Pray for Türkiye: Çalhanoğlu raises awareness during warm up
Inter Milan's Hakan Çalhanoğlu warms up ahead of the Serie A match against UC Sampdoria at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy, Feb. 13, 2023. (Getty Images Photo)


As the world grapples with the devastating consequences of the Kahramanmaraş "disaster of the century" in Türkiye and Syria, Inter Milan's Turkish attacking midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu took to the pitch on Monday to spread a special message of action.

The Turkish international warmed up wearing a stylish, custom-printed T-shirt, emblazoned with a powerful call to action, "Pray for Türkiye."

In the closing match of the week, Serie A's second-placed Inter were guests at Sampdoria, who are struggling to stay in the cluster.

Before the competition, a minute's silence was held for those who lost their lives in the devastating earthquake that affected Türkiye and Syria.

In the match played at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, Inter proved unable to breach their opponents' defense and unlock the goal they were desperately seeking, despite several close attempts throughout the game and the match eventually finished in a frustrating goalless stalemate.

As a result of this draw, Inter's disappointment was palpable as the point gap between them and league leaders Napoli widened to 15 points in the race for the championship.

Sampdoria are however languishing in the relegation zone, sitting in 19th place with 11 points.

Meanwhile, the true highlight of the match was not the play itself, but rather Turkish international Çalhanoğlu's heartwarming and deeply emotional gesture. The Turkish international, Çalhanoğlu, was the epitome of class on the pitch, as he called for prayer and support for his beloved homeland, Türkiye, during his pre-match warmup.

A passionate group of Inter fans, who had accompanied their team on the road, vociferously supported the Crescent-Star player with banners that read "We are close to Türkiye and Syria" and "Calhanoğlu is one of us."

Inter Milan fans attend before the Serie A match against UC Sampdoria against UC Sampdoria at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy, Feb. 13, 2023. (Getty Images Photo)

Hakan Çalhanoğlu also thanked his fans for this support from his Instagram account.

On the contrary, the young Turkish player in Sampdoria's squad, Emirhan Ilkhan, was benched during this match and did not take part in the game.

In another match of the week, Hellas Verona defeated Salernitana 1-0.