Birol Parlak

Birol Parlak — Biography

Birol Parlak is a defender whose career found its direction when he moved from forward to centre-back, a switch he described in a TFF interview as the step that changed his life. His breakthrough at Fethiyespor earned him a call-up to a national-team camp squad in 2014; he moved to Eskişehirspor that year and signed with Kayserispor in January 2016. He has ended his playing career.

Born in the Pazar district of Rize, Parlak grew up as a forward in the Mersin İdman Yurdu academy after his family moved to Mersin in 2002, and signed his first professional contract in 2006-07. He made his first-team debut as a substitute against Fethiyespor on 22 February 2007 but struggled for playing time; in 2010-11 he was sent to the A2 team and put on the transfer list. He then played for Tepecikspor, Tarsus İdman Yurdu and Çamlıdere Şekerspor, and moved to Fethiyespor in 2013 after a season in which he played 31 league matches for Şekerspor.

The turning point came at Fethiyespor in 2013-14. He was moved from forward to centre-back in the match against Orduspor and, after a change of coach, became a fixture in the side, helping to hold off the likes of Emmanuel Emenike and Pierre Webo in a 2-1 win over Fenerbahçe. Winning Fatih Terim's approval, he was called to a national-team camp in March 2014; the day after that call-up, his goal against Orduspor was his first official goal for the club. That year he joined Eskişehirspor for 250,000 euros, and in January 2016 he signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Kayserispor.