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Turan aims to shine on the big stage

Istanbul - No other Turkish player comes close to the profile of Turan

Arda Turan, who rose from a tough upbringing in a working class Istanbul district to join Barcelona in the highest-profile move ever by a Turkish footballer, has to prove his international class at Euro 2016.
No other Turkish player comes close to the profile of Turan, who moved to Atletico Madrid in 2011 and became a pillar before moving on to Barcelona, a team he describes as one of the best in football history.
Despite his dream move all has not been plain sailing for Turan at Barca. He had to wait until 2016 for his debut due to a transfer ban and he has yet to secure a regular first team place amid rumours the team could sell him.
But Turan prides himself on overcoming adversity and nothing could set him apart more than spearheading a successful performance by Turkey in their first international competition in eight years. "I think it is a beautiful story right from the start," Turan said of his career in an article for the magazine of his old club Galatasaray this month.
"It's an example for young people who dream. Because this is a success story. It shows there is a way in a profession by starting right at the bottom and going to the top."
Turan, 29, was born in the Istanbul suburb of Bayrampasa in 1987, and his first matches were for the gritty western district's local team Altintepsi Makelspor.
After his move to Barcelona, the authorities in Bayrampasa announced that they had named the street where he grew up "Arda Turan Street" in his honour.
He was snapped up in 2005 by Istanbul giants Galatasaray, a club to whom he retains an intense loyalty.
Then came Atletico Madrid, where he was a huge favourite with fans and won La Liga in 2013-2014 under Diego Simeone, before his sensational transfer to Barca in 2015.
Turan stands out as the most gifted Turkish player of his generation.
Despite his time in Spain, Turan makes no secret of his patriotism and pride in pulling on the red jersey with the white star and crescent moon.
When Turkey qualified for the Euro with a dramatic victory against Iceland in January, images went viral on the Internet of the Turkish hardman, scratched and bloodied after the game, weeping uncontrolled tears of joy.
Despite living abroad he is rarely out of the Turkish media, with fans glued to his games and as an inescapable presence in advertisements for endorsing products.