Ümit Karan

Ümit Karan

Karan in 2008
Personal information
Date of birth	(1976-10-01) October 1, 1976
Place of birth	West Berlin, West Germany
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current team	Retired
Youth career
	SC Minerva 93
–	Hertha Zehlendorf
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1995–1996	Türkiyemspor Berlin	?	(?)
1996–2001	Gençlerbirliği	136	(58)
2001–2009	Galatasaray	170	(72)
2005	→ Ankaraspor (loan)	12	(5)
2009–2011	Eskişehirspor	40	(12)
National team
1999–2007	Turkey	10	(3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ümit Karan (born October 1, 1976) is a retired Turkish football player.

He played for Gençlerbirliği S.K., Ankaraspor, Galatasaray and Eskişehirspor. He made his international debut for Turkey in 1999, and earned a total of 10 caps, scoring 3 goals.

Club career

After playing for Gençlerbirliği for 5 seasons and scoring 47 goals, Ümit moved to Galatasaray at the start of the 2001-02 season and was a key player in Mircea Lucescu's squad as the main striker after Mario Jardel's departure.

During the 2004-05 he was loaned to Ankaraspor by manager Gheorghe Hagi due to his dip in form. However, Ümit made a strong return for the 2005-06 season with Galatasaray's new manager Eric Gerets. Getting along well with Gerets and his playing style, Ümit scored 16 goals in 18 matches at the start of the season. But early in 2006, Umit's season was cut short by a knee injury, which kept him out of the game for 6 months.

At the start of the 2006-07 season, Ümit regained his place on the team after the injury layoff, scoring his 100th goal in the Turkcell Super League on September 18, 2006, against Beşiktaş. He became the 30th player to reach that mark in the league's history.

Ümit has great finishing ability and he is usually in chase of sensational goals, particularly with volleys and bicycle kicks. His most sensational goal is arguably the one he scored against Vestel Manisaspor. Ümit latched onto a 40 meter pass just inside the box and struck a one time shot with his right foot and curled it around the helpless goalkeeper. He also possesses good pace, stamina and strength. He is also loved by the supporters, but he has had his share of problems with his former Galatasaray managers Fatih Terim and Gheorghe Hagi. On 24 June 2009 was fired from his 2010 contract with Galatasaray and he signed a contract with Eskisehirspor for 3 years.

Honours

• Gençlerbirliği
  • Turkish Cup: 2001

• Galatasaray
  • Turkish League: 3 (2001–02, 2005–06, 2007–08)
  • Turkish Super Cup: 1 (2008)

Career statistics

As of 15 April 2010

References

External links

• Official website
• Profile at TFF.org (Turkish)