Hakan Çalhanoğlu Reflects on World Cup Exit: 'Maybe My Last World Cup'

Turkish national team captain Hakan Çalhanoğlu struggled to find words after the team's World Cup elimination, following a narrow 1-0 defeat against Paraguay. The loss marked the end of their World Cup journey, a result that left the players devastated.

“

It's hard to find words right now. We brought ourselves this far. We tried everything in the last two matches. We shot, but it didn't happen... It was unlucky... They scored with their first shot.

"It's hard to find words right now," Çalhanoğlu stated. "We brought ourselves this far. We tried everything in the last two matches. We shot, but it didn't happen... It was unlucky... They scored with their first shot."

Reflecting on the team's performance and future, the experienced midfielder noted, "We are a young team, we will have more tournaments. Maybe this is my last World Cup.... Everyone is sad, heartbroken. We tried, and it didn't work. It was an experience for everyone."

“

We are a young team, we will have more tournaments. Maybe this is my last World Cup.... Everyone is sad, heartbroken. We tried, and it didn't work. It was an experience for everyone.

Despite the painful exit, Çalhanoğlu urged his teammates to feel proud of their accomplishments. "We should be proud of ourselves; we didn't come this far easily. Look where we came from... It's not easy to be eliminated, people can't accept it. Football is sometimes cruel. We must learn from this. We lost the match again with one shot," he said.

“

We should be proud of ourselves; we didn't come this far easily. Look where we came from... It's not easy to be eliminated, people can't accept it. Football is sometimes cruel. We must learn from this. We lost the match again with one shot.