Gökhan Gönül facts for kids
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Gökhan Gönül with Turkey in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 4 January 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | Samsun, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Right back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2002 | Bursayolspor | ||
| 2002–2003 | Gençlerbirliği | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2007 | Gençlerbirliği | 0 | (0) |
| 2003–2007 | → Hacettepe (loan) | 92 | (15) |
| 2007–2016 | Fenerbahçe | 254 | (10) |
| 2016–2020 | Beşiktaş | 113 | (8) |
| 2020–2021 | Fenerbahçe | 21 | (2) |
| 2021–2023 | Çaykur Rizespor | 30 | (1) |
| International career | |||
| 2007–2019 | Turkey | 66 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2024- | Turkey U-21 | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gökhan Gönül (born 4 January 1985) is a Turkish former professional footballer. He played as a right back, which is a defensive player on the side of the field.
Contents
About Gökhan Gönül
Growing Up and Starting Football
Gökhan Gönül was born in Bafra, Samsun, Turkey. When he was six years old, his family moved to Bursa. In 1999, his uncle signed him up for Bursayolspor's youth team. Gökhan first started playing football as a goalkeeper.
However, many other young goalkeepers joined the club. So, Gökhan was moved to play in the outfield. He was told he would not play goalkeeper again. At first, Gökhan played football just for fun. He started taking it seriously when his coach, Mehmet Kirazoğlu, helped him train individually. Soon after, Gökhan played in a senior match against 30-year-olds when he was only 13.
Gökhan played many different positions before finding his best spot. He played as a libero (a type of defender), a midfielder, and even a forward. He was the captain of the 14-16 team at Bursayolspor. He once scored three goals while playing libero in a 3–3 draw against Bursaspor.
A staff member from Bursaspor, Hasan Bora, wanted to sign Gökhan. But Gökhan saw other young players join and not get better. So, he decided not to join Bursaspor. Fatih Terim, who was the coach of Galatasaray at the time, also showed interest. He invited Gökhan to Istanbul. But Gökhan did not agree to join Galatasaray either. Instead, he signed with Gençlerbirliği on 9 August 2002.
Playing for Clubs
First Steps and Loans
Gökhan started his professional career with Gençlerbirliği in the A2 league, which is a youth league. In his first season, he scored two goals in 19 games. The next season, Gökhan was loaned to Hacettepe, a club that was connected to Gençlerbirliği. He played there for the 2003–04 season. After that, he joined Hacettepe permanently.
In his first two seasons with Hacettepe, Gökhan scored eight goals in 48 games. He helped the club get promoted to a higher league two times in a row. At the start of the 2005–06 season, Gençlerbirliği brought him back. But an injury kept him from playing for several months. So, he was loaned back to Hacettepe during the winter break. Gökhan helped Hacettepe get promoted again. This meant he helped his teams get promoted three times in four years! He also won an award for Best Player in the TFF First League.
Success with Fenerbahçe
Fenerbahçe signed Gökhan before the 2007–08 season. He played very well under coach Zico. His strong performances in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League earned him the nickname "Turkish Cafu". Cafu was a famous Brazilian right back. Fenerbahçe reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League that year. This was the first time in the club's history they went so far. Gökhan Gönül signed a new contract in June 2012. This deal kept him at Fenerbahçe until the 2015–16 season.
Retirement from Playing
On 19 June 2023, Gökhan Gönül announced on social media that he was ending his football career. He retired at the age of 38.
Playing for His Country
Gökhan Gönül never played for Turkey's youth national teams. He made his first appearance for the senior national team against Norway on 27 November 2007. He played three more games that season. However, he was not chosen for the Euro 2008 squad because of an injury. Gökhan was later called up to the Turkey team for Euro 2016.
Becoming a Coach
After retiring as a player, Gökhan Gönül started a new career in coaching. On 19 March 2024, he was named the assistant coach for the Turkey national under-21 football team. After working as an assistant for 5 matches, he became the head coach of the Turkey U-21 team on 26 September 2024.
Awards and Trophies
Gökhan Gönül won many awards and trophies during his career:
- Fenerbahçe S.K.
- Süper Lig (Turkish League): 2010–11, 2013–14
- Turkish Cup: 2011–12, 2012–13
- Turkish Super Cup: 2007, 2009, 2014
- Beşiktaş J.K.
- Süper Lig (Turkish League): 2016–17
Individual Awards
- Süper Lig Defender of the Season: 2010–11
- Süper Lig Team of the Season: 2015–16, 2016–17
See also
In Spanish: Gökhan Gönül para niños
