Gökhan Gönül facts for kids
.jpg)
Gökhan Gönül with Turkey in 2016
|
|||
| 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 on January 4, 1985, is a Turkish former professional footballer. He was known for playing as a right back, a defensive position on the football field. After a long career, he became a coach for the Turkish national youth team.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
Gökhan Gönül was born in Bafra, Samsun, Turkey. When he was six years old, his family moved to Bursa. In 1999, his uncle helped him join Bursayolspor's youth team.
Gökhan actually started his football journey as a goalkeeper. However, many other young goalkeepers joined the club. So, Gökhan was moved to play in the outfield, meaning he played on the field, not in goal. He was told he would not play goalkeeper again.
At first, Gökhan played football just for fun. But then, his coach, Mehmet Kirazoğlu, helped him take the sport more seriously. The coach trained him individually. Soon after, Gökhan, who was only 13, played in a senior match against players who were 30 years old!
Finding His Position
Gökhan tried playing in different positions on the field. He played as a libero (a type of defender), a midfielder, and even a forward at different times.
He was the captain of the 14-16 age group team at Bursayolspor. In one match against Bursaspor, he helped his team get a 3–3 draw. He scored three goals while playing as a libero.
A staff member from Bursaspor, Hasan Bora, wanted to sign Gökhan after that great game. But Gökhan saw that some of his friends who joined Bursaspor didn't get to play much. So, he decided not to join them. Fatih Terim, who was the coach of Galatasaray at the time, also showed interest in Gökhan. He invited Gökhan to Istanbul. However, Gökhan chose not to join Galatasaray either. Instead, he signed with Gençlerbirliği on August 9, 2002.
Club Career Highlights
Gökhan started his professional career with Gençlerbirliği, a club based in Ankara. He played in the A2 league, which is a league for younger players. In his first season, he scored two goals in 19 games.
Loan to Hacettepe
The next season, Gökhan was loaned to Hacettepe, which was a team 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 team get promoted to a higher league two years in a row!
In 2005, Gençlerbirliği brought him back. But Gökhan got injured and couldn't play for several months. So, he was loaned back to Hacettepe during the winter break. He helped Hacettepe get another promotion. This meant he helped teams get promoted three times in four years! He also won an award for being the Best Player in the TFF First League.
Joining Fenerbahçe
Before the 2007–08 season, Fenerbahçe signed Gökhan. He played very well under their coach, Zico. Gökhan's 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 season. This was the first time in the club's history they made it that far. Gökhan Gönül signed a new contract with Fenerbahçe in June 2012. This deal kept him at the club until the 2015–16 season.
Retirement from Playing
On June 19, 2023, Gökhan Gönül announced on social media that he was ending his football playing career. He was 38 years old at the time.
International Career
Gökhan Gönül never played for Turkey's youth national teams. He made his first appearance for the senior national team against Norway on November 27, 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 play for Turkey in Euro 2016.
Managerial Career
After retiring as a player, Gökhan Gönül started a new chapter in his football career. On March 19, 2024, he was appointed as an assistant coach for the Turkey national under-21 football team.
After working as an assistant coach for five matches, Gökhan Gönül became the head coach of the Turkey U-21 team on September 26, 2024.
Honours and Awards
Gökhan Gönül won many trophies and awards during his playing career.
- Fenerbahçe S.K.
- Süper Lig (Turkish League Champion): 2010–11, 2013–14
- Turkish Cup: 2011–12, 2012–13
- Turkish Super Cup: 2007, 2009, 2014
- Beşiktaş J.K.
- Süper Lig (Turkish League Champion): 2016–17
Individual Awards
- Süper Lig Defender of the Season: 2010–11
- Süper Lig Team of the Season: 2015–16, 2016–17
Career Statistics
Gökhan Gönül played many games throughout his career. Here's a summary of his appearances and goals for different clubs and for the national team.
Club Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||||||||||
| Hacettepe | 2003–04 | TFF First League | 27 | 5 | - | - | — | 27 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 2004–05 | 21 | 3 | - | - | — | 21 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2005–06 | 17 | 3 | - | - | —- | 17 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 2006–07 | 27 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 29 | 4 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 92 | 15 | 2 | 0 | — | 94 | 15 | ||||||||||||
| Fenerbahçe | 2007–08 | Süper Lig | 24 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 36 | 1 | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | 29 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 46 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2009–10 | 30 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 44 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2010–11 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2011–12 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2012–13 | 27 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 42 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 2013–14 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2014–15 | 32 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2015–16 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Total | 254 | 10 | 27 | 2 | 50 | 0 | 331 | 12 | |||||||||||
| Beşiktaş | 2016–17 | Süper Lig | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |||||||||
| 2017–18 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 32 | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2018–19 | 29 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 38 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 2019–20 | 30 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Total | 113 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 140 | 9 | |||||||||||
| Fenerbahçe | 2020–21 | Süper Lig | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 22 | 2 | ||||||||||
| Çaykur Rizespor | 2021–22 | Süper Lig | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 25 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 2022–23 | TFF First League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |||||||||||
| Total | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 30 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Career total | 510 | 36 | 37 | 2 | 70 | 1 | 617 | 39 | |||||||||||
| Last Update: 17 September 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||
International Statistics
Gökhan Gönül played 66 matches for the Turkish national team and scored one goal.
| Turkey national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 6 | 0 |
| 2009 | 9 | 0 |
| 2010 | 5 | 0 |
| 2011 | 5 | 1 |
| 2012 | 4 | 0 |
| 2013 | 9 | 0 |
| 2014 | 8 | 0 |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 |
| 2016 | 8 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 66 | 1 |
International Goals
Gökhan Gönül scored one goal for Turkey.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 29 March 2011 | Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey |  Austria |
2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualification |
See also
In Spanish: Gökhan Gönül para niños
