Semih Şentürk

Semih Şentürk
Personal information
Full name Semih Şentürk
Date of birth 29 April 1983 (1983-04-29) (age 28)
Place of birth İzmir, Turkey
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Fenerbahçe
Number 23
Youth career
1996–1999 Fenerbahçe A2
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2000– Fenerbahçe 178 (55)
2001-2002 → İzmirspor (loan) 22 (3)
National team‡
1999–2004 Turkey U21 83 (42)
2007- Turkey 21 (8)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:29, 30 April 2011 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 May 2010

Semih Şentürk (born 29 April 1983) is a Turkish footballer who currently plays for Turkish Süper Lig side Fenerbahçe as a striker, and also the Turkish national team.

Contents

Club career

Fenerbahçe

Semih has spent his entire club career at Fenerbahçe having risen through the ranks of the Fenerbahçe youth team. He scored 63 goals in 56 games for the youth team and was subsequently called up to the first team.[1] His goalscoring exploits increased hopes among the supporters that Semih could be the future of the Fenerbahçe attacking line. Indeed, he managed to become something of a regular fixture in the team during the 2007–08 campaign, in which he scored 17 goals and finished the season as League's top scorer. His more prominent role in the team was rewarded after he was named as the vice-captain of the team in 2007 after the departure of the former captains Ümit Özat and Tuncay Şanlı.

He secured an away victory in the 2nd round of the Champions League qualifiers, guaranteeing a place for his team in the third knockout phase of the Champions League. His four goals against MTK Budapest on 6 August 2008 meant that Semih became only the second Turkish player after Fethi Heper to score four goals in a single European match. Also he is a member of the leader fan group Genç Fenerbahçeliler (GFB). In 2008 he signed a new contract extension keeping him at the club until May 2010.

In 2011 he signed another contract extension which will keep him at the club until 2014.

International career

Şentürk was called up the Turkey team following his successful performances in the 2007–08 season. He wears the number 9 shirt, which was previously worn by Turkish football legend Hakan Şükür.

Euro 2008

Şentürk was selected as part of the squad for the finals of the European Championships in 2008. On 11 June he came on as a substitute in the 46th minute and in the 57th minute of Turkey's second Group A match against Switzerland, he scored the equaliser with a powerful header outjumping the Swiss defence and beating the goalkeeper, even though he got a hand on it.

In the quarter-finals match versus Croatia, Şentürk saved the Turkish squad from a late 1–0 defeat to Croatia, scoring a last-second equalizer in the 120+1 minute, now holding the record for scoring the latest goal in a European Championship tournament. Just three minutes after Croatia's goal, Turkish goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber cleared an offside free-kick long into Stipe Pletikosa's area, giving Şentürk the opportunity to score with a powerful left-foot shot. Turkey went on to win the subsequent penalty shoot-out 3–1 and advance to semi-finals. Semih successfully converted the second spotkick.

The semi-finals match against Germany turned out to have a thriller ending in which Şentürk played a key role. In the 86th minute, just 7 minutes after of Miroslav Klose's goal (which gave Germany a 2 to 1 advantage), Şentürk took a low cross provided by team-mate Sabri Sarıoğlu and steered in the crucial equalizer. However, his side went on to be defeated as Germany's left-back Philipp Lahm managed to score a decisive goal in the 90th minute, which knocked out Turkey from the competition. Upon the end of the competition, Şentürk received many plaudits for his last minute heroics, with the press labeling him as the super-sub of the tournament.

Career statistics

Club

Club Performance
Turkey Season League Turkish Cup Super Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fenerbahçe 2011–12 12 1 - - - - - - 12 1
2010–11 25 10 4 4 - - 2 0 31 14
2009–10 21 6 2 1 - - 6 0 29 7
2008–09 24 7 5 1 0 0 6 6 35 14
2007–08 27 17 3 0 - - 8 2 38 19
2006–07 18 1 7 7 - - 7 2 32 10
2005–06 22 9 5 4 - - 1 0 28 13
2004–05 3 0 1 0 - - - - 3 0
2003–04 13 1 1 0 - - - - 14 1
2002–03 13 3 1 0 - - - - 14 3
CAREER TOTAL 178 55 29 17 - - 28 10 236 82
Correct as of 18 December 2011

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 29 May 2008 MSV-Arena, Duisburg, Germany  Finland 2 – 0 2 – 0 Friendly
2. 11 June 2008 St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland  Switzerland 1 – 1 2 – 1 UEFA Euro 2008
3. 20 June 2008 Ernst Happel Stadion, Wien, Austria  Croatia 1 – 1 1 – 1 UEFA Euro 2008
4. 25 June 2008 St. Jakob-Park, Basel, Switzerland  Germany 2 – 2 2 – 3 UEFA Euro 2008
5. 6 September 2008 Hrazdan Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia  Armenia 0 – 2 0 – 2 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
6. 1 April 2009 Ali Sami Yen Stadium, İstanbul, Turkey  Spain 1 – 0 1 – 2 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
7. 26 May 2010 Veterans Stadium, New Britain, Connecticut  Northern Ireland 2 – 0 2 – 0 Friendly
8. 7 September 2010 Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, İstanbul, Turkey  Belgium 2 – 1 3 – 2 UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
Correct as of 7 September 2010

Honours

Club

Fenerbahçe

National team

Individual

Fenerbahçe

Trivia

References

  1. ^ Biography at TFF Official Site

External links

Fenerbahçe S.K. – current squad