| Emre crop.jpg | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Emre Belözoğlu | ||
| Date of birth | 7 September 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | İstanbul, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Fenerbahçe | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1990–1992 | Zeytinburnuspor | ||
| 1992–1996 | Galatasaray | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1996–2001 | Galatasaray | 149 | (19) |
| 2001–2005 | Internazionale | 79 | (3) |
| 2005–2008 | Newcastle United | 69 | (5) |
| 2008– | Fenerbahçe | 84 | (6) |
| Total | 386 | (33) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1994–1995 | Turkey U-15 | 11 | (7) |
| 1995–1997 | Turkey U-16 | 35 | (20) |
| 1996–1997 | Turkey U-17 | 7 | (2) |
| 1997 | Turkey U-18 | 6 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | Turkey U-21 | 12 | (4) |
| 2000– | Turkey | 80 | (8) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:19, 11 August 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Emre Belözoğlu (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈemre ˈbeløzːɫu]; born 7 September 1980 in Istanbul) is a Turkish football midfielder who plays for Fenerbahçe.
Having also played for clubs Galatasaray, Internazionale, and Newcastle United, Emre has been a part of the Turkey national team at the 2002 World Cup and at Euro 2008 among other tournaments. Pelé named Emre in the FIFA 100, a list of the 125 greatest living footballers as a part of FIFA's centenary celebrations.[1]
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Emre's inspiration came from his father, who introduced him to football at the Zeytinburnuspor training ground. Emre's mother had seen the problems that her husband had faced through his football career, and thus did not want his son to become a professional football player. His father, however, urged and inspired Emre to embark on a career.
The fans of Zeytinburnuspor quickly took an interest in Emre, stating his wonderful control with his left foot. Trainer Salih Bulgurlu noticed his talent and started giving him special training. Salih looked after Emre for four years, teaching him all the basic techniques, improving and harnessing his fitness and stamina dramatically. Emre was quickly discovered by former Galatasaray legend Bülent Ünder, a close friend of legendary Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim. Bülent Ünder pleaded to Salih Bulgurlu that Emre join Galatasaray:
| “ | Wait and see. In two years, this teenager will be playing proudly within the battlegrounds of Europe.[2] | ” |
Emre officially became a Galatasaray player. Forever the centre of attention while rising through the Galatasaray youth ranks, his left foot and creativity brought him his first appearance for the club's senior squad as a sixteen-year-old in the 1996–97 season.[3]
The following year, he became a regular in the squad. Once the understudy to Romanian legend Gheorghe Hagi, it seemed that the sky was the limit for Emre as he won 4 Süper Lig titles, 2 Turkish Cups, 1 UEFA Cup, and 1 UEFA Super Cup all by the age of 21. Emre also played in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Emre gained much popularity and fame at Galatasaray, earning legendary status and a reputation in Europe.
Emre began to catch the eyes of major European football clubs. Italian leading sports paper Tuttosport described Galatasaray's little midfield maestro as the most sought-after player in Europe, with Emre attracting the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Milan, and Internazionale.[4]
In 2001, he transferred to Internazionale in a €10 million deal. It was during his time at Inter where he picked up the nickname "Maradona of the Bosphorus", after comparisons of playing style to the Argentine legend. In the 2002–03 season, Emre became the 17th winner of the Pirata d'Oro (Golden Pirate), an annual award given for the Inter player of the year. Inter made it through to the semi-finals of the Champions League that year, and that was as far as Emre would reach with the club.
Emre gradually became out of favour at Inter due to persistent injuries, and after making just nineteen appearances during the 2004–05 season, he became available for transfer.
In July 2005, Emre moved to Newcastle United for a £3.8 million transfer fee.[5] He proved to be a popular player amongst the Newcastle fans, as well as showing his ability to win matches not only from his goals, but also from his assists.
However, three injury-hampered seasons at St James' Park never allowed the Newcastle fans to see the full influence of his outstanding abilities. Nonetheless, he will be remembered by many Newcastle fans for his match-winning free-kick against Tyne-Wear rivals Sunderland.
In July 2008, Emre was unveiled at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in a signing ceremony. Fanatical Galatasaray supporters started many "anti-Emre" campaigns for transferring to their rivals. However, Emre stated that he had always been a Fenerbahçe fan, which has been confirmed by some of his past team-mates, including Galatasaray legends Hakan Şükür[6] and Hasan Şaş.[7]
After a disappointing first season, consistent performances in the next saw Emre rewarded with the Süper Lig player of the year in season 2009–10. Emre was effective at both ends of the pitch, his experience and combative style proving a valuable asset in taking his team so close in both league and cup.
On 3 November 2010, Emre declared that he hung posters of Fenerbahçe legends Aykut Kocaman, Rıdvan Dilmen and Džoni Novak on his walls at home.[8]
Since making his international debut against Norway in 2000, Emre has been a regular in the Turkish setup. Injury forced him out of the Euro 2000 but he was part of the Turkish squad that finished in third place at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Emre played the opening match of UEFA Euro 2008, but an injury sidelined him for the rest of the tournament as Turkey progressed to the semi-finals.[9]
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2 September 2000 | Istanbul, Turkey | Moldova | 2–0 | Win | 2002 FIFA World Cup Qualification | |||||
| 2. | 9 June 2002 | Incheon, South Korea | Costa Rica | 1–1 | Draw | 2002 FIFA World Cup | |||||
| 3. | 20 November 2002 | Pescara, Italy | Italy | 1–1 | Draw | Friendly | |||||
| 4. | 17 November 2007 | Oslo, Norway | Norway | 1–2 | Win | UEFA Euro 2008 Qualification | |||||
| 5. | 10 September 2008 | Istanbul, Turkey | Belgium | 1–1 | Draw | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification | |||||
| 6. | 9 September 2009 | Zenica, Bosnia Herzegovina | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1–1 | Draw | 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualification | |||||
| 7. | 11 August 2010 | İstanbul, Turkey | Romania | 2–0 | Win | Friendly | |||||
| 8. | 10 August 2011 | İstanbul, Turkey | Estonia | 1–0 | Win | Friendly | |||||
| Correct as of 10 August 2011 | |||||||||||
| Club | Season | League | Cup [12] [13] [14] | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Galatasaray | 1996–97 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| 1997–98 | 24 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 2 | |
| 1998–99 | 27 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 2 | |
| 1999–00 | 24 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 41 | 6 | |
| 2000-01 | 27 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 0 | 40 | 8 | |
| Total | 103 | 12 | 21 | 6 | 27 | 1 | 151 | 18 | |
| Internazionale | |||||||||
| 2001–02 | 13 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| 2002–03 | 25 | 3 | - | - | 12 | 1 | 37 | 4 | |
| 2003–04 | 21 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 0 | 27 | 0 | |
| 2004–05 | 19 | 0 | - | - | 6 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| Total | 78 | 3 | - | - | 30 | 1 | 108 | 4 | |
| Newcastle United | |||||||||
| 2005–06 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 2 | |
| 2006–07 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 38 | 3 | |
| 2007-08 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 0 | - | - | 19 | 1 | |
| Total | 58 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 82 | 6 | |
| Fenerbahçe | |||||||||
| 2008–09 | 25 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 40 | 2 | |
| 2009–10 | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 38 | 2 | |
| 2010–11 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 5 | |
| 2011–12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 84 | 6 | 12 | 0 | 21 | 4 | 112 | 9 | |
| Career total | 200 | 26 | 41 | 6 | 90 | 7 | 442 | 39 | |
| Turkey national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2000 | 4 | 1 |
| 2001 | 4 | 0 |
| 2002 | 13 | 2 |
| 2003 | 7 | 0 |
| 2004 | 7 | 0 |
| 2005 | 7 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | 8 | 1 |
| 2008 | 7 | 1 |
| 2009 | 6 | 1 |
| 2010 | 9 | 1 |
| 2011 | 5 | 1 |
| Total | 79 | 6 |
Emre loves to have the ball at his feet.[17] He has technique, speed, agility and elegance, which makes him a good dribbler.[18] One of Emre's trademark moves is the inside hook, a trick to work space and increase options.[19]
Belözoğlu and his long-time fiancé Tuğba Gürevin were married on 2 January 2009. The couple have a son, Ömer Akif, born in the morning of Tuesday 22 March 2011, at the American Hospital. The baby weighed 3.55 kg and was 50 cm tall at birth.
After a post-match brawl in a 2006 World Cup qualification playoff match with Switzerland, Emre was banned for Turkey's next six matches and fined CHF 15,000 (£6,622) plus costs of CHF 1,000 (£440) for his alleged part in the brawl. The FIFA Appeal Committee later reduced the ban to four matches.[20]
On 12 January 2007, Emre was charged by The Football Association with using racially-aggravated abusive and/or insulting words[21] in an incident during a 3–0 loss to Everton on 30 December. Newcastle United were unable to comment until Emre himself replied to the charge.[22] He later stated he was angered by claims that he was racist, citing his friendship with roommate Obafemi Martins as evidence he was not.[23]
On 16 February 2007, the FA announced another investigation into alleged racist remarks from Emre, this time aimed against Bolton Wanderers striker El Hadji Diouf. The incident allegedly took place during Bolton's 2–1 win at St James' Park on 15 October 2006. Emre's agent denied the accusation.[24] Diouf subsequently decided not to press charges. However, on 1 March 2007, Emre faced a third racism allegation, when Watford defender Alhassan Bangura claimed he was subject of racist abuse from Emre.[25]
On 19 March 2007, the allegations of Emre using racially-aggravated abusive and/or insulting words during the Everton match were found not proven by the FA.[26]
His transfer from Inter Milan to Newcastle United in July 2005 is one of those about which the Stevens inquiry report in June 2007 expressed concerns.[27]