Zeki Çelik

Zeki Çelik — Biography

Mehmet Zeki Çelik was born on 17 February 1997 in the Yıldırım district of Bursa; of Kurdish descent, he is the youngest of nine children, and his family had moved to Bursa from Muş shortly before his birth. He first took up wrestling, and was steered toward football after his talent was spotted during kickabouts held during wrestling training; discovered by Yavuz Selimspor at age 11, he moved into Bursaspor's youth academy and signed his first professional contract in January 2015.

After loan spells in the lower divisions, the right-back joined İstanbulspor in 2016, helping the club win promotion and catching the eye of the Turkey national team selectors. He moved to France with Lille in 2018, winning the Ligue 1 title with the club in the 2020-21 season. In 2022 he moved to Italy on a four-year deal with Roma, reaching the UEFA Europa League final with the club in the 2022-23 season.

Having made his senior international debut against Russia in 2018, played at the Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 tournaments, and been named in Turkey's squad for the 2026 World Cup, Çelik left Roma for Juventus in July 2026 and continued his career in Italy with his new club.