Until recently, Meryem Cabbaroğlu was known mainly among fans of Turkish volleyball. But it took just a few photos for her face to start circulating around the world, and for thousands of people to want to know who she was.
Meryem is 20 years old, is 1.63 meters tall, and plays as a libero for Bodrum Belediyesi Bodrumspor, a team competing in Turkey’s Women’s First League. She has also played for clubs such as MKE Ankaragücü and Zeren Spor, and represented Turkey in youth categories.
But this time, it wasn’t exactly her performances on the court that sparked the phenomenon.
Her photos began going viral internationally because of her beauty, racking up millions of views across various posts. One post shared about her surpassed 3 million views, while another reached 5 million.
The attention came so suddenly that a Turkish publication reported she had gained around 30,000 followers in just one day. Messages from foreign admirers proposing marriage even began to appear. Media outlets in her country also reported on the many “Marry me” requests that started coming her way.
The phenomenon reached such a point that some posts later noted that her Instagram account had been set to private, while the photos already circulating continued to multiply on other accounts.
Beyond the attention for her appearance, Meryem didn’t come out of nowhere: she has been building a sports career for years and went on to represent Turkey in the Under-16 category.
Now, with millions of people discovering her face practically overnight, the young woman who stepped onto the court as a volleyball player ended up leaving it unexpectedly transformed into a viral sensation.