The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Türkiye

This page contains a list of the greatest Turkish Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 127 of which were born in Türkiye. This makes Türkiye the birth place of the 37th most number of Soccer Players behind Cameroon, and Slovakia.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Turkish Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Turkish Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Turkish Soccer Players.

1. Hakan Şükür (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 64.63, Hakan Şükür is the most famous Turkish Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 54 different languages on wikipedia.

Hakan Şükür (Albanian: Shykyr; born 1 September 1971) is a Turkish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Nicknamed the "Bull of the Bosphorus" and Kral (king), he spent the majority of his professional career with Galatasaray, being a three-time Gol Kralı (Goal King, title and award given to the annual top goalscorer of the Süper Lig), representing the club in three different spells and winning a total of 14 major titles. Şükür represented Turkey a total of 112 times, scoring 51 goals, making him the nation's top goalscorer and 19th in the world at the time of his retirement. One of the most prolific strikers of the modern era, he netted 383 goals throughout his club career as well as the fastest ever in a World Cup, in 2002. He retired from football in 2008. In the 2011 general elections, he was elected as an Istanbul MP for the Justice and Development Party. He resigned from the party in December 2013, to serve as an independent. He is wanted for arrest in Turkey since August 2016 for being a member of Gülen movement and has lived in exile in the United States since mid 2016. On 14 July 2017, a decree was issued stating that all medals awarded to Hakan Şükür were to be revoked.

2. Ali Sami Yen (1886 - 1951)

With an HPI of 62.98, Ali Sami Yen is the 2nd most famous Turkish Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Ali Sami Yen, born Ali Sami Frashëri (20 May 1886 – 29 July 1951) was a Turkish sports official best known as the founder of the Galatasaray Sports Club.

3. Lefter Küçükandonyadis (1924 - 2012)

With an HPI of 62.23, Lefter Küçükandonyadis is the 3rd most famous Turkish Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Lefter Küçükandonyadis (Greek: Λευτέρης Αντωνιάδης, Lefteris Antoniadis; 22 December 1924 – 13 January 2012) was a Turkish professional footballer of Greek descent, who played as a forward. He is often recognized as one of the greatest strikers to play for Fenerbahçe and Turkey. Having won several regional and national championship titles with Fenerbahçe and becoming Turkish top scorer twice in his career, he left an imprint on the history of the club. Lefter is one of a few players whose names are included in the Fenerbahçe Anthem. He was also known as "Ordinaryüs" (professor of professors) in Turkey.

4. Rüştü Reçber (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 61.83, Rüştü Reçber is the 4th most famous Turkish Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 50 different languages.

Rüştü Reçber (pronounced [ˈɾyʃty ˈɾetʃbeɾ]; born 10 May 1973) is a Turkish former professional footballer and a current sports executive. During his professional career, he played as a goalkeeper for Antalyaspor, Fenerbahçe, Barcelona and Beşiktaş. Rüştü was part of the Turkey national squad that reached the semi-finals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2008. At the former, where Turkey finished third, his performances saw him selected for the tournament's all-star team. He is Turkey's record appearance holder, having earned 120 caps. He made his debut against Iceland in 1994 and his final appearance came against Finland in 2012. Rüştü was named the best goalkeeper in European competitions in 2002, selected for the 2002 UEFA Team of the Year by public vote. In 2004, he was selected to FIFA 100 by Pelé as one of the 125 best living footballers in the world.

5. Arda Turan (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 61.58, Arda Turan is the 5th most famous Turkish Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 66 different languages.

Arda Turan (born 30 January 1987) is a Turkish professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of Ukrainian Premier League club Shakhtar Donetsk. During his playing career, which included six years in the Spanish La Liga with Atlético Madrid and Barcelona, Turan was mostly known for his ball control, dribbling skills and vision. At age 22, prior to the 2009–10 season, he was named captain of Galatasaray. Following a successful UEFA Euro 2008 campaign, Turan was ranked eighth in a selection of the 100 Best Young Football Players in the World piece published by Spanish magazine Don Balón in July 2008. Turan was ranked 38th in "The 100 Best Footballers in the World" by The Guardian in 2014, the only player on the list to be born in Turkey. On 25 November 2014, Turan was nominated for the UEFA Team of the Year for 2014, among 39 other players. Turan gained 100 senior national caps and scored 17 goals for the Turkey national team, making him Turkey's fifth-most capped player of all-time.

6. Metin Oktay (1936 - 1991)

With an HPI of 60.06, Metin Oktay is the 6th most famous Turkish Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Metin Oktay (2 February 1936 – 13 September 1991) nicknamed the Crownless King (Turkish: Taçsız Kral) by Galatasaray fans, was a Turkish footballer and one of the most successful goal scorers in Turkey.

7. Mustafa Denizli (b. 1949)

With an HPI of 60.00, Mustafa Denizli is the 7th most famous Turkish Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Mustafa Denizli (born 10 November 1949) is a Turkish football coach and former player. He has managed many notable Turkish football clubs, including "Istanbul Big Three" (Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Beşiktaş) and has won the Süper Lig title three times. He is the only manager in history to win the Süper Lig with three clubs, and the only manager who reached semi-finals in the European Cup 1988-89 - which make him one the top 3 coaches of Turkey along with Fatih Terim and Şenol Güneş.

8. Okan Buruk (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 58.63, Okan Buruk is the 8th most famous Turkish Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Okan Buruk (Turkish pronunciation: [[oˈkan buɾuk]], born 19 October 1973) is a Turkish professional football manager and former player, currently serving as the manager of Super League club Galatasaray. As both a player and a manager, Buruk is widely recognized as one of the most influential figures in Turkish football in the 21st century. With seven Super League titles as a player and four more as a manager, he holds the record for the most championships in the league’s history. As a midfielder, Buruk enjoyed a successful playing career spanning nearly two decades. He played for prominent clubs, including Galatasaray, Inter Milan, Beşiktaş, and İstanbul Başakşehir. During his time at Galatasaray, he won six Süper Lig titles, four Turkish Cups, and was an instrumental part of the squad that won the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup, making Galatasaray the first Turkish team to achieve this milestone. He was also named Man of the Match in Galatasaray’s 2–1 victory over Real Madrid in the 2000 UEFA Super Cup. Internationally, Buruk earned 56 caps for the Turkey national team. He represented Turkey at UEFA Euro 2000 and was in the squad that won the bronze medal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the nation’s best-ever finish in the tournament. As a manager, Buruk achieved notable success. He guided Istanbul Başakşehir to their first-ever Super League title in the 2019–20 Süper Lig season, becoming only the second manager to achieve this without leading a Big 4 (Beşiktaş, Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Trabzonspor) team. His managerial success continued with Galatasaray, where he led the team to three consecutive Süper Lig titles in the 2022–23, 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons. Buruk is recognized for his high-tempo pressing football and his player-management skills.

9. Emre Belözoğlu (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 58.24, Emre Belözoğlu is the 9th most famous Turkish Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 48 different languages.

Emre Belözoğlu (Turkish pronunciation: [emˈɾe beˈlœzoːɫu], born 7 September 1980), simply known as Emre, is a Turkish football manager and former professional footballer who is currently head coach of Antalyaspor. A left-footed, tempo-setting midfielder most often used as a central midfielder or advanced playmaker, he came through the Galatasaray academy and debuted for the first team at 16, winning four consecutive Süper Lig titles, two Turkish Cups, the UEFA Cup (1999–2000) and the UEFA Super Cup (2000). In 2001 he moved to Inter Milan for £5 million, was voted the club’s Pirata d'Oro (player of the year) in 2002–03 and reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. He later played for Newcastle United, had three spells with Fenerbahçe (winning the Süper Lig in 2010–11 and 2013–14, the 2012–13 Turkish Cup and the 2014 Turkish Super Cup), joined Atlético Madrid briefly in 2012, and captained İstanbul Başakşehir from 2015 to 2019 before returning to Fenerbahçe for a final season and retiring in 2020. Internationally, Belözoğlu earned 101 caps and scored 9 goals for Turkey between 2000 and 2019. He was part of the squad that finished third at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2008, and is a member of the FIFA 100, the list of the world’s greatest living footballers selected by Pelé for FIFA’s centenary. After retiring, he became Fenerbahçe’s director of football in October 2020 and served as the club’s interim head coach for the final ten league matches of the 2020–21 season. He subsequently managed İstanbul Başakşehir (securing European qualification and reaching the Turkish Cup final), Ankaragücü (relegated on the final day of 2023–24), and Antalyaspor, where he briefly resigned in June 2025 before the decision was reversed and he was confirmed to continue into 2025–26.

10. Burhan Sargun (1929 - 2023)

With an HPI of 57.65, Burhan Sargun is the 10th most famous Turkish Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Burhan Cahit Sargun (11 February 1929 – 15 September 2023) was a Turkish footballer who played as a forward. Sargun was born in Ankara. During his club career he played for Fenerbahçe between 1951–56 and 1960–61, scoring a total of 112 goals. He played eight games and scored seven goals for the Turkey national team, including a hat-trick in the 1954 FIFA World Cup against South Korea. Sargun died on 15 September 2023, at the age of 94. One day later, he was buried at Karacaahmet Cemetery.

People

Pantheon has 127 people classified as Turkish soccer players born between 1886 and 2005. Of these 127, 108 (85.04%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Turkish soccer players include Hakan Şükür, Rüştü Reçber, and Arda Turan. The most famous deceased Turkish soccer players include Ali Sami Yen, Lefter Küçükandonyadis, and Metin Oktay. As of April 2024, 5 new Turkish soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Bertuğ Yıldırım, Ahmetcan Kaplan, and İsmail Yüksek.