Denizli, Mustafa

He spent 17 years in his native Altai club in Izmir and gained a reputation as one of the best left-wing extreme strikers in the league.

In 1980, Mustafa Denizli became the league scorer with 12 goals. In 1983 he moved to Galatasaray after Altai left the league in the 1982/83 season. After the 1983/84 season, he decided to end his football career. During his career, he was called up to the national team 33 times

He began his next career as an assistant coach under the leadership of Jupp Derval in the German national team and worked for three years in the same post and at Galatasaray. In 1987 he became the head coach of the team and won the Turkish Super League with her in the same year. In the 1988/89 season, he reached the semifinals of the European Cup with Galatasaray, but Steaua from Bucharest stopped them on the way to the final. Mustafa Denizli left the Galatasaray in 1989. In the 1989/90 season, he signed a contract with a club from the Second Bundesliga ^[1] with Aachen . Denizli established a new type of attacking football for Aachen, but he left the team after the club faced a relegation to the Third League. After that, he returned to Turkey and again headed the Galatasaray. Under his leadership, the team won the Turkish Cup and reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup . From 1992 to 1995, he coached the Kocaelispor , then was appointed head coach of the national team and left it in 2000.

In 2000, Fenerbahçe offered him a place at the helm of the team, and at the end of the 2000/01 season, under his leadership, Fenerbahçe won the league for the first time in five years. Denizli became the first Turkish Fenerbahçe coach to win the Turkish Super League . But his team performed poorly in the Champions League , losing to Barcelona , Lyon and Bayer . In 2002, the Nigeria national team wanted to invite Denizli to prepare the team for the 2002 World Cup , but due to a number of problems the offer was canceled. Denizli joined the Manisaspor .

In 2004, Denizli received offers from Japan and South Korea, but he accepted offers from the Iranian Premier League champion PAS . Under his leadership, the team fought for the champion title, but finished second. Rumor had it that he was supposed to lead the Iranian national team for training and a successful performance at the 2006 World Cup . PAS with Denizli reached the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League , where he lost to Al Ain, 4-4 in the sum of two matches. Denizli said that he would leave PAS and return to Turkey.

In August 2006, Denizli was hired as head coach of Iranian Persepolis after Ari Khan was fired. On June 3, 2007, he resigned after an unsuccessful season with Persepolis. This season, in the Iranian Cup, the team lost to Sepahana with a score of 4: 1, and in the championship took third place. Denizli announced that he is interested in the position of head coach of the Iranian national team, provided that he can reach an agreement with the FFI ^[2] . It was said that Denizli will become the head coach of the team, after Branko Ivankovich was not impressed at the world championship, but the Iranian coach Amir Galenoi was chosen.

On October 9, 2008, Denizli signed a one-year contract with Besiktas . On May 30, under the leadership of Denizli, the team won the 13th Turkish title. Denizli became the first Turkish coach of Besiktas to win the national championship with the team. On June 2, 2010, Denizli resigned, according to Turkish sources, due to medical reasons ^[3] .

December 23, 2011 Denizli signs a contract with Persepolis and returns to his former team after 4 years. His team will finish in 12th place, the worst result in club history. On June 22, 2012, he left the club for family reasons.

On December 24, 2012, Denizli signed a contract with Rizespor , a team from the Turkish First League ^[4] . On April 28, 2013, Rizespor rises to the Turkish Super League division.

Denizli signed a contract with Khazar-Lankaran for a year and a half ^[5] . On May 16, 2014, the contract between Mustafa Denizli and Khazar-Lankaran was terminated ^[6] .

Player

Altai:

• Turkish Cup (2): 1966/67 , 1979/80

Coach

Galatasaray

• Champion of Turkey (1): 1987/88
• Turkish Cup (1): 1990/91
• Turkish Super Cup (2): 1988 , 1991
• Semifinalist of the European Cup : 1988/89
• Cup Winners Cup Finalist: 1991/92

Turkey

• European Championship Quarter Finalist : 2000

Fenerbahce

• Champion of Turkey (1): 2000/01

PASS

• Silver medalist of the Iranian championship : 2005/06
• AFC Champions League quarterfinal: 2005

Besiktas

• Champion of Turkey (1): 2008/09
• Turkish Cup (1): 2008/09

Personal

• Super League top scorer: 1979/80 ( Altai )

Married Juliet Aruch in 1970. In 1977, in this marriage he had a daughter. Divorced with his first wife in 1989. Mustafa Denizli later married Chigdem Kayali, and in 1991 they had a daughter. His second daughter is involved in politics for the Republican People's Party of Turkey . In 2003, Denizli divorced his second wife. Later in 2010, he married a third time, to Evin Elchi. She is interested in sociology, and is also the daughter of former Minister Sherafettin Elchi .

Player Statistics

^[7]

Club

National Statistics

Goals for the national team ^[8]

Coaching Statistics

^[7]

• Player profile and coach profile on the Transfermarkt website
• Player profile and coach profile on the website of the Turkish Football Federation
• Mustafa Denizli's profile at mackolik.com
• National Football Teams profile
• Mustafa Denizli at Eurosport.com