Mourinho's former player, shares unusual Champions League record with Ronaldo and Bale, and is heading to the 2026 World Cup

Out of favor at Fenerbahçe, where he's been since 2021 and played under José Mourinho, Irfan Can Kahveci was loaned to Kasimpasa in January. The move helped him regain his top form and reignite his hopes of making it to the 2026 World Cup.

Despite his notoriously fiery temperament, Kahveci is still described as a technically gifted forward. Remarkably, he's one of only three players in history — alongside Ronaldo Fenômeno and Gareth Bale — to score a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League and still end up on the losing side.

This unusual feat occurred on December 2, 2020, during the group stage of the Champions League's previous format. His then-club, Istanbul Basaksehir, suffered a 3-4 defeat against RB Leipzig.

The 30-year-old attacker celebrates his goals with a coffee-drinking gesture, fittingly, as his surname actually means 'coffee maker' in Turkish.

In November of last year, he was dropped from the Fenerbahçe squad along with Cenk Tosun, after which he took a break from social media.

After a brief silence, he returned with the following message: "I will write my own thoughts and feelings, I believe you [the fans] deserve more than this. During this process, I have been completely away from social media and focused on my injury and my family. First of all, I fully respect the decision made. I have no problem with our management or my coach, and I haven't had any throughout this process. The same applies to all my teammates."

Kahveci is one of Vincenzo Montella's 26 chosen players for the World Cup, where Turkey will face the United States, Paraguay, and Australia in Group D.