Bora Öztürk

Bora Öztürk — Biography

Bora Öztürk was a striker who won two Süper Lig titles with Beşiktaş in the 1980s and was the league's top scorer in 1980-81 while on loan at Adanaspor. After retiring he coached with the Turkish Football Federation's youth national teams and led the Under-16 side to the European title. He died of cancer in 1997 at the age of 42.

Born in Istanbul, Öztürk began with the amateur side Kulespor. He moved to Sakaryaspor in 1973, Şekerspor in 1974 and Göztepe in 1975, then on to Altay and Beşiktaş. Loaned to Adanaspor in 1980-81, he won the league's golden boot with 15 goals. Back at Beşiktaş he was the team's leading scorer in the 1981-82 title season and, though he later fell behind other forwards, he also shared in the 1985-86 championship. He had a loan spell at Antalyaspor, moved to Zonguldakspor in 1987-88 and ended his career in 1988. He was Turkish Cup top scorer in 1978-79.

He won one cap for Turkey, on October 7, 1981, in a 3-0 World Cup 1982 qualifying defeat to the Soviet Union. From 1991 he worked with the federation's youth national teams, and the Under-16 side he coached won the European championship in 1994. Diagnosed with throat cancer in the 1990s, he died in Istanbul on August 6, 1997. His date of birth is given as May 2, 1955, in some sources.