Salih Özcan #5

Profile

A quirky detail: Özcan is a highly skilled amateur wrestler, which is befitting the style of football he plays. A disciplined and combative midfielder with years of Bundesliga experience, he grew up in Cologne and represented Germany at youth levels before switching to Turkey, driven by a desire to represent his heritage. Known for his professionalism, he is often the first player on the training pitch and the last to leave. Nicknamed ‘The cleaner’ in Germany, he made almost 130 appearances for Cologne before the switch to Borussia Dortmund in 2025. Talking to the BVB website about why enjoys wrestling so much he said: “Probably that it's completely different from football. In wrestling, you use your entire body; from head to toe, you have to be tense every second. And there are always new techniques you hadn't even thought of before. Once you start, you always want to keep going, always want to learn more.”

Key stats