Ali Artuner

Ali Artuner — Biography

Ali Artuner was a goalkeeper closely identified with the bright years Göztepe of İzmir enjoyed in the 1960s. He spent his whole career at Göztepe and captained both the club and the Turkey national team; the club's supporters count him among its legends. Alongside players such as Fevzi Zemzem and Nevzat Güzelırmak, he kept goal for the first Anatolian side to rival Istanbul's big three. By his own account, that team turned down transfer offers from the big clubs and from Europe, and earned respect rather than money.

He came up as a halfback, made his first professional appearance in goal in 1961, and then stayed in Göztepe's goal for fifteen consecutive Süper Lig seasons. With the club he won the Turkish Cup in 1969 and 1970 and the 1970 Presidential Cup, and they finished third in the league in 1970-71. He reached the national team through the youth, under-21 and amateur sides, and made his senior debut on July 21, 1965, in a 3-1 RCD Cup win over Pakistan. He won 25 caps, played in World Cup and European Championship qualifiers, and captained the side in four matches. His performance in a friendly in Moscow on October 16, 1966, a 2-0 win over the Soviet Union, earned him the press nickname "Moskova Panteri", the Panther of Moscow.

He was the uncle of goalkeeper Cenk Gönen. He died in Istanbul on February 14, 2001. Many sports facilities and tournaments in İzmir carry his name, and the Göztepe community remembers him every year.