It was during the turn of the century that international football in Turkey enjoyed its finest hour. Inspired by legendary figures such as all-time leading goalscorer Hakan ?ükür and record appearance holder Rü?tü Reçber, the side reached the semi-finals of both the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA EURO 2008. It was under the management of ?enol Güne? that Turkey enjoyed their most-successful World Cup, and the veteran coach is back for a second spell having returned as manager in February 2019.

Turkey first appeared at the finals of EURO back in 1996, but lost all three group games and fail to register a single goal in a disappointing display. Manager Fatih Terim was replaced by Mustafa Denizli, and the side subsequently reached the quarter-finals of the 2000 edition of the competition, exiting the tournament with a 2-0 defeat to Portugal.

An important player in a rejuvenated AC Milan side this season, Çalhano?lu heads towards EURO in fine form and in the prime stage of his career. Born in Mannheim in Germany, Çalhano?lu represented Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga before making the switch to Italy with AC Milan in the summer of 2017, and has made over 100 appearances for the club since he arrived at the San Siro.

Turkey has only managed to play the European Championship in four different occasions (1996, 2000, 2008 and in 2016). The beigest achievement for Turkish team came in 2008 when the team managed to reach to Semi Finals.