Cenk Özkacar Explained

Cenk Özkacar
Fullname:Cenk Özkacar
Birth Date:6 October 2000
Birth Place:İzmir, Turkey
Height:1.87 m[1]
Position:Defender
Currentclub:Valencia
Clubnumber:15
Youthyears1:2011–2013
Youthclubs1:Bucaspor
Youthyears2:2013–2014
Youthclubs2:Altinordu
Youthyears3:2014–2018
Youthclubs3:Altay
Years1:2018–2020
Clubs1:Altay
Caps1:12
Goals1:0
Years2:2018–2019
Clubs2:Karacabey Belediyespor (loan)
Caps2:23
Goals2:1
Years3:2020–2021
Clubs3:Lyon B
Caps3:2
Goals3:0
Years4:2020–2023
Clubs4:Lyon
Caps4:0
Goals4:0
Years5:2021–2022
Clubs5:OH Leuven (loan)
Caps5:32
Goals5:2
Years6:2022–2023
Clubs6:Valencia (loan)
Caps6:17
Goals6:0
Years7:2023–
Clubs7:Valencia
Caps7:23
Goals7:0
Nationalyears1:2019–
Nationalteam1:Turkey U21
Nationalcaps1:6
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2022–
Nationalteam2:Turkey
Nationalcaps2:9
Nationalgoals2:0
Club-Update:22:50, 26 May 2024 (UTC)
Nationalteam-Update:4 June 2024

Cenk Özkacar (born 6 October 2000) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a defender for La Liga club Valencia and the Turkey national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a left-back.

Club career

Early years in Turkey

Born in İzmir, Özkacar spent his youth career at local teams Bucaspor, Altinordu and Altay.[2] He made his professional debut in 2018, while on loan at Karacabey Belediyespor, before returning to Altay the following year.[2]

Lyon

On 18 August 2020, Özkacar joined Ligue 1 club Lyon on a five-year deal.[3] On 21 April 2021, he made his debut for Lyon as a late substitute for Léo Dubois during a 2–0 loss to Monaco in the Coupe de France.[4]

Loan to Leuven

On 6 July 2021, Belgian First Division A team OH Leuven presented Özkacar as new player, on loan from Lyon for one season.[5]

Loan to Valencia

In August 2022, Özkacar signed on loan for La Liga side Valencia.[6]

Valencia

On 1 July 2023, Valencia exercised their buy-option in the loan contract, signing Özkacar permanently. However, Özkacar scored an own-goal in a 1-0 loss against Deportivo Alaves,[7] and only started 35% of matches in La Liga by January 15 2024, leading some media outlets to report he was seeking a move away in order to make it in Turkey's Euro 2024 squad.[8]

International career

Özkacar has been capped six time by the Turkey U21s.[2]

He had his first cap with the Turkey senior national team on 8 June 2022, getting subbed on in the UEFA Nations League match against Lithuania, replacing Ozan Kabak in the 76th minute. He managed to help his team keeping the clean sheet and ended up winning 6–0.[9]

Career statistics

Club

Club!rowspan="2"
SeasonLeagueCupOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Karacabey Belediyespor (loan)2018–19TFF Third League2111020241
Altay2019–20TFF First League12040160
Lyon2020–21Ligue 1001010
Lyon B2020–21Championnat National 22020
OH Leuven (loan)2021–22Belgian Pro League32220332
Valencia (loan)2022–23La Liga1703010210
Valencia2023–2423020250
Total4005010460
Career total1073130301223

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
Turkey202230
202340
202420
Total90

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cenk Özkacar . LaLiga Santander . 13 October 2022.
  2. Web site: Cenk Özkaçar Profile @ TFF.org. 13 September 2023. Turkish Football Federation. Turkish.
  3. Web site: Cenk Özkaçar joins OL through 2025. Olympique Lyonnais. 18 August 2020. 5 October 2020.
  4. Web site: Cenk Özkaçar Lyon'da ilk maçına çıktı. 22 April 2021. Ajansspor. Turkish.
  5. Web site: OH Leuven huurt Turkse jeugdinternational van Olympique Lyon. OH Leuven loans Turkish youth international from Olympique Lyon. Oud-Heverlee Leuven. nl. 6 July 2021. 7 July 2021.
  6. Web site: 23 August 2022 . Ozkacar ya está en Valencia: Cuarto fichaje y cero euros de gasto . Marca . Spanish.
  7. Web site: 2024-01-19 . Valencia coach Baraja makes appeal to fans after Alaves defeat - Tribal Football . 2024-01-20 . www.tribalfootball.com.
  8. Web site: 2024-01-11 . Valencia defender Cenk Özkacar rejects interest from Turkey - Get Spanish Football News . 2024-01-20 . getfootballnewsspain.com . en-US.
  9. Web site: Cenk Özkaçar Lyon'da ilk maçına çıktı. 8 June 2022. Turkish Football Federation. Turkish.