Hakan Balta facts for kids
Hakan Balta playing for Galatasaray in 2011
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 March 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Berlin, West Germany | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back / Left back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2003 | Hertha BSC II | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2003–2007 | Manisaspor | 116 | (23) |
| 2007–2018 | Galatasaray | 253 | (11) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006–2016 | Turkey | 50 | (2) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2020–2022 | Galatasaray (Assistant manager) | ||
| 2022– | Galatasaray U19 | ||
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Hakan Kadir Balta (born on March 23, 1983) is a former Turkish professional footballer. He played as a defender. Hakan Balta is best known for his long career with Galatasaray in the Süper Lig. He played for Galatasaray for over 10 years. He retired from playing at the start of the 2018-2019 season.
Contents
Club Career
Playing for Galatasaray
Before joining Galatasaray, Hakan Balta played for Hertha Berlin II and Manisaspor. He moved to Galatasaray in September 2007.
Winning the League
In his first season with Galatasaray, Hakan Balta helped his team win the 2007–08 Süper Lig title. He scored a very important goal in the last game of the season. This goal secured the championship for Galatasaray.
A Strong Comeback
The 2011–12 Süper Lig season was a great year for Galatasaray. The club got a new president and a new manager, Fatih Terim. Hakan Balta played much better under Terim's guidance. He was one of the few players from the previous season who played regularly.
In a big game against their rivals Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray was losing 2-1. Hakan Balta scored a goal with his left foot to make the score 2-2. This helped Galatasaray stay at the top of the league. Galatasaray went on to win the championship that year.
Becoming a Captain
After a teammate left the team, Hakan became one of the team captains. On August 12, 2012, he played as captain when Galatasaray won the Super Cup. They beat Fenerbahçe 3-2 in that match.
He scored his first goal of the 2012–13 Süper Lig season on October 19, 2012. It was against Gençlerbirliği. Galatasaray was losing 3-2, and Hakan scored right before the game ended. This made the final score a 3-3 draw.
International Career
Hakan Balta played for the Turkish national team. He first played for Turkey in April 2006. He was called up again for important Euro 2008 qualifying games. These were against Norway and Bosnia-Herzegovina. He played the whole game in both matches, and Turkey won both. These wins helped Turkey qualify for the Euro 2008 tournament.
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Hakan was a regular player in all of Turkey's games during Euro 2008. Turkey had an amazing run in the tournament. They won many games in the last few minutes. Turkey reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008. He continued to play for the national team under new managers. He scored one of Turkey's goals against Germany in a 3-1 loss during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match.
Managerial Career
After retiring as a player, Hakan Balta started a career in management. As of February 8, 2022, he became the Technical Director for the Galatasaray Under-19 Football Team. Before this, he was an Assistant Administrative Director for the main Galatasaray football team.
Honours
Hakan Balta won many titles during his career, especially with Galatasaray.
- Galatasaray
- Süper Lig: 2007–08, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2017–18
- Türkiye Kupası: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
- Süper Kupa: 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
- Turkey
- UEFA European Championship bronze medalist: 2008
See also
In Spanish: Hakan Balta para niños
