Merih Demiral

Early years

Product of the Fenerbahçe youth system, Demiral was signed by Portuguese side Alcanenense in 2016. On 16 October 2016, he made his Taça de Portugal debut against Feirense in a 2-1 home loss.

Sporting

In January 2017, he was loaned out to Sporting B, and made his professional debut in the Segunda Liga for the latter club on 5 February 2017 in a 1–1 home draw against Famalicão. At the end of the season, he was signed outright by the club. On 12 July 2017, he made his first and only performance with Sporting in a 2-4 Taça de Portugal third round away win against Oleiros as a late substitute.

Loan to Alanyaspor

On 15 August 2018, he joined Turkish club Alanyaspor on loan. On 29 January 2019, he permanently joined Alanyaspor for €3.5 million.

Sassuolo

On 30 January 2019, Demiral joined Italian club Sassuolo on loan with an obligation to buy. He made his Serie A and club debut on 24 February, in a 1–1 home draw against SPAL, and scored his first goals both for the club and in Serie A—a brace in a 4–0 home win over Chievo—on 4 April.

Juventus

On 5 July 2019, Juventus officially announced the transfer of Demiral from Sassuolo, on a five-year contract for €18 million. His salary was reportedly unfolded as €1.3 million per year. He became the first Turkish player to play for the club. He made his club debut on 21 September, in a 2–1 home win over Verona in Serie A. He subsequently made his Champions League debut on 11…

Demiral represented Turkey at junior levels, including Under-17 and Under-19. He made his debut for the senior squad on 20 November 2018 in a friendly against Ukraine, as an 85th-minute substitute for Mert Müldür. On 11 June 2021, Demiral scored an own goal in a 3–0 defeat against Italy in the first game of the UEFA Euro 2020 campaign; it was the first time in the tournament's history that the match opener kicked off with an own goal. On 7 June 2024, he was selected in the 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2024. In the round of 16 match against Austria, he was awarded player of the match by scoring a brace in a 2–1 victory, securing his country's qualification to the quarter-finals. His first goal, netted just 57 seconds into the game, set a record as the fastest goal in the knockout stages of the European competition. On 14 October 2025, he scored twice in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Georgia in Kocaeli Stadium, in Kocaeli where he was born. On 2 June 2026, Demiral was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Military salute during the Euro 2020 qualifier

On 11 October 2019, following Cenk Tosun's goal in a 1–0 home win over Albania in a Euro 2020 qualifier, Demiral was one of the Turkish players who participated in a controversial "military salute" goal celebration. The same day, he stated his open support for the Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria on Twitter; while his post was praised by Turkish supporters, it also…

Demiral is usually deployed as a centre-back, in either a three or four-man defence, although he is a versatile player, who is also capable of playing as a right-sided full-back. An aggressive and instinctive defender, his main traits are his physicality, tactical intelligence, tackling, composure, and determination, which allow to excel at reading plays, and also enable him to anticipate or mark his opponents well. A tall and physically strong defender, he is also known for his ability in the air, which enables him to defend opposing crosses and clear the ball away from his own penalty area. Despite his tall stature and imposing physique, he is also a mobile defender, which allows him to make recoveries, win back the ball effectively, or restrict his opponents' movements when defending off the ball. Regarded as a promising young defender in the media, due to his characteristics, he has been compared to Nemanja Vidić, whom Demiral himself has also cited as an inspiration. Another one of his influences is his Juventus teammate Giorgio Chiellini, to whom he has also been compared. He has also been likened to former Juventus defender Paolo Montero.

Merih Demiral married the Albanian model Heidi Lushtaku in 2021. On 20 April 2022, Demiral and his wife became the parents of a son and made this public a month after the birth.