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The club, which became the champions of the German Bundesliga for the fifth time, is strengthening for the next season - the club from the capital Berlin has been reinforced with the Turkish national team midfielder Yildiray Basturk.
The 28-year-old footballer did not want to extend his contract with the "Hertha" club and became a free agent, signing a three-year contract with the possibility of extension with "Stuttgart".
The 168 cm tall Turk has played a total of 218 matches in the Bundesliga and has competed 40 times in the UEFA Champions League matches. The player born in the city of Bochum has also represented teams like "Wattenscheid", Leverkusen, and in 2004 he joined "Hertha". After three years spent in the capital's team, he moved to "Stuttgart" and will be wearing the number 10 jersey.
"We are very happy that Yildiray Basturk decided to play for our team," said Stuttgart's sports director Horst Heldt. "He also received several offers from German and foreign clubs. However, Yildiray undoubtedly wanted to play for us. By acquiring him, we are able to increase the team's quality, as it is very important to be prepared for additional UEFA Champions League matches."
Meanwhile, the head coach of Stuttgart's first team, Armin Veh, described the midfielder as an "experienced player of international level", who is a fast midfielder and has been a clear leader in the clubs where he played.
Y. Basturk has participated in the UEFA Champions League final, World Cup final, and has also demonstrated his high-quality skills during the years spent in Germany.
"I can't wait to put on the Stuttgart jersey next season and play in the prestigious European tournament," commented the Turk on his transfer. "I hope that success will accompany the team in the next season as well."
For the "Stuttgart" team, this is already the third player acquired for the 2007-2008 season. The team was previously reinforced by goalkeeper Raphael Schäfer and defender from the "Rostock" club Gledson.
