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Emre Belözoğlu

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Emre Belözoğlu
Personal information
Full name Emre Belözoğlu
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Atlético Madrid
Number TBA
Youth career
1990–1992 Zeytinburnuspor
1992–1996 Galatasaray
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1996–2001 Galatasaray 102 (14)
2001–2005 Inter 78 (3)
2005–2008 Newcastle United 58 (5)
2008–2012 Fenerbahçe 103 (12)
2012– Atlético Madrid 0 (0)
International career‡
1994–1995 Turkey U15 11 (7)
1995–1997 Turkey U16 35 (20)
1996–1997 Turkey U17 7 (2)
1997 Turkey U18 6 (0)
1998–1999 Turkey U21 12 (4)
2000– Turkey 84 (8)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 22:23, 30 May 2012 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 29 May 2012

Emre Belözoğlu (Turkish pronunciation: [emˈɾɛ beˈløzoːɫʊ]; born 7 September 1980 in Istanbul) is a Turkish football midfielder who plays for Atlético Madrid. Having also played for clubs Galatasaray, Internazionale, Newcastle United and Fenerbahçe, 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]

Early career

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]

Club career

Galatasaray

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.

Internazionale

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.[3] In 2001, he moved to Internazionale on a free transfer. 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.[3]

Newcastle United

In July 2005, Emre moved to Newcastle United for a £3.8million transfer fee.[4] 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.[4]

Fenerbahçe

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 and Hasan Şaş.[5][6] 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.[7]

Atlético Madrid

Emre moved to Atlético Madrid on 29 May 2012, the Champion of the Europa League. He signed a contract which will last for 2 years and he will receive €2.7 million per season. On 7 July Emre trained with his new teammates before being unveiled by Atletico Madrid in a signing ceremony held in the Vicente Calderon stadium.

International career

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.Also he is team captain.

Playing style

Emre loves to have the ball at his feet.[8] He has technique, speed, agility and elegance, which makes him a good dribbler.[9] One of Emre's trademark moves is the inside hook, a trick to work space and increase options.[10]

Personal life

Belözoğlu and his long-time fiancée Tuğba Gürevin were married on 2 January 2009. The couple have a son, Ömer Akif, born in the morning of Tuesday 22 March 2011.

Controversy

Banned six matches

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.[11]

Racial abuse incident in England

On 12 January 2007, Emre was charged by The Football Association with using racially-aggravated abusive and/or insulting words[12] 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.[13] He later stated he was angered by claims that he was racist, citing his friendship with roommate Obafemi Martins as evidence he was not.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] 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.[18]

Racial abuse incident with Didier Zokora

On April 15, 2012, Emre was accused of making racist comments on the pitch towards Trabzonspor's Didier Zokora. Then after the match, Zokora told Lig TV "Emre and I came face to face during the match. I'll tell you what he said word for word. He called me: 'A fucking nigger', This is the first time in my life something like this has happened to me. Emre has Africans like Yobo and Sow as team-mates - I can't understand why he'd say such a thing. We're trying to get on with our jobs. What does the colour of our skin matter? Fans, FIFA, the press are all against racist statements. I hope something like this doesn't go unpunished." Zokora told Lig TV after the match. [19] On April 16, 2012, Emre and his teammate Joseph Yobo gave a speech on the incident, Emre told the reporters "The match was intense and we were both cursing a lot, however I did not call him a "nigger", I used a similar word "pr**k". As soon as match ended, we apologized to each other and hugged". Yobo added "I saw with my own eyes them hugging after the match". Emre finished his speech by saying "I am telling the truth, and I want Zokora to do the same, I want him to give a speech of this incident". Due to his racism towards Didier Zokora, Emre has insisted that he is not a racist, and has confirmed he himself has been the victim of racial abuse during football matches. Emre received a two-game ban for his actions, after it was concluded that he had used abusive, but not racist, language by the authorities. On 6 May 2012, he played against Zokora in a heated encounter (involving some heavy tackles and altercations) with Trabzonspor, which Fenerbahçe won 3–1.[20]

Career statistics

International goals

[21][22][23]

|}

Honours

Notes

  1. ^ Includes Süper Kupa, Supercoppa Italiana, Football League Cup
  2. ^ Includes UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup

References

  1. ^ "Emre Belözoglu Profile". ESPN Soccernet.com.
  2. ^ "Emre Biography". 123football.
  3. ^ a b c "Emre Belozoglu Player Profile". World Soccer Magazine. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Newcastle finalise Emre transfer". BBC Sport. London. 19 July 2005. Retrieved 16 February 2007.
  5. ^ "H.Şükür: Emre'nin Fenerbahçe'li olduğunu biliyordum!". Forum TR.
  6. ^ "Hasan Şaş:Emre Fenerbahçe'liydi". Kanaltürk.
  7. ^ Emre has A.Kocaman's posters hang on his walls
  8. ^ "Emre Belozoglu Player Profile". Sporting Life.
  9. ^ Erdem, Suna (31 March 2003). "Emre Belozoglu in a confident mood for his England task". London: The Times.
  10. ^ "UEFA Training Ground". UEFA.com.
  11. ^ "Reduced penalties for Turkish football association, Huggel and Emre". FIFA. 24 June 2006. Archived from the original on 6 September 2006. Retrieved 16 February 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Emre charged". Evertonfc.com. 12 January 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2007.
  13. ^ "FA Emre Charge – Newcastle Statement". nufc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2007.
  14. ^ "Emre: I may quit over racism charge". talkofthetyne.com. 5 February 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2007. [dead link]
  15. ^ "FA to probe new Emre race claims". BBC Sport. London: bbc.co.uk. 16 February 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2007.
  16. ^ "Emre faces new racism allegation". BBC Sport. London. 1 March 2007. Retrieved 14 April 2007.
  17. ^ "Emre racism allegations 'not proven' – FA". ESPNsoccernet. 19 March 2007. Retrieved 14 April 2007.
  18. ^ "Reaction to Lord Stevens' key findings". The Times. 15 June 2007. In relation to Emre's move from Inter Milan, the inquiry was not prepared to clear the transfer as it was unable to obtain the co-operation of the lead agent, Ahmet Bulut
  19. ^ "Trabzonspor's Zokora accuses Emre of racist slur". goal.com. London. 15 April 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012. "Emre and I came face to face during the match. I'll tell you what he said word for word. He called me: 'A fucking nigger'," Zokora told Lig TV after the match.
  20. ^ "Trabzonspor 1-3 Fenerbahçe". TFF.org. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  21. ^ a b c "Statistics", Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  22. ^ a b c "National team stats"., National Football Teams.com. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
  23. ^ a b "Emre Belözoglu - International Appearances", RSSSF. Retrieved 30 May 2012.
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