Ahmet Calik: Former Galatasaray and Turkey defender dies aged 27

Calik, who was playing for Turkish Super Lig side Konyaspor and spent three years with Galatasaray, was killed in a car accident on Tuesday.

"We are in deep sorrow to have lost our player Ahmet Calik who earned our fans' and city's love since the first day he arrived at Konyaspor," the club posted on Twitter.

An investigation has been launched to ascertain the cause of the accident.

Calik, who started his career with local club Genclerbirligi, made more than 50 appearances for Galatasaray during a three-year spell before joining Konyaspor in 2020, where he made 51 appearances.

The centre-back earned eight senior caps for Turkey between 2015 and 2017 after progressing through the youth teams.

The Turkish FA said in a statement: "It is with deep sadness that we learned that Ahmet Calik, football player of Ittifak Holding Konyaspor, who also played in our national team, passed away as a result of a traffic accident. May Allah have mercy on the deceased.

"Our condolences to his family, relatives, Ittifak Holding Konyaspor Club and the Turkish football community."

Galatasaray and the Turkish national team also paid tribute to Calik on social media.