Kubilay Türkyilmaz

Kubilay Türkyilmaz

Personal information
Full name	Kubilay Türkyilmaz
Date of birth	4 March 1967 (1967-03-04)
Place of birth	Bellinzona, Switzerland
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1985–1986	US Semine
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1986–1989	Bellinzona	79	(46)
1989–1990	Servette	46	(25)
1990–1993	Bologna	83	(24)
1993–1995	Galatasaray	34	(13)
1995–1998	Grasshopper Zurich	84	(51)
1998	Locarno	12	(6)
1999	Luzern	14	(6)
2000	Bellinzona	13	(15)
2000–2001	Brescia	9	(3)
2001	Lugano	6	(3)
National team
1988–2001	Switzerland	62	(34)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Kubilay "Kubi" Türkyilmaz (Turkish: Kubilay Türkyılmaz; born 4 March 1967 in Bellinzona) is a former Swiss footballer of Turkish descent. He completed his international career as the all-time joint leading goal scorer for the Swiss national team, with 34 goals in 62 appearances between 1988 and 2001, equalling the performance of Max Abegglen. Their record was bettered by Alexander Frei in 2008.

Club career

Turkyilmaz began his club career with the local club AC Bellinzona in 1986 and later joined Servette FC in 1989. He left the country in 1990 for the Italian club Bologna FC before joining Galatasaray SK of Turkey, where he won the Turkish Super League in his first season, 1993-94. In 1995 he returned to Switzerland with Grasshopper Zurich, winning the league in 1995-96 and 1997-98.

International career

Turkyilmaz made his international debut on 2 February 1988 against France in Toulouse as a 65th minute substitute for Hans-Peter Zwicker. Switzerland lost 2-1. His first goals were two against Luxembourg in qualification for the 1990 World Cup, on 21 September 1988, his seventh match.

He appeared at Euro 1996, scoring Switzerland's equalizer against England in the opening match of the tournament, a 1–1 draw at Wembley. Türkyilmaz once refused to play for Switzerland in a game against Turkey for fear of being branded a traitor.

His last 8 international matches, from 1997 to 2001, saw him score 14 times, including his first international hat-trick, versus Azerbaijan in qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He added another hat trick, of three penalty kicks on 7 October 2000 in a 2002 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Zürich against the Faroe Islands. In his final match, on 5 September 2001, he scored twice against Luxembourg away in qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Honours

Galatasaray

• 1. Lig (1): 1993–94

Grasshopper

• Nationalliga A (2): 1995–96, 1997–98