Vahap Özaltay facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1907 or 1908 or 1909 | ||
| Place of birth | Istanbul, Ottoman Empire or İzmir, Ottoman Empire or Beirut, Ottoman Empire (today Lebanon) |
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| Date of death | 10 June 1965 | ||
| Place of death | İzmir, Turkey | ||
| Playing position | |||
| Youth career | |||
| 1921–1922 | Kastamonu Sultânisi | ||
| 1922–1923 | Altay S.K. | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1923–1931 | Altay S.K. | ||
| 1932–1934 | Racing Club de France | ||
| 1934–1936 | Altay S.K. | ||
| 1936–1937 | Racing Club de France | ||
| 1937 | Şişli Spor Kulübü | ||
| 1937–1940 | Altay S.K. | ||
| National team | |||
| 1932 | Turkey | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1937 | Şişli Spor Kulübü (Player-coach) | ||
| 1954 | Turkey national army football team | ||
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Vahap Özaltay (born around 1907-1909, died June 10, 1965) was a famous Turkish footballer and also an athlete in track and field. He is best known for his time playing for Altay S.K.
Vahap made history in Turkish football. He was the first player in Turkey to become a professional footballer. He was also the first Turkish player to play for a club in another country. His last name, Özaltay, shows how much he loved the Altay club. It means "Pure Altay" or "Real Altay."
Vahap was born in Beirut around 1908. When he was 10, his family moved to Aydın. Later, they moved to Kastamonu, where he began his football journey.
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Vahap Özaltay's Football Journey
Playing for Clubs
After some time, Vahap's family moved to İzmir. He was only 14 years old when he started playing for Altay. He quickly became a key player for Altay in 1922. Altay was one of the top Turkish football clubs in İzmir back then. Vahap helped Altay win the İzmir League five times! These wins were in 1923–24, 1924–25, 1927–28, 1928–29, and 1930–31.
In 1932, Vahap moved to France to play for Racing Club de Paris. This was a big deal because he was the first Turkish player to join a foreign club. He played in France for five seasons. People in France gave him a special nickname, "Le Tête de Turc," which means "The Turkish Head." This was because he was so good at scoring goals with his head!
He returned to Turkey in 1937 and played for Altay again. This time, he played as a professional footballer. He was the very first Turkish player to get a professional football player certificate from the Turkish government.
Playing for His Country
Vahap Özaltay also played for the Turkish national team once. This was in a friendly game against Bulgaria. The match took place in Istanbul on November 4, 1932. Bulgaria won the game 3-2.
Becoming a Coach
After he stopped playing football, Vahap became a manager. He managed Altay and also the national army football team. He became well-known for being the first manager to use a special football strategy called the WM formation. With the national army team, he helped them win the World Army Football tournament in 1954.
Vahap Özaltay's Life Outside Football
Vahap Özaltay was married and had seven children. His younger brother, Saim, also played football for Altay S.K. Even though their clubs were rivals, Vahap was best friends with Said Altınordu, a famous player from Altınordu F.K..
Vahap Özaltay passed away on June 10, 1965. He had a heart attack after giving a speech at a meeting for Altay S.K.
