Turkish footballer Tolga Kalender has died at the age of 25 after battling cancer for approximately nine months.
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Kalender, who played as a defender for Turkish second-tier club Bandırmaspor, died in hospital in Adana on September 23 after his condition deteriorated.
His death was announced by his wife, Çiğdem Kalender, who revealed that the illness was first diagnosed around nine months ago.
She wrote: “He was diagnosed with cancer approximately nine months ago.
“During this process, the illness, which initially began in his eye, unfortunately spread to other organs over time.”
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“He was receiving treatment. He had improved at the beginning of the summer, but the cancer had progressed to his lungs.”
Kalender began his professional football career with Beykoz Anadolu Spor in 2017 before going on to represent several clubs, including Başakşehir FK, Adana Demirspor, Bayrampaşa Spor, Diyarbekir Spor and Bandırmaspor.
During the 2024/25 season, he made 25 appearances for Adana Demirspor in Turkey’s top-flight Süper Lig and scored one goal.
He also scored three other goals during his career, with two coming in the fourth-tier 3. Lig Group 2 and another in the Türkiye Kupası, Turkey’s equivalent of the FA Cup.
One of the notable achievements of Kalender’s career came during the 2020/21 season when he helped Adana Demirspor win the Turkish second-tier title.
His death at just 25 has left the Turkish football community mourning the loss of a young defender whose career was cut short by illness.