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Metin Oktay
Metin Oktay.jpg
Metin Oktay in 1958
Personal information
Date of birth (1936-02-02)2 February 1936
Place of birth İzmir, Turkey
Date of death 13 September 1991(1991-09-13) (aged 55)
Place of death Istanbul, Turkey
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Playing position Striker
Number 10
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1954–1955 İzmirspor 18 (17)
1955–1961 Galatasaray 164 (174)
1961–1962 Palermo 12 (3)
1962–1969 Galatasaray 180 (137)
Total 374 (331)
National team‡
1954 Turkey U18 4 (3)
1955–1968 Turkey 36 (19)
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 01:09, 23 October 2008 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 01:09, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

Metin Oktay (born February 2, 1936 – died September 13, 1991) was a super famous Turkish footballer. Fans of the Galatasaray team called him the Crownless King (Turkish: Taçsız Kral). He was one of the best goal scorers ever in Turkey.

Early Life

Metin Oktay was born in İzmir, Turkey, on February 2, 1936. His dad worked in a factory, and his mom took care of their home.

Personal Life

Metin Oktay married Servet Kardicali on May 12, 1965, in Istanbul. They had a daughter named Zeynep, but she sadly passed away on the same day she was born. Later, in 1979, Metin and Servet Oktay had a granddaughter, also named Zeynep, from their son Rifat Halil Pala. Metin Oktay lived with his family until he passed away in Istanbul.

Football Career Highlights

Metin Oktay started playing football in 1952 for an amateur club called Damlacık. The next year, he moved to another amateur team, Yün Mensucat. In 1954, he played for the junior national team for the first time.

He quickly joined İzmirspor and became the top scorer in the İzmir League with 17 goals. This was just the first time he would lead the league in scoring.

Joining Galatasaray

In 1955, Gündüz Kılıç, a coach and former player for Galatasaray, brought Metin to the team. Metin was only 19 years old when he signed a five-year deal with Galatasaray. He even got a new Chevrolet car as part of the deal!

Even though he was young, Metin was the top scorer in his first season in the Istanbul League, with 19 goals. His team, Galatasaray, won the championship that year. Metin was the top scorer for four seasons in the Istanbul League. Then, he was the top scorer for three more seasons in the Turkish League. This means he was the top scorer for seven years in a row in the leagues he played in!

Becoming a Legend

In 1960, Metin Oktay signed a huge new contract with Galatasaray. He became so famous that he even starred in a movie about his own life while still playing football!

In December 1960, he scored four goals in a 5–0 win against Galatasaray's biggest rivals, Fenerbahçe. This made him a true hero to Galatasaray fans. People even made songs about him.

Metin Oktay played for Galatasaray until 1969. For a short time in 1961–1962, he played for Palermo in Italy. He was the top goal scorer in the Turkish League a record six times, scoring 217 goals in total. Another player, Tanju Çolak, broke his record for most goals in a single season in 1988.

Metin Oktay was known as the Taçsız Kral or "King without a crown." He was especially good at scoring in big derby matches. In one game against Fenerbahçe in 1959, he kicked the ball so hard that it made a hole in the opponent's goal net! This amazing shot was one of 18 goals he scored against Fenerbahçe in his career. He also scored 13 goals against another rival team, Beşiktaş.

After Playing

After he stopped playing, Metin Oktay became an assistant coach and then head coach for the Galatasaray football team in 1969–70. He also coached Bursaspor for a few years. In 1984, he joined the club's board of directors for two years.

He played 36 times for the Turkish national team and scored 19 goals. Metin Oktay broke almost every record in Turkish football at the time. He retired from playing in 1969.

Metin Oktay passed away on September 13, 1991, in Istanbul. He was 55 years old and died in a car accident.

Legacy and Remembrance

2021 09 20 Kalamis Parki Metin Oktay
Statue of Metin Oktay

A Turkish comic artist named Abdullah Turhan even made a comic strip about Metin Oktay.

Every year on September 13, Galatasaray players and fans visit Metin Oktay's grave to remember the "Uncrowned King."

Galatasaray's sports complex and training center in Florya, Istanbul, is named after him. It's called the Metin Oktay Sports Complex and Training Center.

Career Statistics

International Goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 18 December 1955 Istanbul, Turkey  Portugal 2–1 3–1 Friendly
2. 25 December 1955 Paris, France  France 1–1 1–3 Mediterranean Cup
3. 19 February 1956 Istanbul, Turkey  Hungary 3–0 3–1 Friendly
4. 16 November 1956 Istanbul, Turkey  Poland 1–1 1–1 Friendly
5. 4 May 1958 Amsterdam, Netherlands  Netherlands 1–1 1–2 Friendly
6. 4 May 1958 Amsterdam, Netherlands  Netherlands 1–2 1–2 Friendly
7. 26 October 1958 Brussels, Belgium  Belgium 1–1 1–1 Friendly
8. 8 June 1960 Ankara, Turkey  Scotland 1–0 4–2 Friendly
9. 27 November 1960 Sofia, Bulgaria  Bulgaria 1–0 1–2 Friendly
10. 1 June 1961 Oslo, Norway  Norway 1–0 1–0 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification
11. 29 October 1961 Istanbul, Turkey  Norway 2–1 2–1 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification
12. 12 November 1961 Istanbul, Turkey  Soviet Union 1–2 1–2 1962 FIFA World Cup qualification
13. 10 October 1962 Ankara, Turkey  Ethiopia 3–0 1–0 Friendly
14. 10 October 1962 Ankara, Turkey  Ethiopia 3–0 2–0 Friendly
15. 10 October 1962 Ankara, Turkey  Ethiopia 3–0 3–0 Friendly
16. 27 September 1964 Istanbul, Turkey  Poland 2–3 2–3 Friendly
17. 1 November 1964 Ankara, Turkey  Tunisia 2–1 4–1 Friendly
18. 1 November 1964 Ankara, Turkey  Tunisia 4–1 4–1 Friendly
19. 9 May 1965 Sofia, Bulgaria  Bulgaria 1–2 1–4 Friendly
Correct as of 10 February 2010

Club Level Statistics

This table shows how many games Metin Oktay played and how many goals he scored for his clubs. Goals in bold mean he was the top scorer in that competition for that season.

Club Season League Cup Minor Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Izmirspor 1954–55 18 17 - - - - - - 18 17
Total 18 17 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 17
Galatasaray 1955–56 17 19 - - - - - - 17 19
1956–57 27 24 - - - - 2 2 29 26
1957–58 26 29 - - - - - - 26 29
1958–59 16 22 - - - - - - 16 22
1959 15 11 - - - - - - 15 11
1959–60 33 33 - - - - - - 33 33
1960–61 30 36 - - - - - - 30 36
Total 164 174 0 0 0 0 2 2 166 176
Palermo 1961–62 12 3 - - - - - - 12 3
Total 12 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 3
Galatasaray 1962–63 26 38 7 4 0 0 6 5 39 47
1963–64 32 18 6 7 2 3 5 6 45 34
1964–65 22 17 6 3 0 0 6 3 34 23
1965–66 26 19 5 1 1 0 1 0 33 20
1966–67 17 10 1 0 0 0 - - 18 10
1967–68 27 18 6 3 2 0 - - 35 21
1968–69 30 17 8 4 1 0 - - 39 21
Total 180 137 39 22 6 3 18 14 243 176
Career total 374 331 39 22 6 3 20 16 437 372

Awards and Honours

Team Awards

Galatasaray

  • Süper Lig:
    • 1962–63
    • 1968–69
  • Turkish Cup:
    • 1962–63
    • 1963–64
    • 1964–65
    • 1965–66
  • Turkish Super Cup:
    • 1966
    • 1969
  • Istanbul Football League:
    • 1955–56
    • 1957–58
  • TSYD Cup:
    • 1963
    • 1966
    • 1967

Individual Awards

  • Izmir Football League Top Scorer: 1954–55
  • Istanbul Football League Top Scorer:
    • 1955–56
    • 1956–57
    • 1957–58
    • 1958–59
  • Gol Kralı (Top Scorer in Turkish League) (6 times):
    • 1959
    • 1959–60
    • 1960–61
    • 1962–63
    • 1964–65
    • 1968–69 (He shared this with Fevzi Zemzem, who let Metin have the trophy)
  • Most Süper Lig goals in one season: 38 (1962–63)
  • Galatasaray All-Time Top Scorer: 352 goals

See Also

  • List of Galatasaray S.K. records and statistics
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