Yılmaz Özlem

Yılmaz Özlem — Biography

Yılmaz Özlem was born on 1 June 1972 in Bulgaria. He began his career in the Merinosspor youth academy, starting out as a centre-back before settling into a defensive-midfield role; his combative, sometimes hot-tempered style earned him the nickname "Psikopat Yılmaz" (Psycho Yılmaz). After proving himself at Gaziantepspor and Adana Demirspor, he reached the peak of his career at MKE Ankaragücü, where he was remembered for his aggressive display against Deportivo Alavés in the UEFA Cup. He later played for Manisaspor, Diyarbakırspor and Adanaspor, scoring a memorable free-kick goal against Adanaspor's fierce rival Adana Demirspor. Joining Bucaspor in 2008-09, he became captain and led the club to its first-ever promotion to the 1.Lig while scoring 11 goals, then helped it reach the Süper Lig the following season. He moved to Göztepe in 2010-11, but his contract was mutually terminated in January 2011 and he retired at the end of that season.

Turning to coaching, Özlem served as sporting director at Bandırmaspor, was appointed head coach of Kahramanmaraşspor in the 2013-14 season before resigning shortly afterward, took charge of Silifke Belediyespor in 2017-18, and in later years also managed Göztepe and Ankaragücü.