Mustafa Kocabey

Mustafa Kocabey — Biography

Mustafa Kocabey is a former striker who rose at Galatasaray as a teenager and then kept scoring for years in Anatolia's lower divisions. He took the nickname "Papen Mustafa" because his style and build were likened to those of the famous French forward Jean-Pierre Papin. Over his career he played for 24 clubs, made more than 600 appearances and scored 351 goals.

Galatasaray promoted him from the academy to the first team in 1992-93 on the decision of coach Karl-Heinz Feldkamp; in his first match, on September 12, 1992, his goal beat Aydınspor 1-0, and in the UEFA Cup he scored twice in the 3-2 second-leg win over AS Roma. He won two league titles, a Turkish Cup and a Presidential Cup with Galatasaray, but as his chances of playing dwindled he was loaned to Kocaelispor and never returned to the club. After that he became known for his goal-scoring crowns: he was the top scorer in the 1. Lig three times, with Çanakkale Dardanel (1995-96), Kayseri Erciyesspor (1998-99) and Yimpaş Yozgatspor (1999-2000), and twice in the 3. Lig, with Etimesgut Şekerspor (2005-06) and Beylerbeyispor (2007-08); he also won titles with Yozgatspor and with both of the 3. Lig sides. In January 2017, aged 42, he moved to Ayvacık Belediyespor in the amateur leagues.

He scored twice against Hungary and once against Norway for the Turkey under-18 side that became European champions in 1992, and he also played at the 1993 FIFA World Youth Championship. In 2025 he was appointed sporting director of Türk Ocağı Limasol in Northern Cyprus.