| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Colin Kazim-Richards | ||
| Date of birth | 26 August 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Leytonstone, London, England | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Right winger / Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Galatasaray | ||
| Number | 80 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–1997 | Interwood | ||
| 1997–1998 | Queens Park Rangers | ||
| 1998–2001 | Arsenal | ||
| 2001–2004 | Bury | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2005 | Bury | 20 | (3) |
| 2005–2006 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 33 | (6) |
| 2006–2007 | Sheffield United | 27 | (1) |
| 2007–2011 | Fenerbahçe | 66 | (5) |
| 2010–2011 | → Toulouse (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2011– | Galatasaray | 31 | (5) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007 | Turkey U21 | 5 | (1) |
| 2007– | Turkey | 34 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16 December 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Colin Kazim-Richards (born 26 August 1986 in Leytonstone), commonly known as Colin Kâzım, Kâzım or Kâzım Kâzım, is an English-born Turkish footballer who plays for Galatasaray,[1] and internationally for Turkey having qualified for Turkish nationality through his mother's ethnicity.[2] An anglicised form of the Turkish given name Kâzım was intended to be a middle name, which would have rendered his full name as 'Colin-Kazim Richards', but due to an error, he was legally registered as 'Colin Kazim-Richards'.[2]
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Kazim-Richards attended Greenleaf Primary School in Walthamstow, where he developed an interest in football, which continued into his secondary education at Aveling Park, Walthamstow.[3] His mother is a Turkish Cypriot (which enabled him to join the Turkish national team), and his father is of Antiguan descent.[2] When applying for Turkish citizenship, he was forced to change his name due to Turkish laws not allowing non-Turkish names once citizenship has been established.[4] Kazim-Richards selected the name Kâzım Kâzım.
It's difficult because half my family is Muslim, and the other half is Christian. I've always felt Turkish, though. My nene [grandmother], she can't speak English. Half of my family, their first language is Turkish, and so I went to Turkish school before I played football, although I can't remember any of it now.[5][6]
Kazim-Richards began his professional career at Bury, after joining the club at the age of 15 and progressing through the club's youth team and centre of excellence. He broke into the first team in the 2004–2005 season, and his performances caught the attention of larger clubs.
At the age of 19, he was signed on a three-year contract by Brighton & Hove Albion for £250,000. The contract was signed after a fan of the club, Aaron Berry, won the sum for the club in a competition run by Coca-Cola which, in turn, led to Kazim-Richards being dubbed the "Coca-Cola Kid". He was often brought on as a second-half substitute, and by the end of the 2005–2006 season, he had scored six league goals for the club, including its 5,000th league goal. He submitted a transfer request after being omitted from the starting line-up of Brighton's opening match as they began their campaign in 2006–2007 against Rotherham.
Subsequently, Brighton sold him to Sheffield United for £150,000 on 31 August 2006, the deadline day for the transfer window. Kazim-Richards signed a three-year deal with the Blades after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms. He scored once for Sheffield United, in a 2–2 draw with Bolton Wanderers in November 2006.[7]
On 15 June 2007, Kazim-Richards signed a four-year contract with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe.[8] He scored his second UEFA Champions League goal for Fenerbahçe in the quarter-final first leg against Chelsea on 2 April 2008. After serving as a rotation player during the 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons, Kazim-Richards broke into Christoph Daum's first choice lineup in the 2009–10 season.
Despite success on the pitch during the 2009–10 season, Kazim-Richards had an argument with Fenerbahçe fans after being taken off the pitch in a match against İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor.[9] Against Beşiktaş, Kazim-Richards was red carded for swearing at the referee and banned for 4 matches.[10] While serving his ban, on the same night that his team mates lost to Kasimpasa, the media reported Kazim-Richards was out on the town. This report was denied by the Fenerbahçe board who released an official statement. The following day, pictures of Kazim-Richards were released and the Fenerbahçe board rescinded their earlier statement, claiming that Kazim-Richards had lied about his whereabouts which had triggered their denial of the report.[11]
In December 2009, Kazim-Richards was also alleged to be involved in a sex scandal also involving other Fenerbahçe players.[12] A few days later while speeding to get to his team's training session, Kazim-Richards had a car crash during which he had not worn his seat belt and broke his right wrist: Kazim-Richards denies media claims that he was drunk prior to the accident.[13][14] Following these events, the Fenerbahçe board and manager Christoph Daum sought to find an alternative club for Kazim-Richards to join, and he joined French club Toulouse on a six-month loan from January 2010, for whom he scored on his debut in a 3–1 away win against Le Mans UC72.[15][16]
He returned to Fenerbahçe for the following season.[17] On 3 January 2011, Fenerbahçe decided to terminate his contract.[18] He signed a three and a half year contract with local rivals Galatasaray in January 2011 and subsequently went on to score against his previous employers during the season.[1]
Kazim-Richards scored and was credited with an assist in his debut for the Turkey under-21 team in a victory against Switzerland on 24 March 2007. On 30 April, the Turkish national coach Fatih Terim declared that Kazim-Richards would play for the senior team.[19]
Terim called him up for matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Brazil.[20] He received his first senior international cap in a 0–0 friendly draw against Brazil on 5 June 2007, a game in which he played 38 minutes. He was a member of Turkey's Euro 2008 squad, playing in all five matches as the side reached the semi-finals.
On 10 August 2011, he scored 2 goals in a friendly match against Estonia at Türk Telekom Arena.
Correct as of 10 August 2011
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 10 August 2011 | Türk Telekom Arena, İstanbul, Turkey | Estonia | 2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 10 August 2011 | Türk Telekom Arena, İstanbul, Turkey | Estonia | 3–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
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