Ergün Penbe

Ergün Penbe — Biography

Ergün Penbe, nicknamed "Kemik" (the Bone) for his calm and his ability to hold a team together, was a left back and left midfielder in Galatasaray's successful years from 1994 to 2007. In the 2000 UEFA Cup final he scored in the penalty shootout against Arsenal, and he was part of Turkey's third-place squad at the 2002 World Cup. He now works as a coach in the lower leagues.

He began at Kilimlispor and played for Gençlerbirliği between 1992 and 1994. He moved to Galatasaray in 1994 and became one of the club's most influential players, winning six Süper Lig titles and four Turkish Cups as well as the 1999-2000 UEFA Cup and the 2000 UEFA Super Cup. He is known for his "fair play" approach: he went two seasons without a single booking and received only one red card in his career. He wore the number 67, the vehicle plate code of his hometown Zonguldak. In 2007 he moved to Gaziantepspor and retired at 36.

He made 48 appearances for Turkey. He was in the squads that reached the UEFA Euro 2000 quarter-finals and finished third at the 2002 World Cup and the 2003 Confederations Cup, and he holds the Turkish State Medal of Distinguished Service. He started coaching in 2008 as an assistant at Hacettepe, took over as head coach after Erdoğan Arıca resigned and could not prevent the club's relegation. He then coached Mersin İdman Yurdu, Kartalspor, Kayseri Erciyesspor, Tarsus İdman Yurdu, Çorumspor and Yeni Mersin İdmanyurdu, agreed to join Uşakspor in 2025 and Denizli İdmanyurdu in July 2026.