Cihan Çanak
Height: 175cm
Youth career: Standard Liège
Current club: Standard Liège
Squad number: 61
Current national team: Belgium U-18
Position: attacking midfielder, winger
Preferred foot: left
Market value (by transfermarkt.de): 1.500.000 €
Tournaments participated in: 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualification elite round (3/0), 2022 UEFA European Under-17 Championship (3/0)
Contract until: 30.06.2024
Player’s agent: unknown
Transfer rumours: —
Similar type of player: Hatem Ben Arfa
Strengths:
– pace and acceleration 
– dribbling
– ball control
– technique
– flair
– agility
– passing
– vision
– creativity
– first touch
– movement 
To improve:
– player of a small frame who’s not afraid of duels but still needs to work hard on his physical development
– mid and long-range shooting skills and general composure to become more prolific in the final third
– frequency and quality of operating with his right weaker foot
Style of play:
– advanced playmaker
– able to play on the right wing as well as the mix of wide playmaker and winger
– diminutive player with a low centre of gravity, superb agility, flair, changes of pace, and coordination
– creative player with very good technique on the ball, mobility, acceleration skills, fast direction shifts, short-dribbling, and good short-mid through passing ability
– very vertical player who likes to speed up the game with his dribbling or passing skills/very capable of pushing his team forward to finishing positions
– likes to dribble
– likes to use body feints and tricks to get past his opponents
– likes to play in a free attacking role granted the freedom to roam the pitch and find space
– spectacular player who likes to have the ball at his feet and is able to make the difference at any time thanks to his dribbling skills and ability to play the final ball
– possesses a truly futsal-esque technique when running with the ball and dribbling
– his fantastic close control, body balance, and ‘quick feet’ that allow him to drift past defenders with ease
– has the technique, ability, and confidence to execute the killer passes, and set up goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates
– able to dribble and make quick combinations with his teammates at top speed
– displays a natural technique to take fast decisions in small spaces/under pressure
– very positive on the ball, unpredictable, and confident of his skills
– extremely dangerous on the counter thanks to his pace and movement
– excellent ability at first touch/high speed in 1-2 combinations style of play
– dynamic and energetic
– avoids using his right weaker foot
– his defensive positioning is very much improvable but he doesn’t hesitate to track back and is active in the defensive phase
Çanak loses his marker with a superb first touch, makes a good run into the penalty area, and provides a very good assist with a smart pass.
Çanak plays a brilliant one-two at high speed and scores with a good finish.
Heatmap by Wyscout:
He is best suited to playing as:
Attacking midfielder in 4-2-3-1.
Video:
Achievements:
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League summary (as for 28 November 2022):
Jupiler Pro League 2021/2022: 3 games/0 goals (Standard)
Challenger Pro League 2022/2023 (ongoing): 3 games/0 goals (Standard II)
Jupiler Pro League 2022/2023 (ongoing): 12 games/1 goal (Standard)
Description:
Cihan Çanak joined the Standard Liège youth academy at the age of 6. He is one of the leaders of a very interesting generation of Belgian players born in 2005 which includes, among others Mika Godts, Stanis Idumbo Muzambo, Jorne Spileers, Kyriani Sabbe, Enock Agyei, Noah Mbamba, Lucas Noubi, Chemsdine Talbi, Arthur Vermeeren, and Malick Fofana. Cihan made his first-team debut for Standard on 26 December 2021, replacing Niels Nkounkou in the last minutes of a 0–1 home Jupiler Pro League defeat against Zulte-Waregem. He is also a regular youth international for Belgium – in 2022 he represented his country at the European Under-17 Championship in Israel.
Quotes:
“It’s the best performance I’ve seen from such a young player. For me, he was the man of the match and definitely has a great future ahead of him.”
(Standard Liège player Marlon Fossey after Cihan Çanak’s performance against Royal Antwerp)
Football Talent Scout potential rating:
First team material in a top European league.
Links: