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Gökhan İnler

b. 1984

Turkish-Swiss association football player (born 1984)

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About Gökhan İnler

Born 1984. Gökhan İnler is a Turkish and Swiss association football player.

2008–09 season On the opening day of the 2008–09 Serie A season, Inler scored the third goal of a 3–1 win over Palermo and provided an assist for one of Antonio Di Natale's two goals. On 18 September, Inler then scored in the first leg of a UEFA Cup qualifying round game away against Borussia Dortmund, a game Udinese won 0–2. Despite then losing the home leg 2–0 courtesy of two goals from Tamás Hajnal, Udinese progressed after winning 4–3 on penalties, with Inler converting his kick. Inler featured in all four of Udinese's group stage games as they finished first in their group with nine points. In the round of 16, Inler started both legs against reigning champions Zenit Saint Petersburg, as Udinese won 2–1 on aggregate against the Russians. In the quarterfinal round against Werder Bremen, Udinese lost the first leg 3–1 away from home, but in the second leg, Inler struck early on for the hosts, netting a dipping shot from over out. Diego equalised for the Germans before Fabio Quagliarella netted twice before the break to bring the aggregate score to 4–4. Two second-half goals for Bremen, however, meant that the hosts were knocked out at the quarterfinal stage.

Inler's goal against Palermo proved to be his only league goal of the season, but he provided three more assists, including one helper in a stunning 6–2 victory over Cagliari on the final matchday of the season. The win assured that Udinese once again finished seventh in Serie A, this time five points behind Roma for the last European spot.

2009–10 season Udinese and Inler found the next season much more difficult. The playmaker did not have a successful season following his breakout campaign in the UEFA Cup from the previous year. He failed to score in 33 Serie A appearances and only provided one assist to Antonio Di Natale in a 2–1 loss to eventual champions Inter Milan. Udinese only secured their Serie A safety on the penultimate day of the season after a 2–2 draw at Cagliari, which also saw the hosts confirm their Serie A place for the next season. Four days later, Inler scored for Switzerland in a 1–1 draw against Italy in an international friendly in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with former teammate Fabio Quagliarella scoring for the reigning world champions.

2010–11 season Inler and Udinese continued their poor form from the previous year to begin the 2010–11 Serie A campaign, losing four of their first five games, Following the winter break, Inler grabbed an assist in Udinese's 2–0 win over Chievo on 6 January 2011. In an enthralling game at the San Siro the next Sunday, Inler provided Antonio Di Natale with one of his goals in a 4–4 draw against eventual champions Milan. Inler then scored his first goal of the season in a 3–0 win over Cesena. The result meant that Udinese had not lost in 2011, a span of eight games, and moved up to sixth in the league table. Udinese drew their next game against Brescia before winning their next four, including a 7–0 thrashing of Palermo away from home. In the 13th and final game of their unbeaten streak, Inler scored against Catania in a 2–0 win. After finally losing, a 2–0 defeat to Lecce, Inler continued his fine run of form, scoring in a 2–1 win over title-chasers Napoli. Udinese drew with Milan on 22 May, confirming the former's fourth-place finish and Italy's final UEFA Champions League berth with one game remaining in the season.

Napoli

Because of his good form in Udinese, helping them finish fourth in the 2010–11 Serie A table and securing a Champions League playoff spot, transfer speculation was rife that Inler would be on the move. In May 2011, Udinese agreed a deal with Napoli in a deal for the player worth €13 million. In July, Inler agreed personal terms with Napoli and was unveiled on 11 July, being presented in an unconventional manner, wearing a lion mask to hide his identity and sporting the jersey number 88. He made his Napoli debut in their 3–1 away win at Cesena on 10 September. Inler provided an assist for Federico Fernández in a 3–2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the group stages of the Champions League on 2 November. In the same game, he was involved in a challenge with Bastian Schweinsteiger that resulted in the German international requiring surgery for a broken collarbone. On 7 December, Inler scored his first goal for both his new club and in the Champions League; he opened the scoring with a left-footed drive in a 0–2 away win over Villarreal in the final game of the group stage phase, a win that took Napoli through to the knockout stages of the competition.

In Napoli's Round of 16 tie against Chelsea, Inler scored a long-range drive in the second leg at Stamford Bridge to send the game into extra-time. A late goal from Branislav Ivanović, however, ensured Chelsea progressed to the quarterfinals 5–4 on aggregate. On 25 April 2012, Napoli headed to the Stadio Via del Mare to face Lecce, where Inler provided both assists for goals by Marek Hamšík and Edinson Cavani, helping Napoli climb to fourth in Serie A standings. Later on in the season, Inler played in the Coppa Italia Final against Scudetto winners Juventus, winning his first piece of silverware with the Partenopei after they defeated league-champions Juve 2–0.

On 3 May 2014, Inler was sent off in Napoli's victory over Fiorentina in the 2014 Coppa Italia Final.

Leicester City On 19 August 2015, Inler signed for Premier League club Leicester City on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut three days later, replacing Danny Drinkwater for the final ten minutes of a 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur at the King Power Stadium. Due to the good performances of Drinkwater and N'Golo Kanté, Inler totalled only seven Leicester appearances by the end of the calendar year. As a result, Inler was not called up to the Switzerland squad for Euro 2016. Nevertheless, he played the minimum five league games required to be eligible for a winner's medal when Leicester became 2015–16 Premier League champions.

Beşiktaş On 31 August 2016, Inler signed a three-year contract with Süper Lig club Beşiktaş.

İstanbul Başakşehir In the summer of 2017, after spending one season at Beşiktaş, Inler moved to league rivals İstanbul Başakşehir on a free transfer. He was released at the end of his contract on 19 August 2020.

International career

Inler played for the Swiss and Turkish national under-21 teams before debuting for the Swiss senior team on 2 September 2006 in an exhibition game against Venezuela in Basel. Inler played all of Switzerland's matches at UEFA Euro 2008 in which they were eliminated at the group stage on home soil. Frei returned for the second group game, but Inler was again the captain in the third, a goalless draw with Honduras. and played all four matches as they reached the last 16 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Coaching career On 13 June 2024, Inler has been appointed as a Technical Director at Udinese.

Personal life Inler, born and brought up in Switzerland, has parents of Turkish origin. He is a lifelong fan of Beşiktaş. In an interview, he stated that when he was young he used to go to Beşiktaş's training camps, which were close to the house he grew up in Switzerland.

Career statistics Club

International

Scores and results list Templatonia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Inler goal. + List of international goals scored by Gökhan Inler

Beşiktaş Süper Lig: 2016–17

Adana Demirspor TFF First League: 2020–21

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Goekhan Inler, Gokhan Inler

People in Gökhan İnler's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Gökhan İnler's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Gökhan İnler?

Turkish-Swiss association football player (born 1984)

When was Gökhan İnler born?

Gökhan İnler was born on 27 June 1984 in Olten.

What is Gökhan İnler's occupation?

Gökhan İnler is an association football player.

What nationality is Gökhan İnler?

Gökhan İnler is Turkish and Swiss.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Gökhan İnler

· Wikidata: Q298448

· DBpedia: Gökhan Inler

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gökhan İnler. https://biography.guide/gokhan-inler/

MLA: "Gökhan İnler." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gokhan-inler/.

Chicago: "Gökhan İnler." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gokhan-inler/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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