COACHES from Türkiye

Top 8

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Turkish Coaches of all time. This list of famous Turkish Coaches is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.

1. Fatih Terim (b. 1953)

With an HPI of 70.74, Fatih Terim is the most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 47 different languages on wikipedia.

Fatih Terim (born 4 September 1953) is a Turkish professional football manager and former player. During his football career, he played for Ceyhanspor, Adana Demirspor and Galatasaray. In his eleven years of playing time for Galatasaray, he won the Prime Minister's Cup in 1975 and in 1979, the Turkish Cup in 1975–76, 1981–82 and 1984–85 seasons and the Turkish Super Cup in 1982 with the club. Terim has managed several clubs in Italy (Milan and Fiorentina) and Turkey, as well as the Turkey national team, most recently from 2013 to 2017. In a survey conducted by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) in 80 countries, he was placed among the best eight managers in the world, receiving his award at a ceremony held in Rothenburg, Germany, on 8 January 2001. On 25 April 2007, Terim received the order of "Commendatore" awarded by the Italian state. In 2008, he received a nomination for UEFA manager of the year and Eurosport named him the best coach at UEFA Euro 2008. In December 2008, he was ranked the seventh-best football manager in the world by World Soccer magazine in 2008. His Turkish nickname is "İmparator", and his Italian nickname is "Imperatore". Both names mean "emperor".

2. Şenol Güneş (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 62.24, Şenol Güneş is the 2nd most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Şenol Güneş (Turkish pronunciation: [ʃeˈnoɫ ˈɟyneʃ], born 1 June 1952) is a Turkish football manager and former player who is currently the director of professional football for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor. His most notable managerial achievements to date include coaching the Turkey national team to third place in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and winning two Süper Lig titles; both of them with Beşiktaş. He is also noted for stints in his boyhood club Trabzonspor. His playing career there saw the club win six of their seven Süper Lig titles.

3. Ergin Ataman (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 57.41, Ergin Ataman is the 3rd most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Halil Ergin Ataman (born January 7, 1966) is a Turkish professional basketball coach, currently managing Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. He is also the head coach of the Turkish national team. During his playing career which began in 1982, he played for the Eczacıbaşı and Yeşilyurt basketball clubs in the amateur area. Ataman is considered the most successful coach in Turkish basketball history and one of the most successful coaches in Europe, having won three Euroleague titles (2021, 2022 and 2024). In 2021 and 2022 he won back to back Euroleague titles with Anadolu Efes and in 2024 he won the Euroleague title with Panathinaikos BC in his first year.

4. Bülent Korkmaz (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 54.57, Bülent Korkmaz is the 4th most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Bülent Korkmaz (born 24 November 1968), colloquially known by his given nicknames "Büyük Kaptan" (lit. 'Great Captain') and "Cengaver" (lit. 'Warrior'), is a Turkish football coach and former professional player. Korkmaz was a one club man during his club career, playing as a centre-back for Galatasaray for his whole career for 18 consecutive seasons between 1987 and 2005, winning 8 Süper Lig, 6 Turkish Cup, 5 Turkish Super Cup,1 UEFA Cup and 1 UEFA Super Cup titles. He is the 13th player in history to make over 100 appearances across European club competitions. Korkmaz has got 102 senior caps for Turkey national football team.

5. Hami Mandıralı (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 53.50, Hami Mandıralı is the 5th most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Hami Mandıralı (born 20 July 1968) is a Turkish football manager and former footballer. He played for Trabzonspor nearly all of his career.

6. Abdullah Avcı (b. 1963)

With an HPI of 49.08, Abdullah Avcı is the 6th most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Abdullah Mucib Avcı (Turkish pronunciation: [abdullah mudʒib avdʒɯ]; born 31 July 1963) is a UEFA Pro Licensed Turkish football manager and a former professional footballer. He is the former manager of Trabzonspor. He has also managed the Turkey national team. Avcı's coaching career began at İstanbulspor in 1999 as assistant coach before a spell as Galatasaray youth academy chief. Later, in October 2004, he became the head coach of the Turkey under-17 national football team. After leaving his position with the national teams in 2006, Avcı started working as a coach at İstanbul Başakşehir. He coached İstanbul Başakşehir until 2011 when he became the head coach of the national team. Between 2011 and 2013, Avcı coached the national team before returning to lead İstanbul Başakşehir again in 2014. He worked at İstanbul Başakşehir from 2014 to 2019 before becoming the head coach of Beşiktaş for the 2019 season. In the 2020 season, Avcı took over Trabzonspor and led the team to become Süper Lig champions in the 2021–22 season. On 7 March 2023, Avcı announced his resignation from his position.

7. Selçuk İnan (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 46.61, Selçuk İnan is the 7th most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Selçuk İnan (Turkish pronunciation: [selt͡ʃuk iˈnan] born 10 February 1985) is a Turkish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Known for his vision, passing range, leadership, and set-piece ability, İnan is regarded as one of the finest Turkish midfielders of his generation. He began his career with Dardanelspor before playing for Manisaspor and rising to prominence at Trabzonspor. In 2011, he joined Galatasaray, where he became a key figure over nine seasons, winning four Süper Lig titles, three Turkish Cups, and five Turkish Super Cups, while serving as team captain for several years. Internationally, İnan earned over 60 caps for the Turkey national team and was instrumental in helping Turkey qualify for UEFA Euro 2016 with a decisive free-kick goal against Iceland. Following his retirement from playing in 2020, İnan served as assistant manager at Galatasaray under Fatih Terim between 2020 and 2022. He then began his managerial career as head coach, taking charge of Kasımpaşa and Gaziantep, and is currently the manager of Kocaelispor. İnan was a central midfielder known for his technical ability, composure on the ball, and tactical intelligence. He excelled as a deep-lying playmaker and was renowned for his precise passing and set-piece delivery. A natural leader on the pitch, İnan played a crucial role in orchestrating his teams’ build-up play and often contributed with decisive free-kick goals and assists throughout his career.

8. Fatih Akyel (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 45.67, Fatih Akyel is the 8th most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Fatih Akyel (born 26 December 1977) is a Turkish football manager and former professional player. He played as a defender for clubs such as Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe during his 15-year career. He was capped by the Turkey national team 64 times from 1997 to 2004, and also won a silver medal with the Olympic team at the 1997 Mediterranean Games.