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Ferdi Kadioglu makes history as Turkey qualify for World Cup

The Brighton defender was instrumental in their World Cup qualifying run.

In the WCQ semi-final, Ferdi slotted Turkey into the finals. It was the only goal in a tough 1-0 victory over Romania (Thursday, March 26).

A floated ball into the box was controlled by the Albion man in the 53rd minute, which was finished clinically.

In the Tuesday evening final, Turkey narrowly beat Kosovo one goal to nil.

Kerem Akturkoglu of Fenerbahce scored the 53rd-minute goal.

That strike meant Turkey reached their first World Cup in 24 years.

After the game, Ferdi took to social media, posting a group photo with teammates and staff members.

The caption read: "We made our dreams come true, now it's time to dream bigger.

"Our national team in the World Cup."

Their last appearance in 2002 saw Turkey finish in third place.

The national side now faces Australia, Paraguay and co-hosts the United States in Group C this summer.

This season, the left-back has made 30 appearances for The Seagulls, just three of those as a substitute.

Kadioglu joined the club from Fenerbache back in August 2024 for £25 million.

The Turkey international was one of Fabian Hurzeler's first major signings after taking charge of Brighton.

Since then, the left back has slowly grown into the Premier League side.

He's currently having a stand-out season, which has already sparked rumours about his Albion future.

Unconfirmed reports from Turkish news outlet Fanatik suggest that Manchester United are interested.

A succession plan is being explored for Luke Shaw, who's in the final 18 months of his contract.

However, Ferdi's main focus is on Brighton's last seven fixtures and the chance to play World Cup football.

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