The Turkish player doesn’t shine solely for his playmaking skills: when it matters, he is also be decisive from the penalty spot.
Hakan Calhanoglu is solidifying his role as a leader at Inter, evident in his stellar performance against Udinese last Saturday. This comes after Fabio Capello hailed him as the best midfielder in Europe in an interview published by Gazzetta dello Sport on the same day.
Inzaghi’s decision to shift him from left midfielder to a pivotal role in front of the defense has proven decisive, a game-changing move that is shaping both the team and Calhanoglu’s career.
This is A season to remember for the ‘Turkish maestro’, especially in terms of goal-scoring: the midfielder has already netted 8 goals this season, with an impressive 7 coming from penalty kicks. Inter’s number 20 is proving to be flawless from the spot, having scored 12 penalties in as many attempts.
With a 100% conversion rate, he stands at the top of this special chart. Only one other player has done better in Inter’s history, as highlighted by Gazzetta dello Sport:
“In Inter’s history, only Romelu Lukaku has done better than him (so far), converting 19 penalties out of 19. To put it in perspective, Icardi scored 21 with 6 misses (considering all competitions), Ibrahimovic scored 10 out of 11, Milito 15 out of 19, Eto’o 8 out of 9, Adriano 7 out of 11, Lautaro 13 out of 19, Altobelli 36 out of 41, Matthäus 22 out of 26, Boninsegna 31 out of 32, Vieri 14 out of 17, Ronaldo 15 out of 18, and Djorkaeff 14 out of 16.”
