Eurasia Football continues its search for footballers who could represent Kyrgyzstan in the future. In part one, we profiled five potential recruits based in Germany and Portugal — from 16-year-old academy prospects to Michael Martin, a midfielder with top-flight experience in several European countries.
Turkey deserves a separate chapter in this series. We have identified five young footballers born in Kyrgyzstan who are currently playing for Turkish clubs. The youngest is 14 and the oldest 20. Four hold Turkish citizenship, while one is a Kazakhstan citizen.
The timing is particularly interesting given the proposed changes to Turkey’s foreign-player rules. In October, Kürşad Zorlu, deputy chairman of the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP), said discussions had begun on allowing players from Turkic states to compete under domestic rather than foreign-player status. He said the issue had already been raised with Turkish Football Federation president İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu. The mechanism and implementation date have yet to be confirmed.
The change could matter greatly to footballers considering the Kyrgyzstan national team. Under the existing rules, a player’s domestic status in Turkish leagues can depend on international eligibility. Foreign players are not permitted in the TFF 2. Lig, for example, while a player registered as Turkish who subsequently represents another senior national team can lose that domestic status from the next transfer window.
If a broad exemption is introduced for players from Turkic states, one of the potential barriers to choosing Kyrgyzstan could disappear. These players might no longer have to weigh their international ambitions against their professional opportunities in Turkey to quite the same extent.
There is another potential advantage to representing Kyrgyzstan: players who hold Kyrgyz citizenship do not count towards the foreign-player quota in Russia under Eurasian Economic Union rules. If Turkey adopts the proposed exemption, they could retain domestic-player status in Turkish football while also remaining exempt from the foreign-player limit in Russia. Representing Kyrgyzstan does not, however, automatically confer Kyrgyz citizenship.
Turkey has already played an important role in producing Kyrgyzstan internationals. Perhaps the most prominent example is Beknaz Almazbekov, who spent years in Galatasaray’s academy, earned a professional contract and subsequently represented Kyrgyzstan.
Sirozhiddin Astanakulov also developed in Turkish football. Born in Osh, he came through the Ankaragücü system and received a call-up to a Turkey youth side before choosing Kyrgyzstan. He made his senior international debut in 2026.
At least five more Kyrgyzstan-born youngsters are now developing at Turkish clubs.
Furkan Perker, 17 — Ankaragücü
Furkan Perker was born in Osh but has spent almost his entire footballing life in Turkey. Of the five players on our list, he is already operating at a markedly higher level.
At 17, Perker is a member of Ankaragücü’s first-team squad — the same club that previously developed Kyrgyzstan international Sirozhiddin Astanakulov.
Over the past two seasons, the attacking midfielder has progressed rapidly through the age groups. He scored six times for the U16s, followed by 11 goals in 20 appearances for the U17s. He was then promoted to U19 football before making his senior debut in spring 2026.
He was still only 16 at the time.
In the autumn, Ankaragücü signed the academy graduate to a professional contract running until 2029. Perker became an established member of the senior squad and began earning league minutes.
In late October he took another step forward, making his first start in the Turkish Cup and playing the full 90 minutes.
So Perker is no longer simply an academy prospect. At 17, the Osh-born midfielder is playing competitive senior football for a professional club.
Ankaragücü compete in the TFF 2. Lig, the third tier of Turkish football. It is an unusually low level for a capital-city club with extensive Süper Lig experience and Turkish Cup honours. The team’s objective this season is promotion.
Rüstem Alioğlu, 20 — Manavgat Belediyespor
Rüstem Alioğlu, who was born in Bishkek, has followed a different path.
He has not reached Perker’s level, but he was the first of the players in this group to gain regular experience against senior opposition.
In one of his previous seasons, the forward made 20 appearances and scored five goals. He played another 22 senior matches the following campaign.
Alioğlu now represents Manavgat Belediyespor, who compete in the Profesyonelliğe Geçiş Ligi, formerly the Bölgesel Amatör Lig. This is the fifth level of Turkey’s football pyramid and the final step before the professional TFF 3. Lig. Manavgat opened the current campaign with three consecutive wins.
As a result, it would be misleading to describe Alioğlu purely as a youth prospect. By the age of 20, he had already accumulated more than 40 senior appearances across his previous two complete seasons.
The standard of competition is relatively modest, but his experience makes him someone Kyrgyzstan should at least keep an eye on.
Zekeriya İbrahim, 16 — Bursa Yıldırımspor
Zekeriya İbrahim was born in Kyrgyzstan’s Chüy Region and is now developing at Bursa Yıldırımspor.
The 16-year-old plays for the club’s U17 side in the Turkish Football Federation’s official Gelişim Ligi. He is not yet involved with the first team and has so far made occasional substitute appearances.
What makes his situation worth following is the pathway available to him.
Bursa Yıldırımspor’s senior team compete in the TFF 3. Lig, the fourth tier and the lowest professional level in Turkey. This season they share Group 2 with established names including Altay, Karşıyaka, Eskişehirspor and Balıkesirspor. The club remained unbeaten after nine rounds.
For İbrahim, the route is clear: establish himself at U17 level, progress to the U19s and then attempt to reach the professional first team.
His story is not yet one of major achievements. But at 16, another Kyrgyzstan-born footballer is already inside the youth system of a professional Turkish club.
Ramazan Mertali, 17 — Galata Spor
No photograph of the player was available for the original report.
Like Zekeriya İbrahim, Ramazan Mertali was born in Kyrgyzstan’s Chüy Region. Curiously, both wear the number 29.
The 17-year-old moved to Istanbul-based Galata Spor in the autumn and was immediately assigned to the U19 squad.
He played an entire half in his first match. That is virtually all the playing time he had received at his new level when this report was prepared, so it would be premature to draw major conclusions. Nonetheless, a move into a squad two age groups above his own is noteworthy.
Galata also have a professional senior team. The club compete in Group 1 of the TFF 3. Lig and, at the beginning of November, sat fourth after losing just one of their opening eight matches.
Founded in 1932, Galata are one of Istanbul’s long-established clubs. The U19 squad is therefore not the end of Mertali’s development pathway: a professional first team sits above it.
For now, the priority for the 17-year-old Kyrgyzstan-born player is to establish himself against older footballers.
Emir Mukhtarbekov, 14 — 1964 Silifke Spor
No photograph of the player was available for the original report.
Emir Mukhtarbekov is the youngest footballer in this selection.
Born in Bishkek, he holds Kazakhstan citizenship and is currently developing within the youth system of 1964 Silifke Spor.
Mukhtarbekov is only 14, yet the club already uses him in the U15 team. He is not merely an unused squad member: in some matches he has received substantial playing time, entering the pitch as early as the first half.
For a footballer of his age, that is the most significant detail. He is already competing against slightly older players.
Silifke’s first team play in the professional TFF 3. Lig. This season the club are in Group 3 alongside Adanaspor, Yeni Malatyaspor, Karaman, Diyarbakırspor and several other sides.
That gives even the youngest player on our list a potential route from youth football to the professional game.
Turkey is not the end of Eurasia Football’s search. We will continue identifying footballers who are eligible, or who could potentially become eligible, to represent Kyrgyzstan. Another instalment in the series will follow.