07.11.2026 10:55
Turkish national team head coach Sergen Yalçın's decision not to include Mert Müldür in the provisional squad he announced for the Belgium and France matches brought back memories of an interesting incident from the past. Yalçın's calling out to the Fenerbahçe player as "Mert Güldür" during his time as a pundit has once again become a topic of discussion after the squad decision.
The new head coach of the Turkish National Team, Sergen Yalçın, announced the 26-man candidate squad he selected for the matches against Belgium and France on November 6. While the absence of Mert Müldür, who wears the Fenerbahçe jersey, from the list drew attention, moments from the past when Yalçın mispronounced the player's name were recalled. Müldür's striking post after the decision, despite not being invited to the squad, added a new dimension to the discussions.
YEARS AGO HE SAID "MERT GÜLDÜR"
Before his role as head coach, during his time as a football commentator on Ekol TV, Sergen Yalçın, while mentioning Mert Müldür, pronounced the player's name as "Mert Güldür." This slip of the tongue from that period was recalled again after Yalçın took charge of the Turkish National Team.
After the experienced coach did not include Mert Müldür in his first candidate squad, the old footage began to be discussed again. Yalçın's failure to call up the player whose name he had mispronounced years ago was regarded as a striking coincidence.
HE DID NOT CALL MERT MÜLDÜR UP TO THE NATIONAL TEAM
Mert Müldür was not included in the squad Sergen Yalçın announced for the Belgium and France matches. In the defense line, Yalçın included Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Ahmetcan Kaplan, Emirhan Topçu, Eren Elmalı, Ferdi Kadıoğlu, Merih Demiral, Mustafa Eskihellaç, Ozan Kabak, and Zeki Çelik, but did not prefer the Fenerbahçe right-back.
Along with Müldür, Altay Bayındır, İrfan Can Kahveci, and Kerem Aktürkoğlu were among those not included in the new list, despite having been in the previous candidate squad.
STRIKING PHOTO FROM MERT MÜLDÜR
After the candidate squad was announced, Mert Müldür posted a black-and-white photo taken in the Turkish National Team jersey on his Instagram account. The player, seen walking toward the tunnel in a jersey with his name and the number 18 on the back, did not add any caption to the photo.
Although Müldür's post was interpreted as a reproach for not being included in the squad, the national player did not make a direct statement about Sergen Yalçın's choice.