Ali Bilgin

Ali Bilgin — Biography

Ali Bilgin was born on December 17, 1981, in Essen, Germany, into a Turkish family with roots in the Sürmene district of Trabzon, and holds both Turkish and German citizenship. Raised in the Bergeborbeck neighborhood, the midfielder came up through Rot-Weiss Essen, contributing to the club's promotion to the 2. Bundesliga in the 2005-06 campaign before switching to Turkish football with Antalyaspor in 2006.

A strong first season there earned him a move to Fenerbahçe in summer 2007, where he stayed for roughly three and a half years, though a meniscus injury, a concussion and a bout of illness repeatedly sidelined him. During his time there he collected two domestic Super Cups, reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals and finished as league runner-up on the final matchday of one campaign. He signed for Kayserispor at the start of the 2010-11 season, but after an underwhelming spell the two parties agreed to part ways at season's end.

After a lengthy spell without a club, Bilgin joined Kasımpaşa on the closing day of the 2011-12 transfer window and later moved on to Göztepe in 2013. Once Göztepe was relegated he returned to Germany, signing for Sportfreunde Lotte in the Regionalliga West. Standing 1.83 m tall, Bilgin is married with twin children and, as of 2021, had spent a decade living in Istanbul.