Bilal Başacıkoğlu

Bilal Başacıkoğlu — Biography

Bilal Başacıkoğlu is a winger who grew up in the Netherlands and chose to represent Turkey. He won the Eredivisie with Feyenoord and the Turkish Cup with Trabzonspor. In September 2025 he announced on social media that he was retiring from professional football.

He started out at amateur level in Zaanstad, joined Ajax's De Toekomst academy at 11 and was let go two years later. He moved to Heerenveen in 2011 at Marco van Basten's request, made his first-team debut against RKC on November 8, 2013, and recorded 6 goals and 5 assists in 2013-14. On July 31, 2014, he joined Feyenoord for a reported 3.5 million euros; he played 28 matches in 2015-16 with three goals and six assists, a KNVB Cup season, won the league in 2016-17, coming on for the last 14 minutes of the title decider, and the cup again in 2017-18. In Turkey he signed for Kayserispor in 2018 and left by mutual agreement in December 2019, joined Trabzonspor in January 2020, and after his contract was terminated in January 2021 went to Gaziantep FK, then to Heracles Almelo (2021) and Sakaryaspor (2023).

After playing for the Netherlands at U-18 and U-19 level he opted for Turkey in August 2014 and played for the U-21 side; in November 2016 he received his first senior call-up, for the match against Kosovo. His father is Turkish and his mother Moroccan.