Abdullah Avcı

Abdullah Avcı — Biography

Abdullah Avcı is a Turkish football manager and former player, born in Istanbul with roots in Rize. He is best known for leading Trabzonspor to the 2021-22 Süper Lig title, the first league championship of his career; he has worked from youth teams up to the senior national team and made Turkey's under-17 side European champions in 2005.

He grew up in Kasımpaşa and began playing at Vefa. After spells at Fatih Karagümrük, Çaykur Rizespor and Kasımpaşa, he played longest at İstanbulspor, where he was captain, and held his testimonial in 1999. He began coaching there as an assistant, led Galatasaray's reserve side to the 2004-05 title and developed players such as Arda Turan. In October 2004 he took over the Turkey under-17s: the team became European champions and finished fourth at the FIFA U-17 World Cup on its first appearance.

In 2006 he took charge of İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor, later Başakşehir, and brought it up to the Süper Lig; it lost the 2011 Turkish Cup final to Beşiktaş on penalties. In November 2011 he replaced Guus Hiddink as national team coach and resigned in August 2013. He returned to Başakşehir for 2014-19, guiding it to two second-place league finishes, and coached Beşiktaş until January 2020. At Trabzonspor, where he arrived in November 2020, he won the 2020 and 2022 Super Cups and the 2021-22 league title with 81 points; he resigned in March 2023. In 2026 he said he was ready for a new job.