ANKARA
One of the most talented players in Turkish football in recent years, Arda Turan was signed by Spanish club Barcelona for 34 million euros ($37.1 million) on Monday night.
Born in Istanbul, Turan started playing football in Bayrampasa district. When he was only 12, he joined Galatasaray in 2000 where he stood out. In the 2004/05 season, Turan was promoted to the first team.
Although he had only two appearances in this first season, Arda Turan won the Turkish Cup before joining Manisaspor, a team in western Turkey, on loan.
He made his debut for the Turkish national team in August 2006. Turan played for Turkey for the first time against Luxembourg in a friendly match that Turkey won 1-0.
In the 2006/07 season, Turan became one of Galatasaray's most essential players. He claimed his first Super League title in 2008. In the beginning of the 2009/10 season, Arda Turan was given the captaincy at the age of 22. That season, he scored 11 goals and had 26 assists in 47 matches.
After the 2010/11 season, when Galatasaray finished a lowly eighth seed, he left Istanbul. Spanish club Atletico Madrid scooped him up for 12 million euros ($13.1 million) in August 2011. The 24-year-old scored 44 goals and made 76 assists in 190 matches for Galatasaray.
In his first season in Atletico Madrid, Turan won the Europa League and the UEFA Super Cup. In 2013, the Turkish star witnessed his club's first Copa del Rey (Spanish King's Cup) title win in 17 years.
Atletico's number 10 played an important role for his team's league title victory in the 2013/14 season. That same season, Atletico Madrid qualified for the Champions League final for the first time in 40 years.
Turkish star Arda Turan scored 22 goals and had 32 assists in 177 matches in his four-year spell at Atletico Madrid.
With a transfer fee at 34 million euros, Barcelona's new signing becomes the most valuable Turkish player in history.
