Korcan Çelikay

Korcan Çelikay — Biography

Korcan Çelikay is a Turkish goalkeeper who rose from backup keeper at Beşiktaş to first choice at Sivasspor and later kept goal for MKE Ankaragücü and Kocaelispor. The 1.94 m player captained Kocaelispor and joined Adanaspor in 2024.

He began at Güngörenspor in İstanbul in 2000, moved to İstanbulspor's youth system in 2004 and joined Beşiktaş in 2005. Jean Tigana promoted him to the first team, but he struggled to get into the squad; he was loaned to third-division Tepecik Belediyespor and came back to Beşiktaş in 2008-09 as third-choice keeper. His chance came on December 18, 2009, when Rüştü Reçber was injured during a match against Bursaspor; four days later he started for the first time, in a cup tie against Manisaspor. After his contract was extended by three years in 2010, he went to Diyarbakırspor for 2010-11 and to Sivasspor at the mid-season break. On January 23, 2011, he was Rıza Çalımbay's first-choice keeper against Galatasaray, kept the position for the second half of the season and played in the 1-0 win over his former club Beşiktaş.

In the middle of 2016-17 he moved to MKE Ankaragücü and extended his contract by a year in June 2018. Before 2021-22 he joined Kocaelispor, whose management gave him the captaincy; the two parted ways in June 2022. In August 2023 he signed for Bucaspor 1928. For Turkey's youth sides he was called up for the under-18s in 2005, played twice for the under-19s, and was called up to the A2 team three times, playing in two friendlies.