Top 10 Interesting Facts about Gökhan Inler

Friendly match – Austria (red shirts) vs. Switzerland (white shirts) 1-2 (1-2) – 2015-11-17 in Vienna, Ernst-Happel-Stadion – The photo shows Gökhan Inler (Switzerland). Photo by Steindy (talk)-Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Gökhan Inler 

Gokhan Inler is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Super Lig club Adana Demirspor. He began his professional football career playing for Fc Basel and later joined FC Aarau and FC Zurich.

Inler played for both Turkey and Switzerland. He made his first debut for Switzerland in 2006 and has since earned 89 caps, scoring seven goals and making him the national’s fifth-most capped player of all time.

Learn more about Gokhan Inler in these top 10 interesting facts.

1. Inler Parents have Turkish Origin

Gokhan Inler was born on June 27, 1984, in Olten in the Canton of Solothurn, Switzerland. His mother was from Samsun, and his father died due to a traffic accident. He started playing football at a youth team in his hometown.

2. Inler is a Swiss Professional Footballer

Throughout his youth life up to now, he has played football. He started his football career in 1992 by playing for Olten.

He later gained popularity for his playing skills and started playing professionally for senior football clubs and Premier League Clubs. He plays as a midfielder.

3. Gokhan Inler Started His Professional Football Career at 18

Photo by Steindy (talk)-Wikimedia Commons

Inler was born in the Canton of Solothurn; he began his career at FC Basel, a Swiss football club, in 2002 and left in 2005. He then joined FC Aarau (a Swiss football club), and on March 20, 2005, he made his Swiss Super League debut in a 2-3 home defeat against grasshopper.

FC Zurich signed him in January 2006 and he was part of the 2005-2006 and 2007 to 2008 Swiss championship-winning teams. Inler made 54 appearances at FC Zurich, scoring 3 goals.

4. Inler Plays as a Midfielder

He is a tactically versatile, hard-working and tenacious midfielder. He has the capacity to aid his team both defensively and offensively, known for his stamina and movements off the ball.

Inler’s most prominent trait is his powerful and accurate striking ability from a distance with both feet and from set pieces, enabling him to contribute to his team’s offensive play with goals from midfield.

He is usually deployed as a central or defensive midfielder. Here he can function creatively as a deep-lying playmaker in front of the defensive line, with passing range, vision and ability to control the tempo of his team’s play.

Additionally, he also has long-passed accuracy, which allows him to effectively switch the play and create chances for teammates after winning back possession. He is also effective in the air due to his height and Physical attributes. 

5. He Played for Udinese in Four Seasons

Friendly match – Austria (red shirts) vs. Switzerland (white shirts) 1-2 (1-2) – 2015-11-17 in Vienna, Ernst-Happel-Stadion – The photo shows Gökhan Inler (left) and David Alaba (Right). Photo by Steindy (talk)-Wikimedia

In July 2007, Inler joined Udinese of the Italian Serie A. This was after the Udine-based club met a buy-out clause in his Zurich contract.

Inler scored his first goal for Udinese in a 2-1 win over Torino. His first season in Udinese started all domestic; he scored two goals and provided two assists.

He also played for Udinese in the 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011 seasons. The 2009-2010 season was difficult for Udinese and Inler. He didn’t have a successful season following his breakout campaign in the UEFA Cup in 2008.

In Udinese, Inler made a total of 162 appearances scoring 9 goals. In May 2011, Udinese agreed to a deal with Napoli, and he transferred to Napoli.

6. Inler Played in The National Team of Switzerland and Turkey

For his international career, he played for the Swiss and Turkish national under-21 before making his debut for the Swiss senior team. Inler made his senior international debut in a friendly against Venezuela in Bael on September 2, 2006.

Inler captained Switzerland in a 1-0 win against Spain in the 2010 FIFA World Cup group stage. He was again the captain in the third, a goalless draw with Honduras.

In 2011, he became the Swiss captain and played four matches as they reached the last 16 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. For UEFA Euro 2016, he was left out of the Swiss squad due to his lack of game time at Leicester City during the 2015-2016 season.

7. Inler Played for Napoli

In July 2011, Napoli presented Inler in an unconventional manner, wearing a lion mask to hide his identity and a sporting jersey number 88. Inler made his Napoli debut in their 3-1 away win at Cesena on September 10.

Inler scored his first goal for Napoli on December 7, 2011, for both his new club and in the Champions League in a win over Villarreal CF. This win took Napoli through to the knockout stages of the competition.

He represented Napoli for four seasons, leaving after 2014 to 2015. His career at Napoli was a success; he made a total of 166 appearances. He scored a total of 13 goals.

8. Inler Played for Leicester City

Photo by Steindy (talk)-Wikimedia Commons

He joined Premier League club Leicester City on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee on August 19, 2015. Inler made his debut three days after he joined. 

Due to the good performances of Drinkwater and N’Golo Kante, he only made seven appearances by the end of 2015.

Additionally, Inler played the minimum five league games required to be eligible for a winner’s medal when Leicester became 2015-2016 Premier League champions.

9. He Founded the Inler Sport and Education Foundation 

In 2017, Inler Founded the Inler Sports and Education Foundation to support the physical and mental development of all members of society, especially children and young people.

Inler also organized aid campaigns for stray animals. Participating in social and support projects for the benefit of society within the body of Inler Sport and Education Foundation, and he continues to work with the body.

10. He plays for Adana Demirspor

In 2017 during the summer, after Inler spent one season at Besiktas, he moved to league rivals Istanbul Basaksehir on a free transfer. He left the football club after the 2019-2020 season, having made 64 appearances and scored one goal.

He currently plays for Super Lig Club Adana Demirspor (based in Adana, Turkey). In the club, he plays as a central midfielder and is also the club’s captain.