Uzun and Yildiz: Childhood friends key to Türkiye's World Cup hopes

Childhood friends Can Uzun and Kenan Yildiz are aiming to kickstart Türkiye's FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign after a disappointing opening defeat. The duo, both born in Regensburg, Germany in 2005, have known each other since childhood and now find themselves key figures in a young Turkish side seeking to rebound from a 2-0 loss to Australia.

A Blow to Self-Belief

“It was a real blow for us,” Uzun said, referring to the defeat that left Türkiye at the bottom of their group. The Eintracht Frankfurt forward, who did not feature against Australia, is focused on the future: “The tournament really starts for us now – and for me personally, too.” The loss was more than just an opening-match setback; it tested the resilience of a team that arrived at the tournament brimming with talent and attacking quality.

A Shared Journey from Regensburg

The story of Uzun and Yildiz began in the Bavarian city of Regensburg, where both were born in 2005. After leaving school, they played football together on local pitches and spent time in the youth academy of SSV Jahn Regensburg before their careers took them down different paths. Uzun ended up in Frankfurt via Ingolstadt and Nuremberg, while Yildiz joined Bayern Munich before moving on to Juventus.

Uzun says that Yildiz has been his best friend since childhood. His father used to take Yildiz to training, and they carried on playing afterwards as well. “We used to play football every day, we laughed a lot together, and we still do that today,” Uzun said. “It’s still like it was back then: laughing, joking and playing football together. The only thing that’s changed is that we’re pros now.”

World Cup Dreams and Reality

Yildiz also links his earliest World Cup memories with Uzun. In 2014, when he was nine years old, Yildiz sat in front of a big screen with Uzun and watched Germany vs. Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar were, then as now, players that kids looked up to. “We always wanted to be like them,” Yildiz said. “I thought I might be able to do it one day. And now here I am.”

That “here and now” is a major international event which, together with national pride and glory, also brings expectations and pressure. Yildiz regards the opener against Australia as a personal milestone, despite the bitterly disappointing result: “There’s no bigger stage than the World Cup,” he said. “It only takes place once every four years. It was my tournament debut, so one of my biggest childhood dreams came true.”

Learning from Setbacks

The Turks’ stuttering start to the tournament will have taught the two youngsters that the World Cup is not just a place where dreams can come true, but also one where tough challenges must be overcome. Despite their pre-match belief and attacking quality, Türkiye failed to break the Socceroos down, and Vincenzo Montella’s team, bursting with young, creative players such as Yildiz, Uzun and Arda Guler, now know that talent alone is never a guarantee of success.

But this is a talented generation that has led Türkiye to the World Cup for the first time since 2002, and it now faces a real test of its mettle. “I don’t think we played that badly in the first match,” Yildiz insisted. “Of course, there are always things that need improving and that you have to work on.” His analysis is sober and clear – identify mistakes, learn from them and do better in the next match. No drama, no excuses.

Uzun takes a similar tone, emphasising the mental aspect: “We are professionals and have had to cope with setbacks many times before. We need to work on that. I know there’s pressure, but we’re very good players and we’ll do everything we can to win the match – and I include myself in that.”

For Türkiye, the second group match against Paraguay is one that could see their position in the table quickly improve, but also one in which this young, inexperienced team must show how they can cope with setbacks. For Uzun and Yildiz, it could also be the next chapter in a shared journey that began long before this World Cup.