Guler (Real Madrid, born February 2005), Yildiz (Juventus, born May 2005) and Uzun (Eintracht Frankfurt, born November 2005) make up this unique generational trio.
For three Turkish players from the same year to be playing at the highest European level at the same time and all called up for a World Cup is a rarity verging on the miraculous for a national team that had waited 24 years to return to the world’s biggest stage.
Arda Guler: Real Madrid’s wonderkid
In just two years, Guler has become the most recognisable face of his generation. Born on 25 February 2005 in Ankara, he signed for Real Madrid in the summer of 2023 for around twenty million euros (£17.2m) from Fenerbahce, in a deal that several other European giants - Barcelona, Arsenal and Dortmund - had also pursued.
His 2025/26 season at the Bernabeu has been the best of his career. In 51 appearances in all competitions, he scored 6 goals and provided 12 assists.
In La Liga, he established himself as the team’s top assist provider, ahead of Federico Valverde and Brahim Diaz. He was also named the 2025/26 Champions League Breakthrough Player of the Season.
Carlo Ancelotti was one of his earliest supporters. After a standout performance against Leganés in his first season in Spain, the Madrid coach said in a press conference: "Arda Güler has shown his potential, his excellent ball control. He reads the game brilliantly and I’m pleased with his impact."
A few weeks later, he went even further.
"Arda Güler has made enormous progress. He’s showing his quality and becoming more consistent.
"I believe he can become an exceptional midfielder, because there are very few at his level. He will be very important for the future of Real Madrid."
These words echoed the promise Ancelotti had made to him during a FaceTime call that convinced the player to join the club. Guler recounted in The Players’ Tribune that Ancelotti told him he would have "a great future" in Madrid, and that one day he could fill the midfield role left vacant by Modric and Kroos.
"The Guler of September is no longer the same as today. His physical profile has changed, but his quality remains. I see him much improved, under less pressure this season," the coach later admitted.
Kenan Yildiz, the hero of Turin
Kenan Yildiz’s journey at Juventus this season says a lot about his character.
Born on 4 May 2005 in Regensburg, Germany, to a Turkish father and German mother, he chose the red and white shirt over the Mannschaft.
Top scorer for Juventus this season with 11 goals in all competitions, he carried a team in turmoil, dealing with a mid-season managerial change and European disappointment.
He started the campaign in style, being named Serie A Player of the Month in August, thanks in part to two assists in the opening match against Parma, before scoring a goal and providing an assist in the Champions League against Dortmund.
The rest of the season was less straightforward. With the arrival of Thiago Motta and then his dismissal, Yildiz experienced spells out of the side and rumours of dressing room friction.
Motta himself denied these tensions in the Italian press.
"He doesn’t just have great talent, but also a champion’s mentality that he’s had since a young age. His determination and desire to improve are his greatest strengths.
"It’s rare to find such a mentality and work ethic in someone so young. Combined with his technical qualities, they make him a fantastic player."
Under Luciano Spalletti, who took charge mid-season, Yildiz rediscovered his best form.
His profile complements Guler’s: while the Madrid man is an attacking midfielder who creates through the middle, Yildiz combines smooth technique with impressive physical power, always ready to spark something on the wing.
He can play on the left, centrally, as a number 10, and this versatility is invaluable for Montella.
Can Uzun, the third man
He is the least well-known of the three, the most low-key in the media, but arguably the most tactically interesting. Can Uzun, also born in 2005 in Regensburg, came up through German academies.
Both his parents are Turkish, and when the DFB and the Turkish Federation fought for his allegiance in spring 2024, his decision didn’t take long.
"I listened to my heart. Such a decision isn’t a career move like changing clubs, it’s something that comes from the heart," he told Sky Germany.
"You have to feel the national shirt, and my heart and instincts told me that Turkey was the right choice for me."
This choice came with frustration after being left out of the squad for Euro 2024 despite a season with 19 goals and 4 assists in 32 matches for Nuremberg.
"I came here with different expectations. I chose Turkey with all my heart and I really wanted to play my first major tournament for my country.
"Not being part of the team after a strong season and good performances was deeply disappointing. I don’t understand the decision, but I respect it."
His main goal then became the 2026 World Cup. He kept his word.
At Eintracht Frankfurt this season, he established himself as the club’s second top scorer with 10 goals and 6 assists in all competitions, including two goals in the Champions League.
Very comfortable in the left half-space, as a number 10 or 8, he combines sharp football intelligence, incisive movement and precise short passing, and is never shy of shooting from distance.
He is the only one of the three who can truly break forward towards goal like a second striker, making him a key option in Montella’s 4-2-3-1.
What this generation really represents
Under Vincenzo Montella, the divisions that used to plague the Turkish dressing room have completely disappeared. The Italian coach has managed to build a united group around his young talents, with Calhanoglu as the experienced conductor to ensure they are not left alone under pressure.
Turkey approach this World Cup with a fluid 4-2-3-1, without a true fixed number 9, based on possession, positional play and the freedom given to a young, mobile attacking quartet.
This is both the strength and the limitation of this squad: a team built on movement, combinations and touches, but one that will have to prove it can dig deep and kill off games when things aren’t going their way.
Australia on 14 June in Vancouver, Paraguay on the 20th in San Francisco, United States on the 26th in Los Angeles: Group D looks manageable on paper, but nothing is guaranteed.
If Guler, Yildiz and Uzun can reproduce on the world stage what they have shown this season for their clubs, Turkey could not only get out of the group stage but achieve something even greater.