Former Germany international Kerem Demirbay has claimed he regrets never playing for the national team.
Demirbay, 33, was born in Germany but qualified to play for Turkey because his parents are both Turkish. Despite representing Turkey's youth sides, he chose to play for the country of his birth at senior level.
He went on to win two caps for Germany in June 2017 while he played for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga.
However, in an interview with Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu, Demirbay expressed his regret about his international career.
'My blood is Turkish,' he said. 'My father is Turkish, my mother is Turkish – I am a Turk.
'I wanted to play for Turkey and we worked on it with the federation for a year-and-a-half. But due to certain things that I cannot talk about, I decided on Germany.'
Demirbay, who has played domestically in Turkey since 2023 for Galatasaray, Eyupspor and now Kasimpasa, claimed that his sole international goal actually proved to be the turning point.
'I took off my jersey and they saw the Turkey tattoo on my back. After that, they never selected me again.'
The tattoo Demirbay references is an outline of the Turkish border on his right shoulder blade.
Demirbay added: 'I would never play for Germany again, even if they called me now. I am Turkish.
'I will forever regret never having worn the glorious jersey of the Turkish national team.'
