Nihat Kahveci facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nihat Kahveci

Nihat in 2016
Personal information
Date of birth	(1979-11-23) 23 November 1979 (age 45)
Place of birth	Istanbul, Turkey
Height	1.75 m
Playing position	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	62	(18)
2009–2011	Beşiktaş	34	(3)
Total		343	(106)
National team
2000–2010	Turkey	69	(19)
Teams managed
2012–2013	Villarreal (youth)
2013–2017	Turkey (assistant)
Honours Representing Turkey Bronze FIFA World Cup 2002 Korea-Japan Bronze FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 France Bronze UEFA Euro 2008 Switzerland-Austria
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Nihat Kahveci (born 23 November 1979) is a Turkish former professional footballer. He was known as a forward and right winger. Today, he works as a football commentator for TRT. He also holds a special coaching license called a UEFA Pro Licence.

About Nihat Kahveci

Nihat's football shirt usually showed his first name, Nihat, instead of his family name, Kahveci. This is common for many Turkish players. He got married to Pınar Kaşgören in 2003. Their daughter, Selin, was born in 2008.

Nihat's Club Football Journey

Starting Out at Beşiktaş

Nihat grew up playing football in the youth system of Beşiktaş, a famous Turkish club. A scout named Hürser Mustafa Cindir first noticed him in the 1996–97 season. When he was just 17, in the 1997–98 season, Nihat joined Beşiktaş's main team. At that time, John Toshack was the coach. Nihat quickly became a very important player for the team.

Playing in Spain for Real Sociedad

In January 2002, Nihat moved to Spain to play for Real Sociedad. His former coach from Beşiktaş, John Toshack, helped him make this move. Nihat also joined his Turkish teammate Tayfun Korkut there.

His first game for Real Sociedad was on January 26, 2002. He came into the game as a substitute. His first goal for the club came a month later, on February 24, 2002. In his first half-season, Nihat played 11 matches and scored one goal.

A Great Season in 2002–03

The 2002–03 season was amazing for Nihat. He scored two goals in the first match of the season, helping his team win 4–2. By the end of the season, he had scored 23 goals. This made him the second-highest scorer in the league, tied with Ronaldo. Real Sociedad finished second in the league that year, just behind Real Madrid. Nihat and his Serbian teammate Darko Kovačević formed a strong attacking pair. A sports journalist even called them "Little and Large" because of their height difference. Nihat's great playing made other clubs interested in him, but he chose to stay.

Later Seasons and Injuries

In his third season, Nihat played 32 games and scored 14 goals. He also played in the UEFA Champions League with Real Sociedad. His team made it to the knockout stage but was knocked out by Olympique Lyonnais. At the end of this season, Nihat won the Don Balón Award for Best Foreign Player.

In his fourth season, Nihat played 23 games and scored 13 goals. However, he suffered a serious injury to his knee (called an ACL tear) during a game. This injury kept him from playing for six months.

Nihat stayed with Real Sociedad for his fifth and final season. He returned from his injury and played 32 games, scoring seven goals. He almost moved to a Russian club, but he stayed because his teammate Kovačević got injured.

Moving to Villarreal

On May 16, 2006, Nihat joined another Spanish club, Villarreal CF, on a five-year contract. He had turned down a new contract with Real Sociedad. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL again in November 2006 during training. This kept him out of action for several months.

In his second season with Villarreal, Nihat played very well. He scored 18 goals in the league and four goals in the UEFA Cup. He helped his club finish second in La Liga. He formed a strong attacking partnership with Robert Pires. A Spanish newspaper even called 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 June 27, 2009, Nihat went back to Beşiktaş J.K., the club where he started his career. He signed a four-year deal. However, his return to Turkish football was not as successful. Over two seasons, he played 34 league games and scored only three goals. In April 2011, during his last game, Nihat had an argument with his teammate Ricardo Quaresma on the field. Their teammates had to separate them. In May 2011, Beşiktaş ended Nihat's contract. He told the Turkish media that he did not want to play in Turkey anymore.

Retiring from Football

After leaving Beşiktaş, Nihat was linked with other clubs, including his old club Real Sociedad and some clubs in the United States.

After six months without a club, Nihat announced his retirement from football on January 12, 2012. He said that his age was making it harder for him to play as well as he wanted. He also admitted that returning to Beşiktaş was a mistake, even though he had some good moments there.

He explained, "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's International Career with Turkey

Playing in the 2002 World Cup

Nihat first played for the Turkish national team in October 2000 against Sweden. In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he made one appearance in a group stage match against Costa Rica. He also played as a substitute in Turkey's 1–0 win over Japan. Turkey finished third in the tournament, beating South Korea 3–2.

Euro 2008 Success

Nihat played a very important role in the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament. In the final group match against the Czech Republic, he scored two crucial goals. Both teams needed a win to reach the quarter-finals. The Czechs were leading 2–0 until the 75th minute. Then, Arda Turan scored for Turkey, making it 2–1.

Nihat scored his first goal 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 shot from outside the box. These two quick 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 next season.

Becoming a Coach

On July 6, 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.

Nihat said about his new job, "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."

Career Achievements

Club Trophies

Beşiktaş

• Turkish Cup: 1997–98, 2010–11
• Turkish Super Cup: 1998

International Achievements

Turkey

• FIFA World Cup: Third place in 2002
• FIFA Confederations Cup: Third place in 2003
• UEFA European Championship: Semi-finals in 2008

Individual Awards

• Milliyet Sports Awards Footballer Of The Year: 2002
• La Liga Best Foreign Player: 2002–03
• Beşiktaş J.K. Squads of Century (Silver Team)

Special Recognition

• Turkish State Medal of Distinguished Service

See also

In Spanish: Nihat Kahveci para niños