Player profile

Born in Germany to Turkish parents, Tasci was the subject of a tug-of-war for his services but despite concerted efforts by the Turks, he opted to play for the country of his birth, representing the under-21 side before making his senior debut in 2008.

Tasci played in five matches during qualifying for South Africa and put in a string of solid performances.

He is a product of Vfb Stuttgart’s youth system and in his first full season with the first team, he played a key role as the club won the Bundesliga title. He has kept his place since and gained valuable experience in the Champions League.

Tasci usually plays as a centre-back but is equally comfortable at right-back. He is technically sound, but there have been question marks about his positional sense.