Mervan Celik
Encyclopedia
Mervan Celik is a professional footballer who plays for GAIS
GAIS
Göteborgs Atlet- och Idrottssällskap is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg, currently playing in Allsvenskan. The club is commonly referred to simply as GAIS, while its fans also refers to the club as grönsvart or the mackerels because of the traditional shirt colours...

 as a winger.

Club career

Born in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...

, he played for IF Warta and BK Häcken
BK Häcken
BK Häcken is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg. The club, formed on 2 August 1940, is currently playing in the Swedish premier division, Allsvenskan after being promoted in 2008.- The beginning :...

 at youth level before joining GAIS
GAIS
Göteborgs Atlet- och Idrottssällskap is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg, currently playing in Allsvenskan. The club is commonly referred to simply as GAIS, while its fans also refers to the club as grönsvart or the mackerels because of the traditional shirt colours...

 in 2007. "I started as a striker but now I play as an inner midfielder and winger. It does not matter if I play on the right or the left, both positions work for me," he said in an interview on the club's website. Celik made his competitive debut against GIF Sundsvall
GIF Sundsvall
GIF Sundsvall is a Swedish football club located in the city of Sundsvall. The club, formed on 25 August 1903, is currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan. The club is affiliated to Medelpads Fotbollförbund.- History :...

 in the Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...

 on 20 July 2008, and appeared in the starting eleven for the first time six weeks later against IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg
IFK Göteborg is a Swedish professional football club based in Gothenburg. Founded in 1904, the club has won 18 national championship titles, five national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups....

. He signed new three-year contract in May 2009, and scored his first goal for the club later that year against Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF
Kalmar FF is a Swedish football club located in Kalmar. Formed 10 January 1910, the club has won three national cup titles and 1 league title. Kalmar FF currently play in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan....

.

International career

Celik has represented Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 at youth level. He made his under-21
Sweden national under-21 football team
The Swedish U-21 national football team is the football team representing Sweden in competitions for under-21 year old players. Sweden U21's current captain is Jiloan Hamad with Jakob Johansson as vice captain.-UEFA European U-21 Championship Record:...

 debut against Norway
Norway national under-21 football team
The Norwegian national under-21 football team, controlled by the Football Association of Norway, is the national football team of Norway for players of 21 years of age or under at the start of a UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship campaign...

 on 2 June 2011 and scored two of the goals in a 4–1 win. He is eligible to play for Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 through his parents.

Personal life

He was born and raised in Bishop's Place, Hisingen
Hisingen
Hisingen is the fourth-largest island of Sweden , with an area of , and the most populous, forming part of Gothenburg Municipality, Västra Götaland County. It is bordered by the Göta älv in the south and east, the Nordre älv in the north, and the Kattegat in the west...

, an island which forms part of the Gothenburg Municipality
Gothenburg Municipality
Gothenburg Municipality is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Gothenburg....

. His parents are Turkish, having lived in Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...

 before moving to Sweden, where his father opened a restaurant.

External links

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