Berkay Özcan
Country: Turkey/Germany
Date of birth: 15/02/1998 (18 years old)
Place of birth: Karlsruhe (Germany)
Height: 180cm
Youth career: FC Südstern 06, Karlsruher SC, VfB Stuttgart (since 2013)
Current club: VfB Stuttgart
Squad number: 31
Current national team: Turkey U-19
Position: central midfielder, attacking midfielder, winger, second striker
Preferred foot: right
Market value (by transfermarkt.de): 500.000 €
Tournaments participated in: 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship qualification elite round (3/1), 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification (1/0)
Contract until: 30.06.2019
Player’s agent: Baris Yükselsen
Transfer rumours: —
Similar type of player: Ross Barkley
Strengths:
– pace 
– acceleration
– dribbling
– passing
– technique 
– creativity 
– dynamism
– vision
– close control 
Weaknesses:
– defensive contribution
Style of play:
– modern attacking midfielder
– player with good body mass ratio, physical strength, power, stamina and natural fitness who feels comfortable in contact situations
– very versatile player who can play almost any midfield position
– creative player with great technique on the ball, mobility, acceleration skills, fast direction shifts, short-dribbling and good short-mid through passing ability
– likes to dribble
– mobile and clever at his off-the-ball movements trying to find the best space to receive the ball mainly between opposite midfield and defensive lines
– possesses natural leadership skills, really interesting technique on the ball, vision, decision taking on the ball and passing ability at all distances
– able to make effective late runs into opposite penalty box lurking for a chance to exploit his shooting skills
– extremely dangerous on the counter thanks to his pace and acceleration
– gets fouled often
– often uses his speed and skill to take on defenders
– plays with a natural flair and is dangerous in the box
– possesses exceptional ability to maneuver in small spaces
– able to score and dribble comfortably with both feet
– very strong in 1v1 situations, unpredictable and very confident of his skills
– excellent balance and changes of pace
– possesses powerful and accurate shot
– all-action and energetic
He is best suited to playing as:
Attacking midfielder in 4-2-3-1.
Video:
Achievements:
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League summary (as for 15 Ocotber 2016):
2. Bundesliga 2016/2017 (ongoing): 7 matches/0 goals (Stuttgart)
Description:
Berkay Özcan was born in Karlsruhe and started his career at FC Sudstern 06. Soon after, he moved to Karlsruher SC, and then in 2013 he got to Stuttgart – a club known for its excellent work with the youth. As proof to that, the club’s academy graduated very talented players, such as Sami Khedira, Mario Gómez, Serdar Tasci, Andreas Hinkel and Timo Werner. He made his debut for the first team of VfB on 8 August 2016 against FC St. Pauli. He scored his first goal two weeks later in a German Cup game against FC 08 Homburg. Berkay played in 5 matches of the Germany U-15 national team, but he chose Turkey as his national side from U-16 onwards – a country of birth of his parents. Currently, he is one of the key players for the U-19 Turkey side.
Quotes:
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Football Talent Scout potential rating:
8/10 
First team material in a top European club.
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