Zeki Yıldırım

Zeki Yıldırım — Biography

Zeki Yıldırım was born on 15 January 1991 in Antalya and took his first steps in football at his hometown club Antalya Yolspor. His performances there caught the attention of Antalyaspor, who signed him as a teenager, and he turned professional during the 2009-10 season under coach Mehmet Özdilek. The midfielder struggled to break into the Süper Lig side but did make the matchday squad for a fixture against Eskişehirspor in February 2010.

Loaned to Alanyaspor for the 2010-11 season, Yıldırım quickly became a fixture under coach Altan Çetindağ, appearing in 28 of the team's 34 league matches. The following season he moved to Pendikspor on a permanent deal, established himself as a regular under Fikret Akdemir and scored four goals. Back at Antalyaspor for 2012-13, he made his Süper Lig debut on 1 September 2012 against İstanbul B.B., coming on as a substitute for Petr Janda, and scored his first official goal that season in the Turkish Cup against Menemen Belediyespor.

Under new coach Samet Aybaba in 2013-14, Yıldırım held on to a squad place and scored his first Süper Lig goal on 29 December 2013, striking from outside the box past Trabzonspor goalkeeper Onur Kıvrak. He also earned caps for Turkey's A2 national team before later moving on to 1. Lig club Altay.