Like many other countries in the world, football is the most popular sport in Turkey. Here we list the top 7 soccer players in Turkey; the best footballers that Turkish sports history has ever made.
1- Metin Oktay
Metin Oktay played football actively between 1954 and 1979 and was known as one of the greatest legends in the history of Turkish football. He played as a striker for Galatasaray SK, İzmirspor, and SSD Palermo (Italy) and scored 314 goals in his career.
Oktay became a legend after wearing a red yellow shirt from Galatasaray, one of the biggest sports clubs in Turkey. In a short span of time, Oktay turned into a symbol for Galatasaray while winning 5 league titles, 4 Turkish Cups, and two Presidency Cups. Oktay has become a legend for Galatasaray fans thanks to his absolute affiliation and loyalty to Galatasaray.
2-Lefter Küçükandonyadis
Lefter Küçükandonyadisor Ordinary Professor; one of the biggest names in Turkish football history and a true legend of Fenerbahçe Sporting Club. He was a Turkish footballer of Greek descent who was born and raised in Istanbul and spent most of his career at the Fenerbahçe football team.
In Jersey Fenerbahce, Lifter scored 423 goals and won 5 league titles. He also served in the Turkish national team and scored 22 goals in 46 matches. Lifter was a symbol of success and sportsmanship thanks to his amazing performance on the field and his gentle nature. In 2009, he built his statue in Kadıköy, which is the home of Fenerbahçe SK.
3-Tango Çolak
The most important player who made his mark in the late 1980s and early 1990s was, without a doubt, Tango Çolak. He was an attacking player who grew up in Samsunspor. It was simply a goal machine that broke all records in the Turkish Premier League.
Çolak played in 157 matches for Samsunspor and scored 123 goals, which is an incredible stat when the Samsunspor was a small team and not a match for Istanbul’s big teams. He played 124 games for Galatasaray, scoring 116 goals. Çolak ended his career at Istanbul Sport with 17 goals in 19 matches.
4-Hakan Şükür
Hakan Şükür is perhaps the most political figure we will mention in our “Top 7 soccer players in Turkey” list. In Galatasaray, Sukkur became a big star and a big scorer. He played 392 matches for Galatasaray and scored 228 goals.
During his career with the national team, Turkey reached the finals of the European Championship in 1996 and 2000 and also played in the World Cup Finals in 2002. For 2020, Şükür remains the all-time top scorer in the Turkish Super League and the history of the Turkish national team.
5-Rüştü Reçber
The only goalkeeper on our list of the best Turkish players is Rüştü Reçber, who has played for teams like Fenerbahçe, Besiktas, and Barcelona. Rüştü attracted the attention of soccer fans while he was playing for Antalyaspor, a small team in the Turkish Super League. Soon he was transferred to Fenerbahçe and invited to the national team.
Rüştü played 294 times for Fenerbhaçe and his performance led to a move to FC Barcelona, which had been Rüştü’s dream since he was a child. However, Rüştü’s performance was unsatisfactory for Barcelona and he soon returned to Turkey.
In the last five years of his career, Rüştü played for Beşiktaş JK, Fenerbahçe’s rival. Rüştü showed great success in the club and national games. He wore the Turkish national team shirt 131 times and is currently known as Turkey’s best goalkeeper ever.
6-Emre Belözoğlu
Emre Belözoğlu is one of the most important footballers who left their mark over the past 20 years of Turkish football history.
He quickly became the most important midfield player in Galatasaray at the age of 16 and the Turkish national team. Also, he played for Inter and Newcastle United. Although Galatasaray fans were upset at the choice of Emery, he soon became a famous player in Fenerbahçe and took the captain’s armband.
7-Arda Turan
Another controversial figure on the list of the top 10 soccer players in Turkey is Arda Turan. He started his career at Galatasaray and quickly became a darling of fans.
During his time in Galatasaray, Arda Turan played 127 matches and scored 29 goals, and helped his team win two league titles. As a result of his effective playing in Galatasaray, Arda Turan moved to Atlético de Madrid in 2011 and helped his team win the European Cup, 1 European Super Cup, La Liga title and 1 Copa del Rey.