During his first year in management in 2023, he took charge of Turkish club Eyupspor, promoting them to the Super Lig for the first time ever.
The following season, he secured an incredible sixth-place finish in the Turkish top division, catching the eye of Shakhtar.
Now at the helm of the Ukrainian outfit, he stands on the brink of winning a 16th league title, while also preparing for a UEFA Conference League semi-final clash with Crystal Palace.
Shakhtar have won just one European trophy in their history after their UEFA Cup triumph in 2009, and Turan is eyeing more continental glory.
Speaking exclusively to Tolga Akdeniz of Flashscore, Turan discussed his time at Shakhtar and how he is preparing for a crucial period of the season, his experiences in Spain and playing alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, and his thoughts on Turkey's chances of success at the World Cup.
With Shakhtar, you're enjoying a brilliant season so far. You're on course to recapture the Ukrainian Premier League title, and you're in the Conference League semi-finals. Reaching the semi-final of any European competition is a great achievement, but even more so considering the backdrop of Russia's invasion of the country. So how are you feeling? How are you evaluating your first year at the club?
"First of all, I'd like to thank Shakhtar. We have an excellent organisation, which is not easy to ensure under the circumstances of the war. No matter how much you talk about it, it's not really possible to understand the circumstances without experiencing them.
"We take long trips all the time, up to 15 hours. We are carrying people's hopes with us, and we're making the players feel this.
"As the league title goes, we will continue with the same level of seriousness until the end. With the Conference League, we got this far after playing four qualifying rounds. If we finish in a good position in Europe, we can qualify directly for the league phase of the Champions League next season. We are aware of the value of this.
"We are excited with the semi-final encounter. I think it can serve as a source of inspiration to children in Ukraine and all around the world. We respect our opponents, but will try to play our own game, our own style of play, because we are trying to build the team for the future here. That's our dream."
You spent a few years at Eyupspor before joining Shakhtar, and this is now your first job abroad. What did you think when you joined the club - what were your ambitions and did you expect to be this successful?
"Honestly, of course, sometimes you have doubts, but I really had great belief in Shakhtar's game culture and football organisation. Also, I rely a lot on my own game philosophy and system. It's a difficult one. It is difficult for new players to accept and acknowledge it because we have a tough preseason and we need repetition for many areas of the game.
"Also, I am a coach who really wants certain points to be very clear to my players. And I believe that the bond and the connection we have with our players brought us all the way here. If I said I didn't have any doubts, that wouldn't be true, maybe, but I always believed that we would have success.
"That's because when I was working in Eyupspor, I used to tell my coaching staff that we should train Eyupspor as if we were training Barcelona or Atlético. So we were actually ready for this experience in Shakhtar."
Speaking of your style of football: You played under some big-name coaches with big personalities, Fatih Terim, Luis Enrique and Diego Simeone. The former are known for their front-footed, aggressive style of football, while Simeone is seen as more pragmatic and defensive… What did you learn from all these coaches, and how have they influenced you and the style you want to play?
"From Diego Simeone, I learned about the defensive details of the game. That could be the angles of double teams, when two players are going to defend one, or where and when to clear the ball, or what the defensive block looks like. Also, I learned that if you fight together, you can go until the end.
"With Luis Enrique, along with the formation, I learned about his offensive solutions. He was very successful in coming up with different ways to overcome different types of pressing. I also learned about passes over dribbles, making the passing triangles better and the solutions for one-on-ones for side press.
"With Fatih Terim, I learned most about not focusing on the numbers and formations, but rather focusing on the system and the rules of them. He had different solutions for different players and would come up with them very easily. Also, I learned from him about the motivational part and the relationships and connections to players.
"Luis Enrique would also always have open face-to-face communications with players. He would know how to talk to a player at the right time and right place, what to say in what circumstance, and respected the positions of the players on the team.
"From all these coaches, I can say I learned about spirit and doing everything to win within fair play. They were all hardworking. I learned a lot from them, I'm grateful to them and I hope that one day, they can see what they taught me in how I play with my team."
Shakhtar are a club that give opportunities to young players and look to develop top footballers. How do you see the progress of your young players this season?
"I think the progress of our players was incredible. And also, we have more young players than ever in this Shakhtar team, because of the circumstances brought by the war. Before, there were many young players, young Brazilians, but they have played in the Brazilian senior national team.
"Now our players are playing at the U18, U19, and U20 teams of Brazil. They will have an excellent future. But since the times changed now, we require a different method of communication with them. Because the way they learn things change. The teaching methods suitable for them are different now and we respect their way of progressing into life.
"This year we are among the teams who played the biggest number of games in Europe and I think that's an excellent experience for us. Maybe we could even play in the UEFA Youth League because our squad's age is suitable for that."
You, yourself, were a very elegant footballer, naturally gifted with flair. You played off instinct. There is a lot of talk these days about players not being given as much freedom and being treated more like robots. As a coach, if you have a player like that on your team, how do you manage them?
"I don't want to take away the beautiful side of football, I don't want to lose it, I want it to be more beautiful and entertaining for the children in the future. Times are changing and there are many different systems compared to 10, fifteen years ago.
"But still, I'm trying to let my players be free to the maximum extent possible on the pitch. For example, in the first and the second zones, we have a system and I want my players to obey that. But in the third zone, I really need their freedom and their talent.
"I think the game is also evolving, but it might evolve back where it was some time because the one-on-one press is getting more and more popular these days, and I don't believe having one-on-one press for the whole ninety minutes is possible.
"I believe that the league phase game between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich was an excellent example of this. So talents will be needed more, will be required more and also the dribblings.
"But more than that, I think where and when to dribble will be more important. And which skill on which part of the pitch. So I believe that the players should be free, but it should be at the right place on the pitch."
Speaking of players in that mould, do you think there is a lack of real individual talent nowadays compared to when you were playing? Are there fewer maverick, superstar footballers?
"I believe that the stars change shape. For instance, before the first touch, the aesthetic passes, the one-on-one dribbling skills would make a star. And now it is more dynamic stars that we see. Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Kenan Yildiz, Lamine Yamal... The players who are very dynamic and who are going quickly in one-on-ones. They are now the stars of the game.
"I believe that the stars are evolving. Before, there were more midfielders and number 10s, and now there are more wingers. So that's how I explain the transformation in football stars.
"But in my eyes, as long as Messi is alive, he is the best in world football and this is not something we can compare or change."
You face Crystal Palace in the semi-finals, as you continue the hunt for Shakhtar’s second European trophy after they won the UEFA Cup in 2009. What do you think of Palace as a team? What challenge will they present?
"I was in their stadium, Selhurst Park, to watch them live in December. I can say that they have an excellent coach, and he won a European trophy before. He knows very well how to play against big clubs. I can say that Crystal Palace is clearly a coach's team.
"They are showing the image of one team. They are very dynamic. They can play the one-on-ones very well, and they can attack and defend in any way possible. They are very good in one-on-one press, but they are also good when they go back to their defensive block. They can implement the high press very effectively.
"They really deserve respect as a team and I think it's an excellent coach's team. It will be a great experience playing against them because in Shakhtar, we are trying to build a team for the future, who could play the quarter-finals, semi-finals or even the final in the Champions League.
"That's our dream. That's why it will be an excellent experience to play against such a team like Crystal Palace, who played against the big teams of Premier League before, who have this experience. So it will be an excellent test to see our level."
You spoke glowingly of Glasner, who's done a great job there. Are there any players for Palace in particular you think you need to keep quiet?
"If you are playing against such a team, starting to talk individually about them would be a mistake, because any of them can do anything on the pitch at any time in the game. So who to defend at this point?
"We need to defend against them as a team. And when you have a two-legged round, I believe that I would be disturbed naming players one by one. We should be careful about all of them.
"As I said just before, they can attack in any way, they can transition well, they have good set-piece offence. They are very effective on the crosses, on the line, so we shouldn't look at it individually, but we should be careful about all our opponents because any of them can score any time.
"If a team sprints more than three thousand meters every game, you should take care of all their players."
As a manager, how do you feel ahead of a game like this with this much on the line and the stakes so high, and what message will you deliver to your players ahead of it?
"When you are playing a two-legged round like this, it is impossible for you to play both 90 minutes well all the time. So it will be about managing moments through the games. You should always maintain high focus in such games.
"And also we need to accept that Crystal Palace are an excellent team physically as well, so we need to be ready for the contact. And if we don't have this semi-final spirit psychology, we will be in great trouble. We need to prepare well for the moments, and there will be times when they will come to us.
"The game will be on our half of the pitch, and when we are in trouble during such times, we need to raise and stand up. We need to be ready for contact, most importantly.
"If you are playing against such a team from the Premier League, you need to be 100% ready both physically and psychologically. If we stand together, we can succeed. I accept that it won't be easy, but if we are together, we can do it."
When you mentioned Messi earlier, I could hear the admiration you have for him. What was it like making the move to Barcelona? Could you feel real significant change, even in the dressing room you were sharing with Messi, Xavi, Iniesta? What was that like?
"100% I have great respect for all these players, but also on the other side, I was a player who had won five trophies when I joined Barcelona. I had won LaLiga as well. So they were great players that I admired, but also they were my teammates, and I wasn't there just as a spectator.
"I also won great trophies with Barcelona. Also, I was fitting their system as a player. I was always a player who lived the experience of winning and losing fully on the pitch. So I also had a good career in Barcelona. I was there to contribute and I believe that I contributed well."
You were at Atletico and managed to topple the two powerhouses of Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain. How did it feel to become a LaLiga champion with Atleti in 2014 while playing a vital role?
"I think it is one of the most special titles ever won in football. Maybe you can compare with Leicester City, but I believe it is the greatest title ever won. Because it was against the two best teams in history.
"It was a proud moment, but also a learning experience for me. Because we had acknowledged the conditions that we were in. We knew that the other teams had Messi, Ronaldo, Higuaín, Neymar, Benzema... We knew that there were great players against us, but we saw that if we stood together, we could do anything.
"So I learned a lot. If you fight and do the right things to win, you can win anything in life. And I believe that it was also a good example for the whole football community."
You came through the Galatasaray system. How did that shape you as a player, and what did it mean to captain the team you love at such a young age?
"There is nothing greater than a child's dream coming true in someone's life. It was one of the best times in my life when I was captaining Galatasaray at a young age like that. And the club was in much more difficult conditions than they are right now. We didn't have this stadium that we have right now. We didn't have the training centre, and our opponents were economically much ahead of us.
"That's why I believe that as a captain, I was representing well the spirit of rebellion and this team that was going against all these conditions of this struggle. It might be a little bit difficult for today's generation of Twitter, TikTok and social media.
"But I believe that it was something very important to learn a lot on and off the pitch. That's why I'm proud of those days. It was a little boy's dream realised."
The Turkish national team will appear at the World Cup for the third time in their history and for the first time since 2002. How did you feel when they qualified, and how good a job has Vincenzo Montella done?
"Montella is a coach who is beyond fantastic for us. He has done an excellent job. We are grateful for him, and we are proud of him. It's an excellent team, the Turkish national team of today. Although the stars are highlighted, they show the image of a team.
"When they qualified, we were following with pride and excitement. It's a team that is getting you excited and happy, so we are expecting more of them right now. We will support them, and we will pray for them. This is a team that really gets you excited, and what more can a country ask for?"
Which players really impress you for Turkey and you think will be key for the national team at the tournament, and what do you think they can achieve there?
"I'm feeling very differently about the World Cup. I think they can achieve more than dreams. Of course, when you think about the national team, you look at stars like Arda Guler or Kenan Yildız and you get really excited.
"Also, Hakan Calhanoglu is an excellent leader for the team. But I believe that their greatest future is being one team, and they have this strength and power with them.
"When you are thinking about the team, you should also think about an excellent goalkeeper like Ugurcan Cakır. Very good fullbacks like Zeki Celik and Ferdi Kadıoglu. Midfielders like Ismail Yuksek and Orkun Kokcu. Young players with a lot of potential. Baris (Alper Yilmaz), Kerem (Akturkoglu), Yunus (Akgun)...
"But more than the names or the individual performances, the most important side of this national team is that they are really a team. And I believe that they can achieve more than a dream. Sometimes in life, the conditions can enable this, and I think we have such conditions.
"I think that they can go till the end of the road. Of course, it depends on the draws and the bracket of the World Cup. But I feel this. I see them as my younger brothers, I don't want to put them under burden, but they really get you excited and they make you dream."
Turkey’s run to the semis of EURO 2008 was amazing, and you scored some big goals during that run? What was it like playing in that tournament, and was that your proudest moment for your country?
"It was of course an excellent period of time. I can say that. I played more than well in every game I played, I contributed well. There were other times that I played well, for instance, in World Cup qualifiers, and they were really different back then.
"It was excellent, under the coaching of Guus Hiddink as well. And when I played in the national team, every day I would tell my teammates that we are lucky people. We are privileged to be here and we should know the value of it all the time.
"I cannot specify any moment or period as my proudest in my national team career. But the EURO 2008 is of course remembered as a huge success by many people. But for me actually, it's also a disappointment. Because I really believe that we could win the trophy. So sometimes I remember it positively, sometimes I feel this disappointment honestly."