Samet Akaydın

Akaydin began his youth career with Black Sea Region-based clubs Trabzon İdmanocağı, Trabzonspor, Boluspor and started his professional career with hometown club Arsinspor. He played four seasons with Istanbul-based club Sancaktepe, one season with Şanlıurfaspor, one and a half seasons with Ankara Keçiörengücü.

Adana Demirspor

Akaydin moved to Süper Lig side Adana Demirspor until the end of the 2023-24 season. On 23 January 2021, he made his debut against Bursaspor. On 18 September 2021, he made his Süper Lig debut against Rizespor in a 3–1 win. He made 49 Süper Lig (with 4 goals) and 6 TFF First League appearances with the team and also made three Turkish cup appearances and one goal. He was selected to the national team.

Fenerbahçe

On 4 December 2023, Akaydin signed Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahçe, until the end of the 2026–27 season. He made his Süper Lig debut for the team in a 2–1 away game win over Gaziantep FK on 15 January 2023. On 9 March 2023, he made his continental debut in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 match against Sevilla. On 10 November 2024, he scored his first goal with the team against Sivasspor.

Panathinaikos (loan)

On 14 January 2024, Akaydin joined Greek side Panathinaikos on loan from Fenerbahçe, until the end of the 2023–24 season. He was excluded from the squad due to his Mustafa Kemal Atatürk social media post for Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day on 19 May 2024. Panathinaikos asked him to remove his…

Akaydin debuted with the Turkey national team in a friendly 2–1 win over the Czech Republic on 19 November 2022. Akaydin was selected to represent his nation at the UEFA Euro 2024. Notably, he scored an own goal past Altay Bayındır from outside the box in the nation's 3–0 loss to Portugal during the group stage. On 6 July, he scored his first international goal, by opening the score in a 2–1 defeat against the Netherlands in the quarter-final of the competition. On 2 June 2026, Akaydin was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Akaydin is a quick, aggressive, physically strong, and tenacious defender, who was known for his work-rate, energy, and hard-tackling style of play. Due to his height, he was also an aerial threat on set-pieces.

Club

As of 11 December 2024

International

As of match played 1 June 2026

Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Akaydin goal.