Azar Karadas (; born 9 August 1981) is a Norwegian former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

. Although he could also play as a

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

, he operated primarily as a

centre forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on be ...

. He had three spells with Brann, where he began and ended his career, winning

Tippeligaen Eliteserien () is a professional association football league in Norway and the highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Norwegian First Division ...

with that team and with Rosenborg. He also competed professionally in Portugal, England, Germany and Turkey.

Club career

Karadas was born in

Nordfjordeid Nordfjordeid is the administrative centre of the municipality of Stad, Norway, Stad in Vestland county, western Norway. It is located at the end of the Eidsfjorden, an arm of the main Nordfjorden (Sogn og Fjordane), Nordfjorden, west of the large ...

of Turkish origin, his surname meaning "

Black Stone The Black Stone () is a rock set into the eastern corner of the Kaaba, the ancient building in the center of the Masjid al-Haram, Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is revered by Muslims as an Islamic relic which, according to Muslim tradi ...

" in

Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...

. He started his career with Eid IL, moving to the professionals in 1999 with

SK Brann Sportsklubben Brann is a Norwegian professional football club based in Bergen. Founded on 26 September 1908, Brann has played in the first tier of Norwegian football for 67 out of 80 seasons, the second most of any club. They play their hom ...

. On 13 March 2002, Karadas signed for

Rosenborg BK Rosenborg Ballklub, commonly referred to simply as Rosenborg () or RBK, is a Norwegian professional association football, football club from Trondheim that plays in Eliteserien (football), Eliteserien. The club has won a record 26 league titles ...

, reportedly receiving death threats over this move. At his new club, his performances soon earned him a call-up to the Norwegian under-21s, and it was not long before foreign eyes focused on him. He further enhanced his reputation by scoring two goals against

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...

in a

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

game, a 2–2 home draw; he was linked with the likes of

Roda JC Sportvereniging Roda Juliana Combinatie Kerkrade (; ), shortly as Roda JC Kerkrade () or commonly Roda JC or simply Roda, is a Dutch professional football club based in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Roda JC Kerkrade plays in the Eerste Divisie. The c ...

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

and

Udinese Calcio Udinese Calcio (; "Udinese Football") is a professional association football, football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The team currently competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football league system, Italian fo ...

, but Portuguese club

S.L. Benfica (), commonly known as Benfica, is a professional football club based in Lisbon, Portugal, that competes in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. Founded on 28 February 1904, as ''Sport Lisboa'', Benfica is one of the " ...

eventually bought the 23-year-old, and he joined the squad of veteran coach

Giovanni Trapattoni Giovanni Trapattoni (; born 17 March 1939), popularly nicknamed "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian former Association football, football manager and former player, considered the most successful club coach of Football in Italy, Italian football ...

after signing a four-year contract. After one season at Benfica, where he scored four goals (including a brace at

S.C. Beira-Mar Sport Clube Beira-Mar (), commonly known as Beira-Mar, is a Portuguese sports club based in Aveiro, Portugal. Its football team currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, the fourth national level, having gained promotion by winning the Ave ...

in a 3–2 win) and helped them win the

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

championship after 11 years, Karadas was loaned to

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

side

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

for 2005–06. His volley, which helped the relegation-threatened team earn a crucial 1–1 draw against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...

on 1 February 2006, was both his highlight and only goal of the campaign, in 20 overall appearances. A 16 June 2006 Norwegian press release reported that Benfica and Brann had agreed on a Karadas transfer back to

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

. The deal was speculated to be worth (), where he was to give up £435,000 worth of bonuses Benfica owed him. Only his personal contract was an issue, as the player refused to give up a £350,000 compensation which had to be paid to him whenever he was sold from the

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

club. Despite being declared unwanted in Lisbon, Karadas returned to Benfica after his transfer to Brann fell through. On 16 August 2006, news broke out that he was in negotiations with Germany's

1. FC Kaiserslautern 1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern e. V., also known as 1. FCK, FCK (), FC Kaiserslautern (), K'lautern or colloquially Lautern (), is a German sports club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to Association football, football ...

, which had just been relegated to the 2. Bundesliga; the clubs finally agreed with a one-year loan deal, brokered by his uncle who was also his agent. Karadas made his debut in

German football Association football, Football is the most popular sport in Germany with 57% of the population declaring interest in watching it. The German Football Association ( or ) is the sport's national governing body, with 6.6 million members (ro ...

on 27 August 2006 in a 2–0 home league victory over

SC Paderborn 07 Sport-Club Paderborn 07 e.V., commonly known as simply SC Paderborn 07 () or SC Paderborn, is a Football in Germany, German association football club based in Paderborn, North Rhine-Westphalia. The club has enjoyed its greatest success since the ...

, starting but being

substituted Substitution may refer to: Arts and media *Substitution (poetry), a variation in poetic scansion *Substitution (theatre), an acting methodology Music *Chord substitution, swapping one chord for a related one within a chord progression *Tritone ...

in the 61st minute. On 9 September he scored his first goal for his new team, in its 2–0 away victory over amateurs 1. FC Gera 03 for the first round of the

German Cup The DFB-Pokal (), also known as the German Cup in English, is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundes ...

. His first league goal came 20 days later in a 1–1 draw at

SpVgg Unterhaching Spielvereinigung Unterhaching () is a German sports club in Unterhaching, a semi-rural municipality on the southern outskirts of the Bavarian capital Munich. The club is widely known for playing in the first-division association football league ...

, his only of the season in an eventual sixth-place finish; he was also

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

after being shown two yellow cards in a

local derby A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes, affecting participants, management, and supporters all to varying degrees. One of the first known sports rivalries occurred in the Roman Empire between the Blues and th ...

against

1. FC Köln 1. Fußball-Club Köln 01/07 e. V., better known as simply 1. FC Köln () or FC Cologne in English language, English, is a German professional association football, football club based in Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was formed in 1948 ...

, which ended in a 2–2 draw. On 24 August 2007, Karadas signed a contract with Brann for a second spell with the club. In his comeback to

Brann Stadion Brann Stadion is a football stadium in Bergen, Norway. It was constructed in 1919, and has been the home of the football club Brann ever since. The stadium lies south of the city centre, at the foot of Mount Ulriken. The record attendance ...

, in a match against

Sandefjord Fotball Sandefjord Fotball, often referred to simply as Sandefjord, is a Norwegian professional football club founded on September 10, 1998. The team currently competes in Eliteserien, the top division of the Norwegian football league system, and plays ...

on 2 September, he was greeted as a hero and a banner stating "Vi hatet deg så mye, fordi vi elsker deg så høyt!" ("We hated you so much, because we love you so much!"). The season ended with

conquest, with four goals in only eight appearances from the player. On 1 September 2009, Karadas signed a three-year contract with Kasımpaşa S.K. of Turkey, scoring only once in seven contests in his debut campaign as the team ranked 11th the

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

. On 27 May 2012 he netted a critical goal that brought his team back to the top flight, in the play-off match against

Adanaspor Adanaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional Association football, football club based in Adana; currently, they play in the TFF First League. The club was founded in 1954 by middle-class merchants and artisans in response to their perceived ali ...

. Karadas joined

Sogndal Fotball Sogndal Fotball is the football department of Norwegian sports club Sogndal IL from Sogndal in Vestland. The club was founded in 1926. The men's team currently plays in second tier 1. divisjon of the Norwegian football league system. The club's ...

in August 2012, on a short-term deal. He was injured early on, and only played in seven league matches. After being a free agent for three months he decided to return to the club in February 2013, leaving at the end of the season and returning for a third stint in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

. On 16 July 2014, five years later, Karadas returned to Brann.

International career

Karadas made his debut for the Norway national team on 24 January 2001, starting in a 3–2 win over

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

for that year's

Lunar New Year Cup The Lunar New Year Cup, previously known as the Carlsberg Challenge or the Carlsberg Cup, is an annual invitational association football, football tournament organised in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Football Association (HKFA) since 1908. It is usua ...

. He returned to the team two years later for a friendly tour of the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, scoring his only goal as a substitute to equalise in a 2–1 win over

Oman Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...

. Karadas earned ten

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

, over the course of seven years. His final game was a 2–2 exhibition at home to

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, two years after his previous appearance.

Coaching career

After not renewing his playing contract with Brann, Karadas signed a three-year contract on 6 January to serve as an assistant coach for Brann 2 while taking his coaching badges; he had already finished his UEFA B-Licence while finishing his playing career. At the end of December 2019, he declined an offer to take up the role as head coach for newly formed

Øygarden FK Øygarden Fotballklubb was a Norwegian association football club located in Øygarden, Vestland. Founded in 2020, they took over the elite license from Nest-Sotra and began playing in the 1. divisjon, the second tier of the Norwegian football le ...

. After Brann 2 coach Roger Naustan announced he would leave at the end of his contract, Karadas was promoted to head coach from 1 January 2021. In September 2023 he started as assistant coach for

Stabæk Fotball Stabæk Fotball is a Norway, Norwegian professional association football, football club based in Bærum, a suburb of Oslo. It is part of the multi-sport organization Stabæk IF. Founded in 1912, the club's name is an archaic spelling of the sub ...

. In February 2024 he signed a one-year contract with

IK Start Idrettsklubben Start (or simply IK Start) is a Norwegian Association football, football club from the city of Kristiansand that currently plays in the Norwegian First Division, the second tier of the Norwegian football league system. The club was ...

. On 24 November 2024, he renewed his contract with three year.

Career statistics

Club

''Source'':

International

''Source'':

Honours

;Rosenborg *

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

Norwegian Football Cup The Norwegian Football Cup () is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football tournament in the country. The tournament ...

;Benfica *

: 2004–05 *

Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira The Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira (; English: Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup, or simply Portuguese Super Cup) is an annual Portuguese association football, football match played since 1979 between the winners of the top-tier league (Primeira L ...

: Runner-up

;Brann *

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

References

External links

* * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Karadas, Azar 1981 births Living people People from Eid, Norway Norwegian people of Turkish descent Norwegian men's footballers Men's association football defenders Men's association football forwards Men's association football utility players Eliteserien players SK Brann players Rosenborg BK players Sogndal Fotball players Primeira Liga players S.L. Benfica footballers Premier League players Portsmouth F.C. players 2. Bundesliga players 1. FC Kaiserslautern players Süper Lig players TFF 1. Lig players Kasımpaşa S.K. footballers Norway men's under-21 international footballers Norway men's international footballers Norwegian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Germany Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in England Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Norwegian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Footballers from Vestland IK Start managers Turkish men's footballers 21st-century Turkish sportsmen 21st-century Norwegian sportsmen