It might've been 48 years since Turkey last appeared in the finals, but they've returned to the world stage with a bang.
Coach Senol Gunes' prediction of reaching the quarter-finals seemed a little optimistic at the time, but in the end his men went one better and made it to the last four.
Although they lost their opening group game, I could see this was a team with potential. I wasn't wrong - a subsequent draw and win put them through to the knockout stages where they soon brought Japan and Senegal's fantastic World Cup runs to an end.
Certainly the team has benefited from many of the players playing their club football outside Turkey, such as Emre Belozoglu and Umit Davala in Serie A as well as Yildiray Basturk in Germany.
Gunes has also played his part, transforming his team into a tight unit that's not afraid to knock the ball around and go forward, with the likes of Hasan Sas proving a dangerous threat in the box.
Their impressive run was finally halted by the team that beat them in their opening game, Brazil, but the Turks have gone out with their heads held high.
