12 Facts About Deniz Naki

Deniz Naki was born on 9 July 1989 and is a German professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder.

On 25 June 2009, Deniz Naki left Bayer Leverkusen and signed a three-year contract with FC St Pauli at the Millerntor-Stadion.

Deniz Naki helped with seven league goals as St Pauli returned to the top level.

On 5 November 2014, Deniz Naki decided to leave Genclerbirligi after an alleged racist attack.

Deniz Naki said he was attacked on the street in the Turkish capital by three men shouting racist abuse and challenging him over his support for the Syrian-Kurdish town of Kobane, which is battling a siege by Islamic State.

In February 2016, Deniz Naki, playing for Amed SK, was suspended for 12 games and received a large fine after allegedly expressing support for the PKK, in the Kurdish-Turkish conflict.

Deniz Naki had written on his personal Facebook page that he dedicated the victory, a win over Bursaspor in the Turkish Cup, to those killed and wounded "under the oppression that has gone on for 50 days in our land," referring to the imposed curfews in numerous Turkish towns with large groups of Kurdish ethnicity.

In October 2016, Deniz Naki was charged with 'promoting terrorist propaganda' by a Turkish court on the basis of social media posts.

Deniz Naki has been detained in Germany since July 2020.

Deniz Naki was detained in Germany for 2 years, Deniz Naki was released in 2023 and returned to the field again.

In March 2018, Deniz Naki started a hunger strike in front of the UN building in Geneva, in protest against Operation Olive Branch by Turkish Armed Forces.

On 26 July 2018, Deniz Naki published a letter in which he called Mesut Ozil to take actions against racism in Turkey.