Can Bartu

Can Bartu — Biography

Can Bartu was a Turkish sportsman of Circassian descent, born on January 31, 1936, in Kadıköy, remembered as one of the most versatile figures in Turkish sports history: he remains the only Turkish athlete to have represented the country at both football and basketball. Closely identified with Fenerbahçe, he is one of only five players named in the club's official anthem, and on a single day, March 24, 1957, he scored a goal for the football team against Beşiktaş and, hours later, 32 points for the basketball team against Galatasaray, a feat with few parallels in Turkish sport.

An attacking midfielder, Bartu played for the national football team between 1956 and 1969 and continued his club career in Italy with Fiorentina, becoming the first Turkish footballer to appear in a European final when he played in the Fiorentina-Atlético Madrid final on May 10, 1962; Italian fans nicknamed him "Signor Bartu". After retiring from active sport he worked as a sports journalist and pundit. He died on April 11, 2019, in Istanbul; he is honored today by a statue in the city and by Fenerbahçe's Samandıra training complex, named the "Can Bartu Tesisleri" in his memory, where the club also holds an annual youth tournament bearing his name.