On Tuesday Arda Turan reached 100 days as a Barcelona player. He hasn’t been able to play because of the FIFA sanction, and is waiting for January 2016 when he can get into action. Barcelona are still trying to get him registered in place of Rafinha, who is injured.
Injury
In training on July 21, he suffered a second degree sprain in the external ligaments of his right ankle. With the permission of Luis Enrique he returned to Turkey to be treated by the national team doctor.
Turkey
He has been able to play for his country, in the final stage of qualifying for the European Championship in France 2016. Thus, the first game he played this season Arda was Turkey-Estonia (1-1) held on September 3 in Konya. He set up a goal.
The second game he played was Turkey-Holland (3-0) on September 6, also in Konya. Like against Estonia, he started, but played only 57 minutes, scoring a goal and getting another assist.
Back again
In the second international break he started for Turkey in Prague, against the Czech Republic on October 10. He will also likely start against Iceland in the game on Tuesday night.
Barcelona, mobilised
Unless the club can enforce their rights by bringing their case to FIFA’s appeal court and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Arda will next play football on the international stage again in mid-November.
July 6
Arda Turan was signed by the FC Barcelona management committee on July 6, for €34m plus seven more in variables, at the express request of coach Luis Enrique Martinez. He signed a contract for five seasons, until June 2020, with a clause that allowed Barcelona to send him back to Atletico Madrid if the new president did not want him, at a 10% penalty cost. That was not the case.
He was the second and final signing of Barcelona in the 2015-16 season. The first was Aleix Vidal, who signed on June 8 in 2015 from Sevilla, also for five seasons, for €18m plus four in variables.