Yekta Kurtuluş

Yekta Kurtuluş — Biography

Yekta Kurtuluş is a Turkish midfielder who made his name in the Süper Lig with Kasımpaşa after coming through İzmirspor, then won three league titles at Galatasaray, the club he supported as a fan. He played as a holding midfielder and central midfielder as well as on the right wing, and was called up to the Turkey national team in 2010.

He continued his education at Ege University's school of physical education and sport. He reached İzmirspor's first team in 2004, played regularly for three seasons, and had his most productive year in 2006-07 with four goals and eight assists. In 2007 he moved to Kasımpaşa; the team went down after his first season, then returned to the Süper Lig in 2008-09 by beating Altay on penalties in the play-off final, one of the penalties coming from Kurtuluş. In 2009-10 he stayed despite offers from Trabzonspor and Beşiktaş and helped the side avoid relegation.

In January 2011 he signed for Galatasaray for a fee of about 3.75 million euros, making his debut against Sivasspor in the first official match at the Türk Telekom Arena. For the club he won the league in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2014-15, the cup in 2013-14 and 2014-15, and the Super Cup in 2012 and 2013; his contract was extended in 2014. He then played for Sivasspor, Antalyaspor, Altay and Bodrum FK, parting with Bodrum FK in September 2023. In 2019 he said VAR should be scrapped if it is going to work one-sidedly.