signed for Fenerbahçe in 2010. Starting out as a left winger, he was slowly transformed into a left-back. His performances with led to him being scouted by several prominent European clubs.
In 2014, he signed a new two-year contract.[1][2]
On 1 June 2016, Inter Milan announced the signing of Erkin, on a free transfer in a three-year deal starting on 1 July.[3][4] Erkin was the first summer transfer addition to the squad.[5] Under Roberto Mancini and new coach Frank de Boer, Erkin made seven appearances in pre-season friendlies. However, he did not make any competitive debut before leaving Inter on 30 August. Inter also ran out of players quota in 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, as the club was forced to reduce to 22-men squad (plus normal minimum requirement of homegrown and club-trained players) due to penalty of UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations, thus Caner was sacrificed for other signings. Domestically, Inter had one quota left (plus another for an Inter-trained player), but left vacant.
On 30 August 2016, Inter Milan announced that Erkin signed a one-year loan deal with Turkish club Beşiktaş.[6]
On 7 June 2017, Beşiktaş signed Erkin for €750,000 transfer fee.[7] On 23 August 2019, Erkin scored the second goal of 2019–20 Süper Lig Week 2 home encounter, from a cross of his gone in the net, against Göztepe S.K. which ended 3–0 in favour of Beşiktaş.[8] He was released at the end of the 2019–20 Süper Lig season.
On 6 August 2020, he signed a two-year deal until June 2022 with an option for an extra year.[9] After four years at Beşiktaş, the other side of Istanbul, he returned to Fenerbahçe. On 11 September, in his first game back against Çaykur Rizespor, he assisted Gökhan Gönül's header, who was a returnee like himself.
On 4 August 2021, Fenerbahçe announced that he would not be included in the club's squad for the upcoming season according to the team's manager Vitor Pereira's decision.[10]
On 6 September 2021, Fatih Karagümrük announced the signing of Erkin, as a free agent.[11]
On 28 January 2023, Erkin signed a 1.5-year contract with İstanbul Başakşehir.[12]
On 11 July 2023, Erkin joined Turkish Second Division side Eyüpspor, as a free agent.[13]
Erkin made his debut for the Turkey national football team at the age of 17 in a friendly match against Ghana in May 2006. His first goal was against Ukraine on 5 June 2012.
| Club | Season | League | Cup[a] | Europe[b] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Manisaspor | 2004–05 | TFF First League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | |
| 2005–06 | Süper Lig | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 17 | 2 | |||
| Total | 43 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 4 | ||
| CSKA Moscow | 2007 | Russian Premier League | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| 2008 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 2 | ||
| 2009 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Total | 33 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 48 | 3 | ||
| Galatasaray (loan) | 2009–10 | Süper Lig | 20 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 3 |
| Fenerbahçe | 2010–11 | Süper Lig | 22 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 1 |
| 2011–12 | 31 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 36 | 3 | |||
| 2012–13 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 53 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 3 | ||
| 2014–15 | 31 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | 36 | 4 | |||
| 2015–16 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 27 | 1 | ||
| Total | 157 | 9 | 25 | 4 | 29 | 3 | 211 | 16 | ||
| Inter Milan | 2016–17 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Beşiktaş (loan) | 2016–17 | Süper Lig | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Beşiktaş | 2017–18 | Süper Lig | 21 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
| 2018–19 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 39 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 4 | ||
| Total | 87 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 118 | 6 | ||
| Fenerbahçe | 2020–21 | Süper Lig | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Fatih Karagümrük | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 1 | |
| 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | ||
| Total | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 1 | ||
| İstanbul Başakşehir | 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | |
| Eyüpspor | 2023–24 | TFF First League | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 4 | |
| Career total | 418 | 24 | 57 | 9 | 63 | 4 | 538 | 37 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 2006 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2013 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2014 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 7 | 0 | |
| Total | 63 | 2 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 June 2012 | Audi Sportpark, Ingolstadt, Germany |  Ukraine |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 29 May 2014 | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C., United States |  Honduras |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
Fenerbahçe
CSKA Moscow
Beşiktaş
