Murat Yakın

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Murat Yakın
Personal information
Full name Murat Yakın
Date of birth September 15, 1974 (1974-09-15) (age 33)
Place of birth    Basel, Switzerland
Height 184cm
Playing position Defender (Central)
Club information
Current club Grasshoppers - Assistant coach
Youth clubs
-1992 Concordia
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1992-1997
1997-1998
1998-1999
1999-2000
1999-2000
2000-2001
2000-2001
2001-2006		 Grasshoppers
Stuttgart
Fenerbahçe
Basel
Fenerbahçe
Basel
Kaiserslautern
Basel		 101 (17)
23 (2)
23 (3)
11 (1)
3 (0)
12 (1)
9 (0)
91(24)   
National team
1994-2004 Switzerland 49 (4)
Teams managed
2006-2007
2007-		 Concordia
Grasshoppers - Assistant coach

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)

Murat Yakın (born September 15, 1974 in Basel) is a Swiss-Turkish football coach and former international player, who is currently the coach of Concordia Basel.

Murat has been capped over 50 times for Switzerland and played in Euro 2004. His brother Hakan Yakın plays in the Swiss Super League with BSC Young Boys. Murat spent the best years of his career playing for his home town club of FC Basel, where he was the defensive linchpin, captain, and libero, of a team that enjoyed domestic and relative European success. He has won the Swiss league on five occasions (1995, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2005), and the Schweizer Cup three times (1994, 2002, 2003). Although his spells abroad were not wholly successful, he was widely regarded as one of Swiss football's finest products, frequently being linked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe. In 2003, he played in the FIFA 'Match against Poverty' as part of a star-studded ensemble showcasing the world's best players.

The Yakın brothers have come to symbolise the growing multiculturalism within Switzerland, and the gradual amalgamation of different traditions with Swiss culture. This has contributed towards the generation of an iconic status being bestowed upon them, an accolade that has led to constant media scrutiny and an unstinting popularity among the Swiss public. Murat remains an It boy of the football world. He is currently romantically associated with the former Miss Switzerland candidate and model Anja Müller, with whom he has happily spent the past two years. Retirement has led to involvement in a flurry of modelling work and celebrity endorsements, as well as some acting.

Away from football, Murat is a keen chef, listing his favourite food as being the Middle-Eastern delicacy sucuk (his 'sucuk döner' and 'ĥĥä' having bizarrely gained cult status among former teammates and associates, as well as elements of the Turkish rap industry). Although of celebrity status, he can often be spotted humbly dining with friends in the kebab houses and greasy spoons of Basel. He also enjoys golf, music, tennis and film, and notes his footballing idols as being Diego Maradona and Pelé.

[edit] Career statistics


Club Performance League Cup Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Switzerland League Schweizer Cup Total
1992-93 Grasshopper Zürich Super League 18 1
1993-94 29 3
1994-95 18 2
1995-96 8 3
1996-97 28 8
Germany League DFB-Pokal Total
1997-98 Stuttgart Bundesliga 23 2
Turkey League Fortis Turkey Cup Total
1998-99 Fenerbahçe Super League 23 3
1999-00 3 0
Switzerland League Schweizer Cup Total
1999-00 Basel Super League 12 1
Germany League DFB-Pokal Total
2000-01 Kaiserslautern Bundesliga 9 0
Switzerland League Schweizer Cup Total
2000-01 Basel Super League 11 1
2001-02 32 7
2002-03 26 6
2003-04 20 7
2004-05 13 3
2005-06 1 0
Total Switzerland 216 42
Germany 32 2
Turkey 26 3
Career Total 274 47

[edit] External links