Ferdi Erenay Kadıoğlu (; born 7 October 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a full back, midfielder or winger for club Brighton & Hove Albion. Born in the Netherlands, he plays for the Turkey national team. He is known for his versatility, being able to play in multiple positions on both sides of the field.
Kadıoğlu began his professional career at NEC in 2016, where he played in two seasons for the team, before moving to Fenerbahçe in 2018, spending six years in Süper Lig. He then joined English club Brighton & Hove Albion in 2024.
Kadıoğlu made his senior international debut for Turkey in 2022, and was part of their squad at the UEFA European Championship in 2024, where they made a surprise run to the quarter-finals. He also represented Turkey at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Club career NEC 2016–2017 season Kadıoğlu spent his early years with NEC. On 28 August 2016, he made his professional debut as a late substitute against AZ Alkmaar in a 2–0 away loss. In his first professional year, he scored 4 goals and made 4 assists in 27 (9 starts) Eredivisie matches. NEC finished the season in 16th position and were relegated to the Eerste Divisie after the relegation play-off. Kadıoğlu also played 3 relegation play-off matches.
2017–2018 season In his second professional year with the team, Kadıoğlu remained a key part of the squad. He scored 7 goals and made 12 assists in 34 (31 starts) Eerste Divisie matches. NEC finished the season in 3rd place but weren't promoted to Eredivisie after losing against Emmen in the promotion play-offs. Kadıoğlu also played 3 promotion second round playoff matches.
Fenerbahçe 2018–2020: Signing and emergence
In July 2018, Kadıoğlu signed for Turkish Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe. He made his debut for the senior squad on 20 December 2018, coming on as a substitute in a Turkish Cup match against Giresunspor. In his first season, he played mostly for the under-21 team, making 11 appearances with them in the U21 Ligi.
The following season he started to find more time in the senior squad and scored his first goal for Fenerbahçe on 19 August 2019 against Gaziantep, netting the final goal in a 5–0 victory.
2020–2022: Increased playing time In his third season, under new manager Erol Bulut, he started to find more time in first team and became one of the key players who took more responsibility on the field.
In the subsequent year, with changes in management, first under Vitor Pereira and then İsmail Kartal, he solidified his starter role. Despite his age, he consistently earned and played full 90-minute matches.
On 17 March 2022, Fenerbahçe announced that they had signed a four-year contract with Kadıoğlu until June 2026.
2022–2024: Key player In his fifth season, he emerged as a versatile player for Fenerbahçe, occupying multiple positions in the first eleven, mainly at both full-back positions. He finished the season with 4 goals and 5 assists across all competitions, amassing a total of 4,175 minutes of playtime.
In his sixth season, he made a very strong start with new coach and club legend İsmail Kartal.
Brighton and Hove Albion On 27 August 2024, Kadıoğlu joined Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion for a reported fee of £25m, with an additional £4.2m in add-ons. He signed a four-year contract.
On 18 September 2024, Kadıoğlu scored his first goal for Brighton in a 3–2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round of the EFL Cup. On 2 November, he scored his first Premier League goal in a 2–1 defeat to Liverpool.
On 19 May 2026, Kadıoğlu was named the Brighton and Hove Albion player of the year for the 2025–26 season.
International career Kadıoğlu was born in the Netherlands to a Turkish father and a Dutch Canadian mother. He was therefore eligible to represent Turkey, the Netherlands and Canada internationally. He was a youth international for the Netherlands. In March 2021, Kadıoğlu was named to the Netherlands U-21 squad for that year's UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Later that year on 12 November 2021, Turkey coach Stefan Kuntz revealed that he was expecting Kadıoğlu to make his decision on his international future in March 2022. On 3 January 2022, his club Fenerbahçe announced that he had chosen to represent the Turkey national team. On 4 June 2022, Kadıoğlu debuted with Turkey in a 4–0 UEFA Nations League win over the Faroe Islands. On 18 November 2023, he scored his first international goal in a 3–2 friendly win over Germany in Berlin.
On 7 June 2024, Kadıoğlu was named in Turkey's squad by coach Vincenzo Montella for UEFA Euro 2024.
On 2 June 2026, Kadıoğlu was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEurope Other TotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals NEC2016–17Eredivisie27440———3142017–18Eerste Divisie34751——00398Total611191——007012Fenerbahçe2018–19Süper Lig0010—00—102019–2023482———3162020–2126140———3012021–2228210—91—3832022–2331361—100—4742023–2437120—122005132024–2520——31—51Total14811223—3440020418Brighton & Hove Albion2024–25Premier League610021——822025–263712030——4212026–2740001010—60Total472206110—563Career total25624334613540033033
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsTurkey202270202381202470202560202671Total352
Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kadıoğlu goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Ferdi KadıoğluNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 18 November 2023 Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany 14 1–1 3–2 Friendly2 26 March 2026 Beşiktaş Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey 29 1–0 1–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours Fenerbahçe Turkish Cup: 2022–23 Individual Brighton & Hove Albion Player of the Year: 2025–26
References
External links