Metin Oktay

Metin Oktay (2 February 1936 – 13 September 1991) nicknamed the Uncrowned King by Galatasaray fans, was a Turkish footballer and one of the most successful goal scorers in Turkey.

Metin Oktay
Metin Oktay in 1958
Personal information
Date of birth (1936-02-02)2 February 1936
Place of birth İzmir, Turkey
Date of death 13 September 1991(1991-09-13) (aged 55)
Place of death Istanbul, Turkey
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Striker
Number 10
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1954–1955 İzmirspor 18 (17)
1955–1961 Galatasaray 164 (174)
1961–1962 Palermo 12 (3)
1962–1969 Galatasaray 180 (137)
Total 374 (331)
National team‡
1954 Turkey U18 4 (3)
1955–1968 Turkey 36 (19)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 01:09, 23 October 2008 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 01:09, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

Early life

Metin Oktay was born in Karşıyaka, Izmir, on 2 February 1936.[1] His father was a factory worker and his mother a homemaker.[1]

Personal life

Metin Oktay married Servet Kardicali on May 12, 1965, in Istanbul. On February 9, 1965, the couple had a daughter who was named by Metin Oktay as "Zeynep". She died the same day she was born. In 1979, Metin and Servet Oktay had a granddaughter from their son Rifat Halil Pala who was named Zeynep Pala. Metin Oktay lived with his family; his spouse Servet Kardicali Oktay, his son Rifat and granddaughter Zeynep until he died on 13 September 1991 in Istanbul.[2]

Career

Oktay started his career at his local amateur club, Damlacık, in 1952 and moved to another amateur side, Yün Mensucat, in the following season during which he made his first appearance for the junior national team in 1954. He was quickly transferred to İzmirspor at the end of the season and became the top scorer with 17 goals in the İzmir League the following season, the first of many times that he would lead the top scorers in the league. In 1955, Gündüz Kılıç, trainer and former footballer of Galatasaray transferred him. Oktay, then only 19 years old, signed a five-year contract with Galatasaray in exchange for a Chevrolet car. Despite his young age, he was the top scorer in his first season in the Istanbul League, with 19 goals, and his team Galatasaray won the championship. Oktay was top scorer for four seasons in the İstanbul League and then three more in the Turkish League, thus making it seven consecutive years in the competitions he played in.

Oktay made a record-breaking contract with Galatasaray in 1960 and because of this deal he had to divorce his wife Oya Sarı who wanted him to play for his old club İzmirspor. In December that year, he scored four goals (after 1, 9, 61 and 71 minutes) in a 5–0 victory against arch rivals Fenerbahçe which fixed his hero status among Galatasaray supporters. Songs were created for him and he became the first-ever Turkish footballer to play himself in a movie based on his life while actively pursuing his career.

Metin Oktay stayed with Galatasaray until 1969, with the exception of a short period in 1961–1962, when he played for Palermo in Italy. He was the most crowned (six times) top goalscorer in the Turkish League and set a record with 217 goals in total. Tanju Çolak broke his record of most goals in a season in 1988 by a margin of one goal. Nicknamed the Taçsız Kral or "King without a crown", he was a particularly strong goal scorer in Derby matches. During a Derby match against Galatasaray's archrivals Fenerbahçe in 1959, he hit the ball hard enough to open a hole in the opponents' goal net. This unforgettable shot was one of the 18 goals that Oktay scored against Fenerbahçe in his career. The other major Istanbul rivals, Beşiktaş let in 13 of his goals.

Oktay was also assistant coach and head coach of Galatasaray football team in the 1969–70 season[3] and he later coached Bursaspor for a couple of years. Oktay was a board member of the club in 1984 for two years.[4]

He played 36 times for the Turkish national team and scored 19 goals. Breaking almost every record in the history of Turkish football that stood at the time, the "King" retired in 1969. Oktay died on 13 September 1991 in Istanbul in a car accident.[1]

Legacy

Turkish comics artist Abdullah Turhan once made a comic strip about Metin Okay, published in the magazine 1001 Roman and Fotomaç. [5]

Every year on 13 September, Galatasaray players and supporters pay homage to the "Uncrowned King" at his grave in Kozlu cemetery near Topkapı in Istanbul.

Galatasaray's sports complex and training facility, the Metin Oktay Sports Complex and Training Center, located in Florya, Istanbul, is named after him.

Career statistics

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.18 December 1955Istanbul, Turkey Portugal2–13–1Friendly
2.25 December 1955Paris, France France1–11–3Mediterranean Cup
3.19 February 1956Istanbul, Turkey Hungary3–03–1Friendly
4.16 November 1956Istanbul, Turkey Poland1–11–1Friendly
5.4 May 1958Amsterdam, Netherlands Netherlands1–11–2Friendly
6.4 May 1958Amsterdam, Netherlands Netherlands1–21–2Friendly
7.26 October 1958Bruxelles, Belgium Belgium1–11–1Friendly
8.8 June 1960Ankara, Turkey Scotland1–04–2Friendly
9.27 November 1960Sofia, Bulgaria Bulgaria1–01–2Friendly
10.1 June 1961Oslo, Norway Norway1–01–01962 FIFA World Cup qualification
11.29 October 1961Istanbul, Turkey Norway2–12–11962 FIFA World Cup qualification
12.12 November 1961Istanbul, Turkey Soviet Union1–21–21962 FIFA World Cup qualification
13.10 October 1962Ankara, Turkey Ethiopia3–01–0Friendly
14.10 October 1962Ankara, Turkey Ethiopia3–02–0Friendly
15.10 October 1962Ankara, Turkey Ethiopia3–03–0Friendly
16.27 September 1964Istanbul, Turkey Ethiopia3–03–0Friendly
17.1 November 1964Ankara, Turkey Poland2–32–3Friendly
18.1 November 1964Ankara, Turkey Tunisia4–14–2Friendly
19.9 May 1965Sofia, Bulgaria Bulgaria1–21–4Friendly
Correct as of 10 February 2010[6]

Club level

A goals tally in bold indicates that Oktay was the competition's top scorer for that season.

Club Season League[7] Cup[8] Minor Cup[9] Europe[10] Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Izmirspor 1954–55 1817------1817
Total 18170000001817
Galatasaray 1955–56 1719------1719
1956–57 2724----222926
1957–58 2629------2629
1958–59 1622------1622
1959 1511------1511
1959–60 3333------3333
1960–61 3036------3036
Total 164174000022166176
Palermo 1961–62 123------123
Total 123000000123
Galatasaray 1962–63 26387400653947
1963–64 32186723564534
1964–65 22176300633423
1965–66 26195110103320
1966–67 17101000--1810
1967–68 27186320--3521
1968–69 30178410--3921
Total 1801373922631814243176
Career total 3743313922632016437372

Honours

Club

Galatasaray

Individual

See also

References
  1. "Metin Oktay - Taçsız Kral (The Uncrowned King)". Turkish Football. 13 September 2012. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  2. url=https://www.webaslan.com/tacsiz-kralin-esi-topraga-verildiSXHBQ17148SXQ
  3. Galatasaray: Futbolda Dünya Markası, Oygur Yamak, Sinerji Yayınları (2001)
  4. Galatasaray Spor Kulübü Tarihi, Ahmet Çakır, Demir Ajans (2001)
  5. https://www.lambiek.net/artists/t/turhan_abdullah.htm
  6. Profile at TFF.org
  7. Includes Süper Lig, Istanbul Football League and Federasyon Kupası
  8. Includes Türkiye Kupası
  9. TFF Süper Kupa and TSYD Cup
  10. Includes European Cup, UEFA Cup and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  11. "İz Bırakanlar". Yeni Asir (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 20 October 2000. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  12. "Metin'e Requem". Ymemleketfutbolu.com (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Turgay Şeren		 Galatasaray S.K. Captain
1967–1969		 Succeeded by
Talat Özkarslı
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