“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved football player, Baran Alp Vardar," Turkish team İstanbulspor wrote on social media
Credit: Istanbulspor A.S/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Baran Alp Vardar, who played for the Turkish soccer team İstanbulspor, has died at the age of 20 after a cancer diagnosis, the team has confirmed
- “We are in great pain and deep sorrow…” İstanbulspor wrote on social media
- The team confirmed the athlete “had been undergoing cancer treatment for some time”
A soccer player for a Turkish club based in Istanbul has died after being diagnosed with cancer. He was 20 years old.
On Sunday, March 15, İstanbulspor — a team in Turkey’s TFF First League, which is the second level of the country's soccer league — announced that defender Baran Alp Vardar had sadly died.
Sharing a photo of the athlete on social media, the team wrote, “We are in great pain and deep sorrow…”
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved football player, Baran Alp Vardar, who had been undergoing cancer treatment for some time,” the team added, per the translated caption on X.
They continued, “Baran Alp, whom we will always remember for his character, dedication to his teammates, and cheerful demeanor, will live forever in the hearts of our community. His untimely departure has deeply saddened us all.”
“We pray to God for mercy upon our late football player Baran Alp Vardar, and offer our deepest condolences and prayers for strength to his beloved family, friends, teammates, and our entire community,” they team shared.
“May your place be in heaven, Baran Alp… We will never forget you,” the post added.
Credit: Alamy
The team confirmed that the funeral service for the “beloved” team member would be being held at Mevlana Mosque in the Istanbul Province district of Beylikdüzü on Sunday, March 15.
They later shared photographs of those seemingly attending the ceremony, writing on X, “We bid farewell to our beloved Baran Alp on his final journey,” alongside a black love heart emoji.
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The late soccer star, who was born in the Istanbul district of Eminönü, started his soccer career back in 2015 and had played for four different teams at the time of his tragic death, per Turkish newspaper Milliyet.
Vardar made three appearances for İstanbulspor when they were in the Turkish Süper Lig during the 2023/24 season, according to The Mirror. However, he then fell ill.
While previously announcing Sunday’s funeral details, İstanbulspor wrote in a translated X post, “We pray to God for mercy upon our dear Baran Alp Vardar; and we offer our condolences to his precious family, relatives, loved ones, and our community.”
“You will always be in our hearts, Baran Alp…” they added.
PEOPLE has reached out to İstanbulspor for comment.
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