Emre Kaplan

Emre Kaplan's senior career opened at a level few defenders see at nineteen: among his early appearances for İstanbul Başakşehir was a UEFA Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain in December 2020, months after he had signed his first professional contract at the club.

That night stands apart from what followed. Başakşehir held his registration, but Kaplan was away for most of the next five years. In January 2021 he went to Bodrum FK for the rest of the season. A year later he joined Hatayspor until the summer, then Adanaspor from July 2022 to February 2023, then Bandırmaspor for the second half of that campaign.

The run stopped at Ümraniyespor, where he arrived on loan in July 2023 and stayed until June 2026, wearing the number 75 shirt. In July 2026 he returned to Bodrum FK, this time permanently, on a two-year contract — the first move of his career that was not a loan.

His route in ran through Ankara. Kaplan started at Elmadağ Belediyesi in 2013, moved to MKE Ankaragücü the following year, and joined the Başakşehir academy in 2018.

He holds Turkish and Azerbaijani citizenship, and played for both. Kaplan won three caps for the Azerbaijan under-19 side in 2019 and three more at under-21 level in 2020, before switching allegiance to Turkey in 2022 and making two appearances for the Turkey under-21s. He has yet to play for the senior side.