Türkiye's Cenk Tosun on breaking records and last-16 opponents Austria

Aged 33 years and 19 days, Cenk Tosun became the oldest player in Türkiye history to score a goal at a EURO tournament against Czechia on Matchday 3.

The forward surpassed the previous record set by Burak Yılmaz, who found the net against the same opponents at EURO 2016, aged 30 years and 342 days. Hakan Çalhanoğlu ranks third in this particular category (30 years, 139 days), following his opening goal against Czechia in Hamburg last week. As with Cenk Tosun, that strike was the Türkiye skipper's first at a European Championship finals.

In this interview with EURO2024.com, the German-born striker reflects on his record-breaking effort and previews the upcoming round of 16 match against Austria.

How do you feel about your record-breaking goal?

I don't know if it's something to be proud of. But it's always nice to score a goal at the age of 33 at a EURO. It made me very happy. I was part of the national team at EURO 2016 but didn't score. Unfortunately I wasn't in the squad at EURO 2020 due to injury. In 2024, I finally scored my first goal against Czechia. I'm very happy. It's interesting that all three of us scored against Czechia. Being in the top three with these two players is a great honour for me, because I hold them both in high regard.

This is the first time Türkiye are playing at a major tournament with such a young squad. How would you describe your role both on and off the pitch?

We have a really great team, with bright young players and experienced ones. The combination is great. We want to be there for our young players so they don't make the same mistakes we made in the past due to inexperience. We aim to support them on and off the pitch. That's why we're here. But, at the same time, when I get a chance like this, I try to be as useful for the team as I possibly can be.

Did missing out on EURO 2020 give you extra motivation? Following your first goal, what kind of Cenk Tosun will we be seeing for the rest of the tournament?

I'm not 100% certain, but 99% [certain] that it will be my last EURO. That's why I wanted to be in this team with these bright young players. Moreover, it was even more inspiring for me that it is being played in the country where I was born and raised. I trained hard for this. As I said, I am always ready. Whenever I am given the chance to play, I am ready to give everything for this beautiful country of mine.

Did you, as a team and as individuals, expect Austria to finish first in Group D?

Well, it was a very tough group, but we know Austria are a good team. We know that they are a team with great physical strength. We had a game against them recently and we know their power.

 Türkiye suffered a heavy defeat against Austria in a friendly in March. What will it be like to face them at a EURO for the first time?

The result will definitely be the opposite, because we've prepared really well for the game and will continue to do so. We started the friendly well, in my opinion, but we were really unlucky with the first goal. It is better for it to happen in a friendly than at the EURO, because we'll have no chance to rectify the situation here, but we were able to [after March]. Like we've done for every game, we've analysed the opponent and have prepared well. We'll be in our best shape on the pitch in front of our fans.

In 2016/17, you scored the UEFA Champions League goal of the tournament for Beşiktaş against Benfica. Are you dreaming about scoring a similar goal here?

I'll be incredibly happy if something like that happens again. People who stop me on the street still talk about it to this day. I couldn't sleep that night. I watched the goal around 500 times on my phone, through sheer happiness. It was a great moment in my life, possibly one of the happiest. In such a big tournament like this, scoring any goal would make me incredibly happy. But what is more important than scoring is qualifying for the next round. So if I have to choose between a regular last-minute goal and a scissor kick, I'd choose the regular one [because I'm] thinking about the team.