Anatolian club players who have played for major clubs

Many star names who have made a name for themselves in world football are also playing outside the 'Big Four' of the Süper Lig.

Here are the world stars who have played in Anatolia...

JONJO SHELVEY (ÇAYKUR RİZESPOR)

Jonjo Shelvey has one of the biggest careers among those playing in the Süper Lig. The 31-year-old English star began his football career in the Charlton Athletic youth academy. Shelvey then managed to transfer to Liverpool in 2010. Not finding many opportunities to play at Liverpool, Shelvey later transferred to Swansea City. However, the successful footballer managed to make the biggest leap in his career at Newcastle United. After 7 seasons with the English team and a short stint at Nottingham Forest, the star footballer transferred to Süper Lig side Çaykur Rizespor in the summer of 2023. Shelvey, one of the most important pieces in the center of the team, has appeared in 20 matches with the Rizespor jersey.

LUIS NANI (ADANA DEMİRSPOR)

Luis Nani stands out as another major career playing in the Süper Lig. Starting his career in the Sporting Lisbon youth academy, Nani transferred to Manchester United in 2007 for 25 million euros. The Portuguese attacking player, who managed to adapt to the English team in a short time, became one of the most important names in the 4-4-2 formation preferred by Sir Alex Ferguson. Nani, who experienced 1 Champions League and 4 English league championships with the English giant, crossed paths with Turkey in 2015. After transferring to Fenerbahçe and spending 1 year in Turkey, Nani transferred to Valencia. The star, who could not find what he was looking for in Spain, later transferred to the Italian team Lazio. The 37-year-old left winger is currently playing for Adana Demirspor.

Nani has played for 730 minutes in the 21 matches he played for the Adana team.

MARIO BALOTELLI (ADANA DEMİRSPOR)

Another star of our league is playing for Adana Demirspor. In his career, Balotelli has played for Europe's leading clubs such as Inter, Milan, Manchester City, Nice, Liverpool, and Marseille. He also managed to appear in many tournaments with the Italian National Team. However, after a certain point, the Italian striker came to the agenda more with the scandals in his private life than the football he played. Balotelli, who moved away from top-level football due to the disciplinary problems he experienced, transferred to Adana Demirspor in 2022. Balotelli, who performed quite effectively in his first period with the Adana team and became a fan favorite, later transferred to the Swiss team Sion. After a 1-year break, Balotelli transferred back to Adana Demirspor.

REY MANAJ (SİVASSPOR)

Rey Manaj, who has shown a remarkable performance with the Sivasspor jersey this season and carries the team's goal-scoring burden, is also one of the footballers with a significant career in the Süper Lig. The Italian giant Inter loaned the Albanian footballer for one season in 2015. Although Inter bought Manaj's registration the following season, the player was only able to play in 6 matches for the Italian team.

After his short Inter career, Manaj transferred to the Catalan giant Barcelona in 2020. However, the Albanian footballer never found the chance to play at Barcelona.

AHMED MUSA (SİVASSPOR)

Ahmed Musa, who wears the Sivasspor jersey, stands out as one of the important footballers of our league. Although he has not found much chance to play for the Sivas team this season, he is one of the footballers with a significant career. Ahmed Musa, whose market value once reached 18 million euros, has worn the jerseys of teams such as CSKA Moscow and then the English Premier League team Leicester City.

Musa, who played 164 matches with the CSKA Moscow jersey and scored 61 goals and provided 33 assists in these matches, transferred to England with this performance. Ahmed Musa, who played 33 matches with the Leicester City jersey, struggled to show the expected performance in the English team.

The 31-year-old Nigerian forward's first stop in Turkey was Fatih Karagümrük. After his Karagümrük period, he transferred to another Süper Lig team, Sivasspor.

MAX GRADEL (GAZİANTEP FK)

One of the important stars of our league is the Ivorian left winger Max Gradel, who transferred from Sivasspor to Gaziantep FK at the beginning of this season. In his career, he has played for teams such as Leicester City, Saint-Étienne, and FC Toulouse. The attacking player had made a name for himself, especially with the performance he displayed in France.

Gradel, who transferred from Toulouse to Sivasspor in the 2020-21 season, managed to play effective matches in the league and European Cups with the Sivas team. Gradel, who draws attention with his athleticism and ball technique, managed to contribute to the team with his experience, even though he lost his athletic features as he aged. Gradel had experienced a Turkish Cup championship with the Sivasspor jersey.

LAZAR MARKOVIC (GAZİANTEP FK)

Another footballer on our list is Gaziantep FK's attacking player Lazar Markovic. Lazar Markovic, who was on the radar of big teams with the performance he showed especially in lower age categories and was seen as one of the greatest talents of the future, transferred from Partizan, where he grew up in the youth academy, to the Portuguese team Benfica. Markovic, who transferred to Liverpool for 25 million euros after 1 season at Benfica, could not show the expected performance in England. Markovic, who played on loan for Fenerbahçe, Sporting, Hull City, and Anderlecht teams respectively, could not show a consistent performance in any of these clubs. The Serbian footballer, who fell far from top-level football, especially due to the injuries he experienced in the hamstring region, has been wearing the Gaziantep FK jersey, one of the Süper Lig teams, since the 2022-23 season.

NICOLAS N’KOULOU (GAZİANTEP FK)

Gaziantep FK's successful stopper Nicolas N’Kouluo is also one of the footballers with a bright career. The 33-year-old Cameroonian stopper spent the majority of his career in France. N’Kouluo played for France's leading clubs such as Monaco, Marseille, and Olympique Lyon. The defensive player, who had a short Torino period after his France career, had transferred to the Gaziantep team at the beginning of last season.

PAPY DJILOBODJI (GAZİANTEP FK)

Another defensive player of Gaziantep FK, Papy Djilobodji, has also played for teams such as Chelsea and Werder Bremen. Djilobodji, who transferred from Nantes to Chelsea in 2015, was only able to play in 1 match for the English team. Djilobodji, who transferred to one of Germany's deep-rooted teams, Werder Bremen, in 2016, played in 16 official matches in the one season he spent with the German team.

STEVEN NZONZI (KONYASPOR)

The last footballer on our list of footballers who play for Anatolian teams and have played for major clubs in the past is Konyaspor's midfielder Steven Nzonzi. Nzonzi has worn the jerseys of teams such as Roma and Sevilla in his career. The French midfielder, who experienced a UEFA Europa League championship with the Sevilla jersey, also wore the Galatasaray jersey in our country in the 2019-20 season. Nzonzi has played in 19 league matches with the Konyaspor jersey this season.

Nzonzi also took part in the extended squad of the France National Team at the 2018 World Cup held in Russia and experienced a World Cup victory.