Ümit Karan

Ümit Karan — Biography

Born in Berlin, Germany in 1976, Ümit Karan began his football career at amateur clubs such as Hertha Zehlendorf and Rather SV before playing for Türkiyemspor Berlin. He moved into Turkey's Süper Lig with Gençlerbirliği in 2001, and after transferring to Galatasaray in 2002 he spent many years with the club, captaining the side during the 2008–09 season; he also played for Eskişehirspor and Ankaraspor, and earned ten caps for the Turkish national team following his 1999 debut.

After retiring as a player, he served as sporting director at Eskişehirspor in 2011–2012 before moving toward a coaching career. In 2013 he took part in the Survivor competition hosted by Acun Ilıcalı and finished third, and in 2018 he competed in the Survivor All Star line-up; he also appeared in the films Yıldızlar da Kayar and Kaledeki Yalnızlık, as well as the series Makas.

In May 2026 an indictment was prepared against Karan as part of a drug-related investigation and he was taken into pre-trial detention; he was released by court order in June 2026. Shortly after his release, in July 2026, he signed with a new club to continue his career as a football manager.