Merih Demiral: Early Life, Clubs, Family, Net Worth, Career and Stats

Merih Demril is a Turkish Footballer, who played in the Centre-Back Position for the Turkish National Team and Al-Ahil in the Saudi Pro League. He also played as a right-sided full-back because of his versatile game. His tall and strong physique makes him an aggressive and instinctive defender that enables him to anticipate or mark his opponents well. He is compared to Giorgio Chiellini and Paolo Montero during his days at Juventus. 

Also Read: Saudi Pro League: Al-Ahli – Club details, Top Players, History and Future Objectives

Early Life

In his early days, he played for the Fenerbahçe youth academy. In 2016, he was signed by the Portuguese club Alcanenense. He was loaned out to Sporting B in January 2017. On February 5, 2017, he made his professional debut in the Segunda Liga for the latter club in a 1–1 home draw against Famalicão. He was signed by Sporting B at the end of the season.

Club Career

Alanyaspor

He joined the Turkish club Alanyaspor on loan on August 15, 2018. On 29 January 2019, he permanently joined Alanyaspor for €3.5 million. He made 16 appearances and scored 1 goal. 

Sassuolo

Demiral joined the Italian club Sassuolo on loan on January 30, 2019, with an obligation to buy. He made his Serie A debut on February 24, 2019, in a 1–1 home draw against SPAL. He scored 2 goals for the Sassuolo in 14 appearances.

Juventus

On July 5, 2019, Demiral signed for the Italian club Juventus from Sassuolo, on a five-year contract for €18 million with a whooping salary of €1.3 million per year. He also became the first Turkish player to sing and played for the Juventus. On September 21, 2019, he made his Serie A debut against Verona. He made his Champions League debut on December 11, 2019, against Bayer Leverkusen. 

On January 12, 2020, against Roma, he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during the match resulting in him being out of action for the remainder of the season, including Euro 2020. He scored in the same game and confirmed the league title for the Juventus. He returned to action against Roma on August 1, 2020.  

Atalanta

On August 6, 2021, he was loaned to Atalnata from Juventus with an option to buy. In the 2021–22 season, he made 42 appearances in all competitions for Atalanta, scored two goals, and provided three assists. On June 17, 2022, Atalanta exercised the right-to-buy clause and signed him. The signing fee was not disclosed by the Atlanata but as per the Italian media reports, the signing fee was 20 million euros. 

Al-Ahli

Merih Demiral joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli on a three-year contract on August 19, 2023. Al-Ahil announced the Demiral singing on their  X account with the message “A new warrior in our squad”.  

International Career 

Merih Demiral has been serving his homeland from a very young age. He played at the junior level for Turkey including Turkey U17, Turkey U18, and Turkey U19. On November 20, 2018, he made his senior squad debut in a friendly match against Ukraine. He came as a substitute for Mert Müldür in the 85th minute. 

On June 11, 2021, he scored an own goal against Italy resulting in a 3–0 defeat in the first game of the UEFA Euro 2020 campaign. He scored 2 goals on the international level. On November 13,  2021, he scored against Gibraltar in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, and on June 4, 2022, he scored against Faroe Islands in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League C. 

Awards and Achievements 

Family & Partner

Merih Demiral is married to Albanian Girlfriend Heidi Lushtaku. On April 20, 2023, his wife gave birth to a son and after one month they made the public announcement of becoming a parent. 

Net Worth

Merih Demiral’s net worth is estimated at 1 million to 5 million dollars.