Selçuk İnan facts for kids
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İnan with Turkey in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 February 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | İskenderun, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Gaziantep (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Karaağaçspor | ||
| 2000–2002 | Dardanelspor | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2002–2005 | Dardanelspor | 76 | (6) |
| 2005–2008 | Manisaspor | 75 | (11) |
| 2008–2011 | Trabzonspor | 93 | (7) |
| 2011–2020 | Galatasaray | 244 | (45) |
| Total | 488 | (69) | |
| National team | |||
| 2001–2002 | Turkey U17 | 8 | (2) |
| 2002 | Turkey U18 | 5 | (1) |
| 2002–2004 | Turkey U19 | 14 | (5) |
| 2004 | Turkey U20 | 9 | (1) |
| 2005–2007 | Turkey U21 | 10 | (3) |
| 2007–2017 | Turkey | 61 | (8) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2020–2022 | Galatasaray (assistant coach) | ||
| 2022–2023 | Kasımpaşa | ||
| 2024– | Gaziantep | ||
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Selçuk İnan (born on February 10, 1985) is a Turkish professional football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach for the Süper Lig team Gaziantep.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Football
Selçuk İnan was born in İskenderun, Turkey. When he was 14, football scouts noticed his talent. He quickly joined a local club called Karaağaçspor. People soon saw his special way of playing and his smart football brain. He then moved to Dardanel Spor. Selçuk scored his first professional goal at just 17 years old. This happened in a league game against Antalyaspor on December 1, 2002.
Club Career Highlights
Selçuk İnan started his football journey at Karaağaçspor when he was 14. In 2000, he joined Dardanel Spor and played there until 2005. He then moved to Manisaspor. In 2008, Trabzonspor signed him, and he played for them for three seasons.
Playing for Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor signed Selçuk İnan in early 2008. His former coach from Manisaspor, Ersun Yanal, was also at Trabzonspor. Selçuk scored two goals in his first game for Trabzonspor against Ankaraspor. He also scored Trabzonspor's 2,000th league goal in a game against İstanbul BB in November 2008.
He formed a strong team with strikers Umut Bulut and Burak Yılmaz. Burak Yılmaz was also his teammate at Manisaspor. During Selçuk's time, Trabzonspor had two very successful seasons. They even won the league title in the 2010–11 Süper Lig season.
Joining Galatasaray
On May 25, 2011, Selçuk İnan signed a five-year deal with Galatasaray. He joined them for free, which is called a free transfer. He quickly became a key player in Galatasaray's midfield. He played alongside Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo. Selçuk's amazing skills helped Galatasaray play much better, both in attack and defense. Fans at Galatasaray loved him and even gave him the nickname "Xelçuk," which was a fun way to connect his name with the famous Spanish midfielder Xavi.
The 2011–12 Season
The season before Selçuk joined, Galatasaray had a tough time, finishing eighth in the league. This was one of their worst seasons ever. A new club president, Ünal Aysal, made it his first goal to bring Selçuk İnan to the team.
When the new season started, Galatasaray's performance wasn't perfect, but there was a clear change, especially in the middle of the field. Selçuk started to lead the team. Galatasaray then won ten matches in a row and finished the first half of the season at the top of the league. By the end of the regular season, Galatasaray was the team that scored the most goals and let in the fewest. They were nine points ahead of their closest rivals, Fenerbahçe.
Selçuk scored his first official goal for Galatasaray against Samsunspor on September 18, 2011. He scored his first goal from a free-kick against his old club, Trabzonspor, in December. Galatasaray won that game 3–0. He scored more free-kick goals throughout the season. In his first year at Galatasaray, Selçuk scored 13 goals and helped with 16 assists in league matches.
During the championship celebrations, Galatasaray fans called Selçuk onto the stage twice because they loved him so much.
The 2012–13 Season
On August 12, 2012, Galatasaray won the 2012 Turkish Super Cup by beating Fenerbahçe 3–2. Selçuk İnan helped his teammate Umut Bulut score two goals. Selçuk then scored the winning goal himself from a penalty kick in the last minute of the game!
Selçuk scored his first goal of the 2012–13 Süper Lig season with another late penalty against Beşiktaş. The game ended in a 3–3 tie. He also helped Umut Bulut score a goal from a corner kick. Selçuk scored his second goal of the season against İstanbul BB.
In September, Selçuk wore the captain's armband for the first time in a game against Akhisar Belediyespor. Galatasaray won that match 3–0. Selçuk showed a great performance against Kayserispor in October, helping his teammates Burak Yılmaz and Cris score goals.
Selçuk scored a winning free-kick goal from 30 yards away in a big derby match against Fenerbahçe. This win gave Galatasaray a five-point lead in the league. By the middle of the season, Selçuk had scored four goals and made seven assists. He was also one of the top passers in the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League, second only to Xavi from Barcelona.
On December 25, Selçuk was officially named the first captain of the team. He scored a fantastic goal against Orduspor in February 2013, with a curved shot from 30 yards out. Galatasaray won that game 4–2.
In the Champions League, Galatasaray was knocked out by Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. Even though they lost overall, Selçuk made five assists and was again second in UEFA's top passers list. He also had a very high pass accuracy in the game against Real Madrid, which was a Champions League record for that season.
Selçuk scored two amazing goals in the league game against Sivasspor on May 5. Galatasaray won this game and claimed their 19th league title! His first goal was a beautiful free-kick, and his second was a fantastic dribble and finish. Selçuk was chosen as the man of the match.
Playing for Turkey
Selçuk İnan has played for the Turkish national team at every level, from the under-16 team to the senior team. He played his first game for the senior team against Moldova on October 13, 2007.
He played in every game during the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying matches and made six assists. However, Turkey did not qualify for the main tournament.
Selçuk scored his first goal for Turkey on May 24, 2012, in a friendly match against Georgia. His second goal came against Estonia in a World Cup qualifying match in September 2012. He scored his third goal from a curved free-kick against Andorra in another World Cup qualifier in March 2013.
Selçuk is known for his amazing free-kick skills. He scored his most famous goal for the national team against Iceland in the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group A. Turkey needed to win this match to qualify directly for EURO 2016. In the 89th minute, with the score 0-0 and Turkey playing with ten players, Selçuk scored a spectacular free-kick from 30 yards out. This goal sent Turkey straight to EURO 2016!
Personal Life
Selçuk İnan likes to keep his personal life private and is not often seen in the media. He has two older sisters. He lives in Florya, Istanbul, which is close to Galatasaray's main training center. Selçuk is very good friends with his former Galatasaray teammate Burak Yılmaz. They have played together on four different teams, starting from the Turkey U17 team. They grew up knowing each other and also played together at Manisaspor, Trabzonspor, and Galatasaray.
Honours and Awards
Selçuk İnan has won many trophies and awards throughout his career:
With Trabzonspor
- Turkish Cup: 2009–10
- Turkish Super Cup: 2010
With Galatasaray
- Süper Lig (League Champion): 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2017–18, 2018–19
- Türkiye Kupası: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19
- Süper Kupa: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019
Individual Awards
- Süper Lig Top Assister: 2011–12 (with 16 assists)
- Süper Lig Midfielder of the Year: 2011–12
- Süper Lig Player of the Year: 2011–12, chosen by UEFA
Images for kids
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Selçuk İnan playing for Turkey in 2016.
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Selçuk in a September 2011 match against Samsunspor.
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Selçuk playing against Akhisar Belediyespor in September 2012.
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Selçuk playing for Turkey in 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Selçuk İnan para niños
