Success is a difficult term to quantify.
Yes, there will be only one team who get their hands on the coveted European Championship trophy – England, the Netherlands, Spain and France contending the semi-finals – but even some of those who exited the tournament before the last-four stage can head home with their heads held high.
Take Turkey, for instance.
A rare beam of light an excitement in a knockout stage that has tended to range from cautious to downright dull, many members of Vincenzo Montella’s squad may look back on Euro 2024 as the summer which launched their reputations.
Ferdi Kadioglu, according to Turkish reporter Yagiz Sabuncuoglo, could end up at Brighton, Borussia Dortmund or even Manchester United on the back of his buccaneering displays from left-back. Teen sensation Arda Guler did his hopes of a more senior role at Real Madrid no harm at all.
And if Baris Alper Yilmaz was a man in demand before the Euros kicked off, then he surely is now.
Baris Alper Yilmaz on Tottenham and Aston Villa’s radar
HITC reported back in April that Aston Villa, Tottenham and AFC Bournemouth were keeping tabs on Galatasaray attacker Baris Alper Yilmaz. So too were Man United and Brighton and Hove Albion, Kadioglu not the only Turkey international on their radar.
And while Yilmaz might have exited the tournament having not scored a goal in any of his five appearances – despite leading the line under Montella – his relentless enthusiasm, searing pace, stand-out work-ethic and seemingly boundless energy reserves should have seen his number of admirers multiply.
There certainly aren’t too many players who have given Virgil van Dijk an evening as tough as this for some time.
Yilmaz’s typically rambunctious display during Turkey’s narrow 2-1 defeat by the Netherlands in Saturday’s quarter-final was best epitomised early on during the opening stages.
Van Dijk appeared to have got the better of Yilmaz in battle for the ball only to let his guard down for a split second. The Super Lig champion needed no further invitation to snatch back possession.
Yilmaz, who’s fearsome blend of pace and running power have drawn comparisons with Gareth Bale, Fede Valverde, Phil Foden and even Kylian Mbappe, then earned a free-kick of Van Dijk in the second half as he squared up and slowed down the Liverpool giant before speeding away from him again.
“That really is outstanding play,” former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon told ITV Sport after watching Yilmaz bamboozle the totemic Dutchman. “Sometimes, he just turns on the burners at the last minute you think you’re gonna get the tackle in.
“Van Dijk thought that and he then just goes that little bit extra. (Yilmaz) puts everything into every minute in every game.”
Turkey star gives Virgil van Dijk the runaround
Whether any of his Premier League-based suitors step up their interest following Turkey’s valiant run to the Euro’s latter stages remains to be seen.
The £22 million-rated Yilmaz may not be a guaranteed starter for the likes of Man United, Tottenham or Aston Villa but a player of his qualities and his adaptability could come in very handy across a long, gruelling season.
“Baris Alper Yilmaz, I think, can play very easily in many teams in the Premier League right now,” Selcuk Inan, who coached the 24-year-old at Galatasaray, tells NutSpor. “He is a very special player. We worked hard with him.
“If Baris Alper improves himself in the end product department, he can easily play for the best clubs in the world such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal.
“He is a player with very high potential. I hope he gets such a chance and represents (Turkey in a major team).”
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