Ahmet Yıldırım

Ahmet Yıldırım — Biography

Ahmet Yıldırım is a former Turkey international who played in defense and midfield; he is best remembered for Galatasaray's 1999-2000 UEFA Cup triumph and Beşiktaş's 2002-03 Süper Lig title. After retiring he moved into coaching and most recently managed 52 Orduspor.

He began his professional career at İzmirspor in 1991-92 at 17, played one match for Fenerbahçe in 1993-94, and then spent four seasons at Samsunspor. After Ankaragücü and İstanbulspor he moved to Galatasaray, having worn the number 10 as a midfield playmaker. In 1999-2000 he won the Süper Lig, the Turkish Cup and the UEFA Cup, and in 2000 the UEFA Super Cup; in the UEFA Cup final he came on in the fourth minute of extra time. In 2001-02 he joined Beşiktaş and stayed four seasons, an automatic starter at left center-back of a back three with Zago and Ronaldo, and won the title in 2002-03. He went to Ankaraspor in 2005-06, and after Malatyaspor moved to Adanaspor in the 2007-08 mid-season break.

He was in the Turkey squad that finished third at the 2003 Confederations Cup and made four senior appearances, the first on February 12, 2003, as a second-half substitute in a friendly against Ukraine. He began coaching in 2008-09 as an assistant at Mersin İdman Yurdu, took his first head-coach job at Körfezspor in 2010-11, and also managed Erzurumspor BB and, in 2017-18, Bucaspor.