Mehmet Topal

Mehmet Topal — Biography

Mehmet Topal, born 3 March 1986 in Malatya, is a former Turkish international footballer who has gone on to manage in the professional game. A defensive midfielder nicknamed "Örümcek" (Spider) for his ability to use his long legs to win the ball and cut out passes, he built a lengthy career at the top level of Turkish football.

After starting out at Dardanelspor, Topal played for Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, İstanbul Başakşehir and Beşiktaş, as well as a two-year spell in Spain with Valencia. He is one of only two players to have won the Süper Lig title with three different clubs (Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Başakşehir) and became the first Turkish player to appear in the Champions League in three separate decades — the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s. Capped 81 times for Turkey between 2008 and 2018, scoring twice, he represented his country at two European Championships.

Since retiring as a player, Topal has worked as a head coach, taking charge of Romania's Petrolul Ploieşti on more than one occasion. He left the club again in May 2026, ending his third spell there, with reports linking him to offers from clubs elsewhere in Europe.