Turkish starlet Arda Turan is one of the most exceptional under-rated talents in European football. Having served his time in home country Turkey, Arda has admitted that it is time for him to move to one of the major leagues in order to further his potential and career, and expand his trophy cabinet.

While Arsene Wenger is an admirer, Arda admits that “Liverpool or Juventus” are his first choices and that at 22, he is prepared for the rigours of the peninsula’s major leagues.

2008 would be the football equivalent to the American obsession of the ‘breakthrough year.’ Victorious with team Galatasaray, eminent with country Turkey, and honoured for his personal achievements, Arda has benefited from his ample humility, patient approach, and extraordinary raw ability.

Listed eighth in Spanish magazine Don Balon’s 100 Best Young Football Players in the World feature, Arda plays the role of left-winger most competently, his pace and precision of delivery the most notable assets. But Arda is a goal-scorer too: better than one in every five for club and also scorer of two noteworthy efforts for Turkey at last summer’s epic Euro 2008 .

Prior to the magical tournament in Austria/Switzerland, Arda was known only to the rest of Europe only by eagle-eyed scouts.

However, he ended the 2007/8 campaign with a second Turkish league title and won player of the year to cap off the best 12 months of his career. Yet more was to follow; his exploits at Euro 2008 proved the Indian summer of an epic year.

Go to any forum of a major club in Spain, Italy or England, and Arda’s name will have been mooted with a sense of fascination and yearning. Fans across the continent witnessed Turkey’s unimaginable success over last summer, as they reached the semi-finals in frankly outrageous circumstances . Arda, having scored goals of critical importance against Switzerland – a last-minute winner – and the Czech Republic – the goal that initiated the unforgettable comeback from 2-0 down, then played a key role in the penalty victory over Croatia.

Turkey then fell, cruelly, at the hands of Germany in the semi-finals. Perhaps one cause was Arda’s absence – he was suspended, along with seemingly half the rest of the squad – and he described missing the match as the “the worst moment of my career.”

Nonetheless, he had already made his mark upon the footballing community.

Arda is Turkey’s greatest young talent, representing a new generation of stars ready to excel under national coach Fatih Terim. The old – the likes of Ru?tu Recber, Mehmet Aurelio and Emre A?ık – are on their way out as the Turks sagely refuse to rely on the experience of veterans even in the short-term. Six years after a memorable third-place finish at the World Cup, they matched that achievement in the European equivalent and Arda emerged with the most plaudits.

Turkey’s rise to prominence is thanks in some degree to the modesty of each individual in the squad. Arda, refreshingly in comparison with his contemporaries, is no different, “I’m not a star, just a good footballer and, most importantly, I’m a team player. I always give 100 per cent and I’m constantly trying to improve my game.”

The national team supporters are buoyant in their boasting of Turkey’s newest genius. A bright future awaits at whatever club is able to prize Arda from the mother-like grip Galatasaray have over their unrivaled luminary.

And although reluctant, every mother knows there is a time at which they must let their child go free, “I’m definitely planning on playing in one of Europe’s top leagues at some point. It would be a great chance for me to represent my country and further my career,” commented Arda.

Galatasaray will be richly rewarded for their exemplary development, from the age of 12, of a burgeoning talent but a transfer at the end of the current season looks inevitable – and Arda has no limitation in choice as to where he continues his advancement over the next several years.