Semih Kaya facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 February 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Bergama, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.83 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Petkimspor | ||
| 2004 | Helvacı Bld. Gençlik ve Spor | ||
| 2004–2006 | Altay | ||
| 2006–2009 | Galatasaray | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2009–2017 | Galatasaray | 147 | (5) |
| 2010 | → Gaziantepspor (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | → Kartalspor (loan) | 18 | (0) |
| 2017–2020 | Sparta Prague | 28 | (2) |
| 2019 | → Galatasaray (loan) | 5 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Yeni Malatyaspor | 54 | (1) |
| 2022 | Galatasaray | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 255 | (8) | |
| National team | |||
| 2006 | Turkey U15 | 2 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Turkey U16 | 9 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Turkey U17 | 25 | (1) |
| 2007–2009 | Turkey U18 | 10 | (0) |
| 2009 | Turkey U19 | 2 | (0) |
| 2009–2011 | Turkey U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 2012–2015 | Turkey | 23 | (0) |
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Semih Kaya (born 24 February 1991) is a Turkish former professional footballer. He played as a centre back, which is a defensive position. His last team was Galatasaray. On 12 August 2022, Semih announced that he was stopping his football career.
Contents
Semih Kaya's Football Journey
Starting in Youth Football
Semih Kaya joined the Galatasaray youth academy when he was 15 years old. Before that, he played for Altay's youth team.
In 2007, during a youth league game, he had a serious head injury. He had to leave the game and get surgery.
His first game in the top Turkish league, Süper Lig, was on 19 February 2009. He played against İstanbul B.B.. He didn't play much at first. So, in January 2010, he went to Gaziantepspor on loan. Later, in the summer of 2010, he joined Kartalspor on loan. While at Kartalspor, he scored two goals in a youth league game in October 2010.
Coming Back to Galatasaray
At the start of the 2011–12 season, Semih wasn't a regular player for Galatasaray. But some other players got hurt, and others weren't playing well. The coach, Fatih Terim, gave Semih a chance.
Semih played very well and soon became a main player. He played as a centre-back alongside Tomáš Ujfaluši.
He scored his first goal for Galatasaray on 7 January 2012 against Samsunspor. Galatasaray won that game 4–2. In the 2011–12 season, he played 30 games and helped his team win the championship. He kept playing as a key defender for both his club and the Turkish national team. He played well against big teams like Manchester United. In his second year, he played 36 games in total. In November 2013, he signed a new contract to stay with Galatasaray until 2016.
Playing for Sparta Prague
On 14 July 2017, Semih Kaya left Galatasaray. He moved to the Czech Republic to play for Sparta Prague. He signed a three-year contract with them.
In January 2019, he went back to Galatasaray on loan for the rest of the season. Sparta Prague announced that Semih left their team on 13 July 2020. He had some injuries while playing in the Czech Republic.
Time with Yeni Malatyaspor
On 29 September 2020, Semih joined Yeni Malatyaspor. He was a free agent, meaning he wasn't tied to any club. He left the club on 31 January 2022.
Final Return to Galatasaray
On 3 February 2022, Semih Kaya joined Galatasaray for the third time. This was his last club. On 12 August 2022, he announced that he was retiring from professional football.
Playing for His Country
Semih Kaya played for many different levels of the Turkish national team. This includes the under-15, under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19, and under-21 teams.
He played his first game for the senior Turkish national team on 29 February 2012. He played the whole game against Slovakia. Turkey lost that game 2–1. He was also part of the Turkish team for the Euro 2016 tournament.
About Semih's Life
Semih Kaya's grandfather was from Macedonia. He moved to the Turkish city of İzmir. Semih is the youngest of three brothers.
Football Achievements
Here are some of the awards and championships Semih Kaya won with his teams:
Galatasaray
- Süper Lig: 2011–12, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2018–19 (These are the top Turkish league championships)
- Türkiye Kupası: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19 (These are Turkish cup wins)
- Süper Kupa: 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 (These are super cup wins, usually played between the league and cup winners)
Sparta Prag
- Czech Cup: 2019–20 (This is a Czech cup win)
Images for kids
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Semih Kaya at an awards ceremony.
See also
In Spanish: Semih Kaya para niños
