Emre Belözoğlu facts for kids
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Belözoğlu captaining Turkey in 2010
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 7 September 1980 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Istanbul, Turkey | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Antalyaspor (head coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1992 | Zeytinburnuspor | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1996 | Galatasaray | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2001 | Galatasaray | 102 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | Inter Milan | 79 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Newcastle United | 58 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Fenerbahçe | 103 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Atlético Madrid | 7 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Fenerbahçe | 56 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | İstanbul Başakşehir | 104 | (11) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Fenerbahçe | 26 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 531 | (60) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Turkey U15 | 11 | (7) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Turkey U16 | 35 | (20) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Turkey U17 | 7 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Turkey U18 | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Turkey U21 | 12 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2019 | Turkey | 101 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Fenerbahçe (caretaker) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | İstanbul Başakşehir | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Ankaragücü | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Antalyaspor | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Emre Belözoğlu (born 7 September 1980), often called Emre, is a famous Turkish football manager. He used to be a professional player and is now the head coach of Antalyaspor.
Emre played as a midfielder, often helping to create goals. He started his youth career at Galatasaray. He made his first team debut at just 16 years old in 1996.
After five years with Galatasaray, he won four Süper Lig titles and one UEFA Cup. He played over 100 games for the club. Later, he moved to Inter Milan, then played for Newcastle United, Fenerbahçe, Atlético Madrid, and İstanbul Başakşehir. He won two more Süper Lig titles with Fenerbahçe.
Emre was also a key player for the Turkey national team from 2000 to 2019. He played over 100 matches for his country. He helped Turkey reach the semi-finals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2008. He was even named in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers chosen by Pelé.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Football
Emre's love for football came from his father, Mehmet. His father introduced him to the sport at the Zeytinburnuspor training ground. Emre's mother, Fatma, was worried because his father had faced challenges in his own football career. However, his father encouraged Emre to follow his dream.
Fans of Zeytinburnuspor quickly noticed Emre's amazing control with his left foot. Coach Salih Bulgurlu saw his talent and gave him special training. Bulgurlu coached Emre for four years, teaching him basic skills and improving his fitness.
Emre was soon discovered by Bülent Ünder, a former Galatasaray legend. Bülent Ünder was a close friend of Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim. He convinced Bulgurlu that Emre should join Galatasaray.
Success with Galatasaray
Emre officially became a Galatasaray player. He first played for the senior team when he was just sixteen, in the 1996–97 season. The next year, he became a regular player for the team.
While at Galatasaray, he achieved great success. By the age of 21, he had won four Süper Lig titles, two Turkish Cups, one UEFA Cup, and one UEFA Super Cup. He also played in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid in April 2001.
Moving to Inter Milan
In 2001, Emre moved to Inter Milan in Italy for £5 million. In the 2002–03 season, he won the Pirata d'Oro (Golden Pirate) award. This award is given to Inter Milan's best player of the year.
Inter reached the semi-finals of the Champions League that year. However, Emre started to play less often due to injuries. After playing only nineteen games in the 2004–05 season, he was available for transfer.
Time at Newcastle United
On 19 July 2005, Emre joined Newcastle United in England. He signed a five-year deal for £3.8 million. He played his first game on 3 August in a match against Deportivo La Coruña.
His first Premier League game was against Arsenal. In his fourth game, on 23 October, he helped Newcastle win against Sunderland. He set up the first goal and scored the winning goal with a free kick.
Injuries limited Emre's playing time at Newcastle. He played only 35 Premier League games in his next two seasons. He scored three goals during this period.
Returning to Fenerbahçe
In July 2008, Emre joined Fenerbahçe. This move made some Galatasaray supporters upset because Fenerbahçe is their rival. However, Emre said he had always been a Fenerbahçe fan. Some of his former teammates, including Hakan Şükür and Hasan Şaş, confirmed this.
After a difficult first season, Emre played very well in the next. He was named the Süper Lig player of the year for the 2009–10 season. His experience and fighting spirit were very helpful to his team.
Short Spell at Atlético Madrid
Emre moved to Atlético Madrid in Spain on 29 May 2012. Atlético was the champion of the Europa League at the time. He signed a two-year contract and was welcomed by his fellow Turkish player, Arda Turan.
He made his debut for Atlético on 1 September 2012 in the UEFA Super Cup. He came on as a substitute in their 4–1 victory over Chelsea.
Second and Third Times at Fenerbahçe
Emre returned to Fenerbahçe on 31 January 2013. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract. His first match back was against Sivasspor.
Later, he joined İstanbul Başakşehir in 2015. He played there for four years and even became the team captain. In 2018, he announced he would retire at the end of the season. However, he decided to play one more time for Fenerbahçe, his childhood club.
On 2 July 2019, Fenerbahçe announced that Emre had signed for one more year. He officially retired from playing football after this season.
International Football Career
Emre made his first international appearance for Turkey against Norway in 2000. He became a regular player for the Turkish national team.
He missed Euro 2000 due to an injury. However, he was part of the Turkish squad that finished third at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Emre played in the first match of UEFA Euro 2008. An injury kept him out for the rest of the tournament, but Turkey still reached the semi-finals.
On 7 September 2019, Emre played his 100th match for Turkey against Andorra.
Managerial Career
After retiring as a player, Emre became the director of football for Fenerbahçe on 28 October 2020. He was in charge of signing new players for the team.
Interim Manager at Fenerbahçe
On 25 March 2021, the Fenerbahçe manager left the team. Emre agreed to be the interim coach for the last 10 matches of the season.
His first match as a manager was on 5 April, when Fenerbahçe beat Denizlispor 1–0. This was his very first win as a coach. At the end of the season, Fenerbahçe finished in third place. Emre's record as interim manager was 7 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in 10 matches.
On 1 June 2021, Fenerbahçe announced that Emre would no longer manage the team after his interim period.
Coaching İstanbul Başakşehir
On 4 October 2021, Emre signed a two-year contract to manage İstanbul Başakşehir. This was the same team he had captained for four years as a player.
His first match as their manager was a 3–2 home win against Beşiktaş on 15 October. He left the club on 6 September 2023.
Managing Ankaragücü
On October 5, 2023, Emre signed a contract with Ankaragücü. This is one of the oldest clubs in Turkey and is based in the capital city. He left the club at the end of the season.
Playing Style
Emre was a very flexible midfielder. He could play in the middle of the field as a central midfielder, or further forward as an attacking playmaker. He could even play on the left side of the field. He was known for his excellent technical skills, understanding of tactics, and great passing ability.
Personal Life
Emre Belözoğlu is a devoted Muslim. He has spoken about trying to follow his faith, especially during the holy month of Ramadan. However, he noted that his job as a football player was very demanding physically. Because of this, he would not fast on match days or the days leading up to a match.
He can speak several languages fluently. These include Turkish, English, Italian, and Spanish.
See also
In Spanish: Emre Belözoğlu para niños
