Yusuf Tunaoğlu

Yusuf Tunaoğlu — Biography

Yusuf Tunaoğlu was a Turkish international and one of Beşiktaş's most celebrated playmakers, who spent most of his career in the black-and-white shirt. Beşiktaş regards him as an "unforgettable player" and marks the anniversary of his death at his grave every July 22; the 2026 commemoration fell on the 26th anniversary.

He began playing football at eight, joined Beşiktaş in 1958 and reached the first team at 17, in 1962-63. With Beşiktaş he won two league titles, in 1965-66 and 1966-67, and between 1962 and 1976 he scored 23 goals in 172 league matches. Belgium's Anderlecht showed interest but a transfer never happened; he played one season at Altay before returning to Beşiktaş. He took his testimonial on July 21, 1976, against Trabzonspor. He was capped six times by the senior national team, three times at under-23 level and five times at youth level, and won the 1969 RCD Cup with the national side. He stood out for pace, dribbling and an equally strong shot with either foot, unusual in a playmaker; former teammate Sanlı Sarıalioğlu described his style as "magical".

After retiring he long worked in Beşiktaş's youth setup, wrote for the newspaper Milliyet from 1987, and acted in Yılmaz Güney's 1975 film Arkadaş. He died of a heart attack at his hotel in Kuşadası on July 22, 2000, and was buried at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. His name lives on in the Yusuf Tunaoğlu Stadium in Sarıyer (2009) and Beşiktaş's Yusuf Tunaoğlu Football Directorate (2019).