Aytaç Sulu

Aytaç Sulu

Personal information
Full name	Aytaç Sulu
Date of birth	(1985-12-11) 11 December 1985
Place of birth	Heidelberg, West Germany
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	SV Darmstadt 98
Number	4
Youth career
1998–2003	SV Sandhausen
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2003–2005	SV Sandhausen	10	(1)
2005–2007	Bahlinger SC	12	(1)
2007–2009	1899 Hoffenheim	38	(2)
2009–2011	VfR Aalen	62	(3)
2011–2012	Gençlerbirliği	2	(0)
2012–2013	SCR Altach	15	(2)
2013–	SV Darmstadt 98	111	(14)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:38, March 14 2016 (UTC)

Aytaç Sulu (born 11 December 1985 in Heidelberg, Germany) is a Turkish football defender currently playing for SV Darmstadt 98 as captain in the Bundesliga.

Club Career

In his youth, Sulu played for FV Nußloch, SG Heidelberg-Kirchheim and SV Sandhausen. In the 2004/2005 seasonm, he came into the first team of SV Sandhausen. He then moved to Bahlinger SC, from Verbandsliga Baden and got them promoted in the season he arrived. He became a true professional footballer with 1899 Hoffenheim, making most of his appearances for the second team.

In 2009, he reunited with Rainer Scharinger at VfR Aalen, whom was his coach with Sandausen, and Hoffenheim. He captained the team, and got them promoted into the 3. Liga. After a contract standoff, he left on a free transfer to the Turkish team, Gençlerbirliği. Due to his Turkish passport, he did not count as a foreign player for the team, but he only made a couple of appearances for the team. After an unsuccessfull year, he left the Turkish club on a free transfer. He again reunited with Scharinger who then managed the Austrian team SCR Altach, but only lasted a couple of months before transferring to SV Darmstadt 98 in 2013.

Darmstadt

Sulu's fortunes changed dramatically when he joined Darmstadt, coached by Dirk Schuster. When he joined them, they were one of the lowerst teams in the 3. Liga, and hardly avoided relegation in their first season their. Sulu had strong defensive performances, and became their captain for the 2013/2014 season. Sulu captained the squad in a hugely successful season, where they finished as runners-up, and were promoted to the 2. Bundesliga for the first time in 15 years.

Sulu remained Darmstadt's captain in their 2015/15 season. Darmstadt had the stingiest defence in the league, with the least goals, of which Sulu played a huge part. They came second in the 2. Bundesliga, and were promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time in 33 years.

Again, Sulu held on to the armband for their season in the 2015–16 Bundesliga season. He had an incredibly successful season, for a team that struggled to avoid relegation. In his debut Bundesliga season, Sulu has been universal heralded for his defensive displays and resilient play style. He scored 7 headed goals so far into the season, a record for a defender in the Bundesliga.

Personal Life

Sulu was born and raised in Germany to parents of Turkish descent. He only holds a Turkish and passport and declared for the Turkey national football team but he remains eligible for the Germany national football team. He is a trained car salesman, and almost quit his footballing career to go back to car sales, before his successful move to Darmstadt.

Achievements [ Edit | Source Edit ]

External links

• Aytaç Sulu – UEFA competition record (archive)
• Aytaç Sulu at fussballdaten.de (in German)
• http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageId=526&kisiID=1432049

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