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Cenk Tosun by Steindy (talk) –

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Cenk Tosun

Cenk Tosun is a Turkish international footballer. Currently playing at Besiktas football club in Turkey’s Super Lig, Tosun’s fame peaked when he joined Everton FC in England.

Tosun is also a regular for Turkey’s national football team. He plays primarily as a striker and is what can be categorized in the modern game as a ‘traditional number 9’.

Tosun made a big money move to English premier league club Everton in 2018 for £27 million. In what was considered a genius move for both club and player, it is safe to say it was not. His time at Everton was as disappointing as it was frustrating.

Below are some interesting facts about the Turk footballer, Cenk Tosun.

1. Introduced to Football at A Very Young Age

Children play football by PIRO from

Cenk was born on 7th June 1991 in Wetzlar Germany to Senol (father) and Selma (mother) Tosun. Tosun’s father, Senol, was an aspiring professional footballer. However, he had to put away his boots due to a lack of financial support.

Instead, he opted to find a stable job to provide for his family as well as his brother. However, he did promise himself to raise his unborn son just like a professional footballer. As they say, those who can’t raise their children to.

Senol got his son interested in football as early as 3 years of age. At this point, he enrolled in a local youth team, SV 07Raunheim. Tosun remained here for 3 years before joining Eintracht Frankfurt’s youth system.

2. Trained with His Father

In addition to joining a local football club and later the Frankfurt youth system, Tosun trained with his father. His father, despite having to quit football early was a decent athlete and had experience in the trade.

He got Tosun tapes of former Argentine footballer Gabriel Batistuta. The tapes were meant to pin Tosun to his destiny as well as teach and show how to play as a striker. Other than tapes, Tosun also trained personally with his father.

His father’s sternness and strictness are part of the reason why he grew up to become a very disciplined footballer who had expertise in his left foot as well as his head. His father went ahead and forbid him to finish with his right foot which was meant to increase his versatility.

3. Played Only Once for Frankfurt’s Senior Team

While Tosun’s spell at Everton was excruciating, compared to his senior career at Frankfurt it looks like a walk in the park. He joined Frankfurt in 1997 after successfully completing and passing his trials. Tosun spent his youth years at the academy playing mostly for the reserves.

After spending more than a decade at the club, it was surely time for him to graduate into the first team. This ‘graduation’ was well deserved as he had proven himself time and time again with the reserves. He was the record goal scorer of their youth team at the time.

However, he would be denied for two years only managing to make a single appearance for Eintracht Frankfurt’s senior team. On May 8, 2010, he made his lone first-team outing in the Bundesliga season finale against the 2009–10 season. In a 3-1 loss at VfL Wolfsburg, he came on as Martin Fenin’s replacement in the 75th minute.

4. Moved to Turkey to Kickstart His Senior Career

After his frustrating spell at his boyhood club and a lack of chances and opportunities, Tosun finally had had enough. He decided to leave Germany after an offer came from Turkey from Gaziantepspor.

He had to leave his family behind but considering his fortunes in Germany it was a necessary choice. On 29th January 2011, he completed his €400,000 move.

He had a successful first season (or half-season since he joined in January) scoring 10 times in 14 games. His second season was not as successful but in the third one and fourth ones, he scored double figures. He won the Spor Toto Cup in 2012 with the club scoring twice in the final.

5. Wore Jersey Number 23 At Besiktas as Homage to Michael Jordan

Cenk Tosun in a number 23 kit by Ultraslansi –

On 4th February 2014, Besiktas signed Tosun for nearly €500,000 on a five-year deal. The move would take effect from the beginning of the 2014–15 season although done during the 2013-14 season.

Upon joining Besiktas, he chose to wear the number 23 shirt after famous basketball player Michael Jordan. Tosun did not make an impact at the club immediately. However, this was not because of poor performances but rather stiff competition.

He was used mostly as a substitute for Demba Ba and Mario Gómez. He became the starting striker in the 2016–17 season after the pair left leaving the spot to him.

6. Great Success at Besiktas

Tosun had a rather slow start at Besiktas. However, his fortunes would change in the 2016-17 season. In the 2016-17 season, he scored 24 goals as his club won the Süper Lig title.

This spurt in form saw him garner interest from various clubs in Europe. After the season ended, the English club, Crystal Palace came knocking but he turned them down. 

In the 2017-18 season, he helped Besiktas win a difficult UEFA Champions League group. The group contained RB Leipzig, Porto, and Monaco. He scored four goals in six matches.

7. Moved to Goodison Park For £27million

Cenk Tosun’s first presentation at Everton FC in January 2018 during the photo shoot by Everton Football Club –

After consistently banging them in for Besiktas, several clubs came calling for Tosun’s signature. On 5th January 2018, he joined Merseyside club Everton on a four-and-a-half-year contract for £27 million.

His life in Tottenham began almost immediately but it was no walk in the park by any measure. He made his league debut eight days after signing in a 4-0 loss away to Tottenham Hotspur.

He scored his first goal on 3rd March in a 2-1 loss away to Burnley. Soon after only a few months in England, Tosun was already receiving harsh criticism from the fans and media. To which then-manager Sam Allardyce praised and defended him.

8. Topsy-Turvy Spell at Everton

Cenk Tosun in action for Turkey by Steindy (talk) –

Tosun arrived at Everton with the world at his feet. However, his time at the club went horribly wrong from the word go and he never truly looked to belong. Something that was clearly evident in his performances.

His first season was under Sam Allardyce. While it can be argued that the entire team was poor, he should have scored more purely based on his quality.

Under Marco Silva’s coaching, he seemed to be improving but the goals just never came. His lowest point came against Arsenal. Tosun was brought on only to be substituted later in the game.

Tosun stormed off into the dressing room angrily without a word. The arrival of Ancelotti did not help him at all and remained a bench player for the most part. 

9. Joined Palace on Loan Despite Poking Fun at Them Earlier

Crystal palace bid for Tosun while he was at Besiktas but he turned them down. A few months later, he joined their rivals, Everton.

As if the implication of the move was not hurtful to Palace fans alone, Tosun made some rather scathing comments too. He said ‘About my transfer to Crystal Palace, I can say that I’m very happy the move failed.’

However, two years later, he would come to swallow his words following a tough spell at Everton. On 10th January 2020, he signed a loan deal for Crystal Palace.

However, a few months later he was sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury picked up during training. This forced him to return to Everton after having surgery.

Tosun rejoined Besiktas on 31st January 2021 on a loan deal from Everton. On 2nd July 2022, he made the move permanent.

10. Played for Germany’s Youth and Turkey’s Senior Team

Turkey national team from left to right: Hakan ÇalhanoÄŸlu (#17), Mehmet Topal (#15), Volkan Åžen (#20), Selçuk Ä°nan (#8), Cenk Tosun (#9), Arda Turan (#10), Caner Erkin (#18), Ahmet Yılmaz Çalık (#4), Ozan Tufan (#16) and Åžener Özbayraklı (#2) by Steindy (talk) –

Tosun spent his youth in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt. During these years, he played for Germany’s under-19 as well as their under-21s.

Tosun made his international debut for Turkey’s senior team in 2013. He has been part of the squads that have failed to qualify for 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cup Finals.