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Nihat Kahveci

Nihat in 2016

Personal information

Date of birth

23 November 1979 (age 45)

Place of birth

Istanbul, Turkey

Height

1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)

Position(s)

Winger, forward

Youth career

1994–1996

Esenler

1996–1997

Beşiktaş

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

1997–2002

Beşiktaş

114

(27)

2002–2006

Real Sociedad

133

(58)

2006–2009

Villarreal

(18)

2009–2011

Beşiktaş

(3)

Total

343

(106)

International career

2000–2010

Turkey

(19)

Managerial career

2012–2013

Villarreal (youth)

2013–2017

Turkey (assistant)

Medal record


Representing Turkey
Bronze	FIFA World Cup	2002 Korea-Japan
Bronze	FIFA Confederations Cup	2003 France
Bronze	UEFA Euro	2008 Switzerland-Austria

*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nihat Kahveci (born 23 November 1979), known simply as Nihat, is a former Turkish professional footballer. He played as a forward and right winger. Nihat played for famous clubs like Beşiktaş, Real Sociedad, and Villarreal. After retiring from playing, he became a football commentator for TRT. He also holds a UEFA Pro Licence, which means he is qualified to coach professional teams.

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About Nihat

Like many Turkish players, Nihat's jersey showed his first name, Nihat, instead of his family name, Kahveci. He got married to Pınar Kaşgören on 5 July 2003. Their daughter, Selin, was born in May 2008.

Playing Career

Starting at Beşiktaş

Nihat grew up playing in the youth system of Beşiktaş. A scout named Hürser Mustafa Cindir discovered him in the 1996–97 season. Nihat joined Beşiktaş's main team in the 1997–98 season when he was only 17 years old. At that time, John Toshack was the coach. Nihat quickly became a very important player for the team.

Time at Real Sociedad

In January 2002, Nihat moved to Real Sociedad in Spain for €5 million. His former Beşiktaş coach, John Toshack, brought him to the club. Nihat also joined his Turkish teammate Tayfun Korkut there.

He played his first game on January 26, 2002, in a 3–1 loss against Celta de Vigo. He came into the game as a substitute for Xabi Alonso. Nihat scored his first goal for the club on 24 February 2002, in a 2–2 draw against Rayo Vallecano. In his first half-season, he played 11 matches and scored one goal.

Amazing Season in 2002–03

In the 2002–03 season, Nihat had an incredible year. He scored two goals in the first match of the season, helping his team win 4–2. He ended the season with 23 goals, making him the second-highest scorer in the league. Only Roy Makaay (29 goals) scored more, and Nihat was tied with Ronaldo.

Real Sociedad finished second in the league that season, just two points behind Real Madrid. This was largely thanks to Nihat's strong partnership with Serbian forward Darko Kovačević. A sports journalist even called them "Little and Large" because of their height difference. Nihat's great performances made other clubs interested in him, but he chose to stay.

Playing in the Champions League

In his third season at Real Sociedad, Nihat played 32 games and scored 14 goals. He also played in the UEFA Champions League with Real Sociedad. They played against strong teams like Juventus and Galatasaray. Real Sociedad made it to the knockout stage but lost to Olympique Lyonnais. At the end of the season, Nihat won the Don Balón Award for Best Foreign Player.

Injuries and Leaving Real Sociedad

In his fourth season, Nihat played 23 games and scored 13 goals. However, he suffered a serious injury, tearing his ACL during a match against Sevilla. This injury kept him out of action for six months.

In June 2005, there were rumors that Russian club CSKA Moscow wanted to buy Nihat for €20 million. But the move did not happen. Nihat said he needed to focus on helping Real Sociedad avoid being relegated to a lower league. He was also linked with big clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United.

In his fifth and final season at Real Sociedad, Nihat returned from his injury. He played 32 games and scored seven goals. He almost signed with another Russian club, Spartak Moscow, but stayed because his teammate Kovačević got injured.

Moving to Villarreal

On 16 May 2006, Nihat decided to join Villarreal CF on a five-year contract. He moved as a Bosman transfer, which means he was a free agent after his contract with Real Sociedad ended. On 22 November 2006, he tore his ACL again during a training session. This kept him out for several months.

In his second season with Villarreal, Nihat got back into great form. He scored 18 goals in the league and four goals in the UEFA Cup. He helped his club finish second in La Liga, forming a strong attacking partnership with Robert Pires. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo even named Nihat the best player on the team. However, in the 2008–09 season, injuries bothered him again. He played 19 games but did not score any goals.

Returning to Beşiktaş

Nihat playing for Beşiktaş in 2010

On 27 June 2009, Nihat went back to Beşiktaş J.K., the club where he started his career. He signed a four-year deal. His return to Turkish football was not as successful as his time in Spain. Over two seasons, he played 34 league games and scored only three goals.

On 25 April 2011, in what turned out to be his last game, Nihat had an argument on the field with his teammate Ricardo Quaresma. Nihat was upset that Quaresma did not pass him the ball. Their teammates had to break up the fight. On 18 May 2011, Beşiktaş ended Nihat's contract, even though he had two years left. He told Turkish media, "I don't want to play in Turkey anymore."

Retirement from Football

After leaving Beşiktaş, there were rumors that Nihat might return to Spanish clubs like Real Sociedad or Castellón. He was also linked with the MLS team Los Angeles Galaxy.

After six months without a club, Nihat announced his retirement from football on 12 January 2012. He said, "I would like to share my decision to put an end to my professional career as a footballer." A few days later, Nihat explained that his age was making it harder for him to play as well as he used to. He admitted that returning to Beşiktaş was a mistake, even though he had some good moments there.

"When you get old, you can't do anything you want on the pitch. I must admit my return to Turkey was not a success and it hurt me as a man who was used to success. I was angry at myself, and there was some heavy criticism too. After I left Beşiktaş, I thought maybe I could play somewhere else, but I saw that I wanted to call it a day. Every good story has a beginning and an end. I have had some very beautiful moments. I had great joy when I was healthy and playing well."

—Nihat told NTV Spor about his retirement

International Career with Turkey

2002 FIFA World Cup

Nihat played his first international game for Turkey against Sweden in October 2000. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Nihat played only once in the group stage. He came on as a substitute against Costa Rica. His only other appearance was as a substitute in Turkey's 1–0 win over Japan. Turkey finished in third place in the World Cup, beating South Korea 3–2.

Euro 2008 Heroics

In the last group match of Euro 2008, Nihat scored two crucial goals against the Czech Republic. Both teams needed a win to reach the quarter-finals. The Czechs took a 2–0 lead, and the score stayed that way until the 75th minute. Then, Arda Turan scored for Turkey, making it 2–1.

Nihat's first goal came in the 87th minute. The Czech goalkeeper dropped a cross, and Nihat tapped the ball into the net. Just one minute later, he scored his second goal with a brilliant, curving shot from outside the box. These two goals helped Turkey win the match 3–2 in an amazing comeback!

Unfortunately, Nihat was injured and could not play in Turkey's semi-final match against Germany. This injury also kept him from playing for Villarreal at the start of the 2008–09 season.

Coaching Career

On 6 July 2012, it was announced that Nihat had joined the coaching staff at his former club Villarreal. He became an assistant-manager for their youth team.

"Villarreal CF has opened the doors and I have always felt at home. I played three seasons here and in recent times I have followed the team as an amateur. I have much affection and, therefore, I am very glad to be in this club. I want to start my new career coaching from below, like I did as a player. The president Fernando Roig has made history at this club and certainly have the ability to return to the elite as soon as possible. We must also rely on the new coach, Julio Velasquez, if the club has chosen it is because they will have the conviction that the team will return to First Division."

—Nihat on his new job.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Beşiktaş	1997–98	1.Lig	11	2	0	0	0	0	–		11	2
	1998–99	1.Lig	28	7	0	0	0	0	1	1	29	8
	1999–2000	1.Lig	32	7	0	0	0	0	–		32	7
	2000–01	1.Lig	32	5	2	0	0	0	–		34	5
	2001–02	Süper Lig	15	6	4	1	2	2	–		21	9
	Total		114	27	6	1	2	2	1	1	123	31
Real Sociedad	2001–02	La Liga	11	1	4	1	–		–		15	2
	2002–03	La Liga	35	23	0	0	–		–		35	23
	2003–04	La Liga	32	14	0	0	8	0	–		40	14
	2004–05	La Liga	23	13	0	0	–		–		23	13
	2005–06	La Liga	32	7	0	0	–		–		32	7
	Total		133	58	4	1	8	0	–		145	59
Villarreal	2006–07	La Liga	9	0	2	3	2	1	–		13	4
	2007–08	La Liga	34	18	2	0	6	3	–		42	21
	2008–09	La Liga	19	0	0	0	4	0	–		23	0
	Total		62	18	4	3	12	4	–		78	25
Beşiktaş	2009–10	Süper Lig	23	3	3	2	0	0	1	0	27	5
	2010–11	Süper Lig	11	0	2	0	6	4	–		19	4
	Total		34	3	5	2	6	4	1	0	46	9
Career total			343	106	19	7	28	10	2	1	382	124

International Goals for Turkey

Scores and results list Turkey goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Nihat goal.

List of international goals scored by Nihat Kahveci
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	6 October 2001	Stadionul Republican, Chişinău, Moldova	Moldova	2–0	3–0	2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
2	21 August 2002	Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium, Trabzon, Turkey	Georgia	3–0	3–0	Friendly
3	12 October 2002	Gradski Stadium, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia	Macedonia	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
4	7 June 2003	Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia	Slovakia	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
5	11 June 2003	BJK İnönü Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey	Macedonia	1–1	3–2	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
6	20 August 2003	Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium, Ankara, Turkey	Moldova	1–0	2–0	Friendly
7	24 May 2004	Telstra Dome, Melbourne, Australia	Australia	1–0	1–0	Friendly
8	9 October 2004	Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey	Kazakhstan	2–0	4–0	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
9	13 October 2004	Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark	Denmark	1–1	1–1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
10	26 May 2006	Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany	Ghana	1–0	1–1	Friendly
11	2 June 2006	Trendwork Arena, Sittard, Netherlands	Angola	2–1	3–2	Friendly
12	6 September 2006	Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany	Malta	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
13	17 November 2007	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	Norway	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
14	21 November 2007	Ali Sami Yen Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
15	25 May 2008	Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany	Uruguay	2–1	2–3	Friendly
16	15 June 2008	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	Czech Republic	2–2	3–2	Euro 2008
17	15 June 2008	Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland	Czech Republic	3–2	3–2	Euro 2008
18	22 May 2010	Red Bull Arena, New Jersey, United States	Czech Republic	2–0	2–1	Friendly
19	3 September 2010	Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan	Kazakhstan	3–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying