Billy Mehmet (born 3 January 1984) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker and currently captains Alsancak Yeşilova SK in the KTFF Süper Lig. Born in England, Mehmet represented the

England national football team The England national football team have represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Eng ...

at schoolboy level and trained at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre, which at the time served as England's elite youth development base. He later represented the

Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team The Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team is a representative team of Irish football players. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland and represents them at Under-21 level against the national teams of other national ...

and the Northern Cyprus national football team at senior level. Mehmet came through the youth system at

West Ham United F.C. West Ham United Football Club is a professional football club based in Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, having moved from their ...

, having joined the academy at the age of eight. He spent eleven years at the club before moving to the

Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...

at 19, where he played for Dunfermline Athletic F.C. and St Mirren F.C. over a seven-year period. Following his time in Scotland, Mehmet signed for

Gençlerbirliği S.K. Gençlerbirliği Spor Kulübü (pronounced ), commonly known as Gençlerbirliği, is a Turkish sports club based in Ankara. Formed in 1923, Gençlerbirliği are nicknamed ''Ankara Rüzgârı'' (The Wind of Ankara) or simply ''Gençler'' (The Yo ...

and later

Samsunspor Samsunspor Kulübü, officially known as Samsunspor Football Club Joint Stock Company, or as Reeder Samsunspor due to sponsorship agreements, is a Turkey, Turkish Football club (association football), professional football club that competes in t ...

in the Turkish Süper Lig. He then moved to Australia, where he spent two seasons with

Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...

in the

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

. His career later took him to Southeast Asia, beginning with a move to Bangkok Glass F.C. in the

Thai Premier League The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai L ...

for a reported fee of $2.5 million. In 2014, Mehmet joined

Kedah FA Kedah Darul Aman Football Club () is a professional football club based in Alor Setar, Kedah. The team competes in the Malaysia A1 Semi-Pro League, the second tier of Malaysian football. They are the first team in the history of Malaysian footb ...

in the

Malaysia Premier League The Malaysia Premier League () was the second-tier professional football league in Malaysia. It replaced the Liga Perdana 2 in the Malaysian football league system. The Malaysia Premier League was contested by 12 clubs. The season usually ra ...

, finishing as the top scorer in all competitions with 23 goals in 26 appearances. He continued his prolific form the following year with

Sarawak FA Sarawak FA State Football Team () was a football team which represented the Malaysian region (formerly state) of Sarawak from 1974. It was one of the state teams of the Malaysian football structure. The team's home matches used to be played a ...

in the

Malaysia Super League The Malaysia Super League (), known simply as the Super League (), is the men's top professional Football in Malaysia, football division of the Malaysian football league system. Administered by the Football Malaysia Limited Liability Partnersh ...

, where he was the club's top scorer and finished third in the league's overall scoring charts. He later moved to the

Singapore Premier League The Singapore Premier League, commonly abbreviated as the SPL, officially known as the AIA Singapore Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a men's professional football league sanctioned by the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), wh ...

with

Tampines Rovers FC Tampines Rovers Football Club (currently known as BG Tampines Rovers due to sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football, football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of t ...

, where he was again the club's top goal scorer and played as a marquee signing alongside former

Arsenal F.C. The Arsenal Football Club, commonly known as simply Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, North London, England. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. In domestic football, Arsenal h ...

winger Jermaine Pennant. Mehmet went on to have a short spell with DPMM FC of Brunei, after being signed by former

Blackburn Rovers F.C. Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewo ...

manager Steve Kean. In 2017, Mehmet joined the KTFF Süper Lig, signing as a marquee player for Alsancak Yeşilova SK. He played alongside several high-profile teammates, including former

Newcastle United F.C. Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Since the formation of the club in 1881 ...

forward

Lomana LuaLua Trésor Lomana LuaLua (; born 28 December 1980) is a Congolese former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is currently the attacking coach for Spalding United. LuaLua was born in Kinshasa, but moved to England at a young age. ...

Club career

Early career

Mehmet began his career with

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

where he was captain of The Academy of Football. As a youngster Mehmet was offered deals with Norwich, Arsenal, Millwall and Crystal Palace but decided to stay with West Ham United. He transferred to

Dunfermline Athletic Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dunfermline, Fife. Founded in 1885, the club currently compete in the after winning the 2022–23 Scottish League One title. Dunfermline play at ...

on 8 May 2003. He was an unused substitute in the 2004 Scottish Cup Final against

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

, Dunfermline losing 3–1. In 2005, he transferred to St Mirren.

St Mirren

In his first season, Mehmet helped St Mirren win the

Scottish First Division The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. It was replaced by the Scottish Championship. History The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 in Scottish footb ...

and gain promotion to the

, scoring the winning goal in a 2–1 win over

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

which clinched the league. He scored the goals that kept St Mirren in the SPL in 2007–08 and 2008–09. In 2007–08 season, Mehmet started to play more and was ''Saints top scorer in 2007–08 with nine goals, 2008–09 with 11 goals and 2009–10 with 13 goals. In February 2008, Mehmet extended his contract with St Mirren to 2010. He scored his first ever hat-trick in a

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...

win against Dumbarton. On 7 March 2009, Mehmet scored the only goal in a 1–0 win at St Mirren Park, converting a penalty to knock Celtic out of the

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,League Cup victory over East Stirlingshire. On 2 February 2010, Mehmet booked ''Saints'' a place in the League Cup Final after his strike was enough to secure a semi-final victory over Hearts, they lost 1–0 in the final against Rangers.

Gençlerbirliği

On 10 May 2010, it was confirmed that Mehmet had signed for Turkish side Gençlerbirliği on a two-year deal with a one-year option to extend his stay. However, in February 2011 Mehmet mutually agreed to terminate his contract with Gençlerbirliği due to financial issues affecting the club. He made 19 appearances, scoring four times for the club.

Samsunspor

In March 2011, Mehmet signed for Turkish side

, dropping down to the Bank Asya Lig 1, the second level of Turkish football, due to a clause in his contract that didn't allow him to play for another Super Lig team for one season. Mehmet helped Samsunspor to second place in the Bank Asya Lig 1 title in August 2011 which saw Samsunspor promoted to the Turkish Super Lig. He score thrice in 12 league appearances for the club.

Perth Glory

On 5 September 2011 it was announced Mehmet had signed with

club

. After an impressive pre-season, Mehmet scored the lone goal in Perth's 1–0 defeat of Adelaide United in the opening round game in Perth. He went to make 29 league appearances that season, scoring eight goals, and helped Perth Glory to second place in the league.

Bangkok Glass

On 18 January 2013, Mehmet terminated his contract with Perth Glory in the A-League after agreeing to sign with

side Bangkok Glass. Billy Mehmet scored in his first pre-season match for Bangkok Glass vs Singapore Armed Forces in a 3–1 victory at the Leo Stadium. Mehmet made his league debut for Bangkok Glass on 3 February 2013, losing 1–0 to Songkhla United. After making only seven league appearances and scoring once, Mehmet and Bangkok Glass agreed to mutually terminate Mehmet's contract on 13 June 2013 for personal reasons.

Dempo

Not long after leaving Bangkok, Mehmet was snapped up by Indian club Dempo. The

Panaji Panaji (; , , )also known as Panjim, is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river est ...

based club from the

I-League The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...

(India's top flight) announced his signing on 10 July. Mehmet made his debut for Dempo on 22 July 2013, in a 3–0 away defeat to Shillong Lajong. During his six months stay in India, he scored seven goals in 16 league appearances for the club.

Kedah F.A.

In February 2014, Mehmet signed for Malaysian Premier League club

for the 2014 season. He made an immediate impact for his new team, scoring six goals in his first four games and being awarded the club's Player of the Month award. Mehmet went on to be the club's top goal scorer with 23 goals in 26 games.

Sarawak F.A.

Mehmet decided to move onto Malaysian Super League side Sarawak FA at the end of the 2014 season. Mehmet was also offered a contract at Super League side Perak, but chose Sarawak FA. Mehmet had a great pre season with Sarawak scoring on his debut game for the club. Mehmet scored 8 goals in pre season with Sarawak FA. Mehmet also scored on his full debut and his next 2 games in the Malaysian Super League with Sarawak. Mehmet ended the 2015 season as Sarawak FA's top goal scorer and was the 3rd highest goal scorer in the 2015 Malaysian Super League. Mehmet left the club at the end of his contract.

Tampines Rovers

After leaving Sarawak FA at the end of his contract, Mehmet signed for Tampines Rovers in the S-League after declining offers from football clubs in Malaysia and Indonesia. Tampines manager Sundram wanted to sign Mehmet when he was in charge at Negeri in the Malaysian Super League but missed out when Mehmet signed with Sarawak FA.

Brunei DPMM

It was announced that Mehmet would leave the 2016 S.League runners-up side

Tampines Rovers Tampines Rovers Football Club (currently known as BG Tampines Rovers due to sponsorship reasons) is a professional association football, football club based in Tampines, Singapore, that competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of t ...

for Brunei DPMM. He scored his first goal for the

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

an club on 2 April 2017 against

Hougang United Hougang United Football Club is a professional football club based in Hougang, Singapore. The club competes in the Singapore Premier League, the top tier of Singaporean football. Founded in 1998 as Marine Castle United, the club changed its ...

. He left the club in June 2017.

Merit Alsancak Yeşilova

On 6 July 2017, Mehmet signed a contract with Turkish Cypriot club . He scored twice in the friendly game against Bostancı Bağcıl on 11 August.

International career

Mehmet qualifies for the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...

through his Irish maternal grandfather. He has played for the Republic of Ireland U21 national team and made his debut against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

in April 2004. He qualifies for England, Cyprus and Turkey due to his mother being half English and half Irish and his father being Cypriot. Mehmet received a call-up from the Northern Cyprus national team ahead of the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup. On 31 May 2018, he scored on his debut for Northern Cyprus, scoring the opening goal in a 1–1 draw with Kárpátalja.

Personal life

Mehmet was born in London to a mother of English and Irish descent, and a

Turkish Cypriot Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or ; ) are so called ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land onc ...

father.

Career statistics

Honours

Dunfermline Athletic *

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,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 ...

St Mirren *

Scottish Football League First Division The Scottish Football League First Division was the second tier in the Scottish football league system between 1975 and 2013. It was replaced by the Scottish Championship. History The First Division was introduced in 1975–76 in Scottish footb ...

: 2005–06 *

Scottish Challenge Cup The Scottish Professional Football League Challenge Cup,2005–06 *

runner-up:

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Samsunspor *

TFF First League The TFF 1. Lig (), currently referred to as Trendyol 1. Lig for sponsorship reasons, is the second level of the Turkish football league system. The league was founded in 2001 as the ''Turkish Second League Category A'' after the reorganization ...

runner-up and promotion:

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Perth Glory * A-League Grand Final runner-up:

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Kedah FA *

Malaysia FA Cup The Malaysia FA Cup () is an annual association football, football competition in Malaysia, established in 1990. It was previously managed by the Football Association of Malaysia, before being transferred to the Football Malaysia LLP, Malaysian ...

runner-up: 2014 Sarawak FA *

quarter finalist: 2015 Tampines Rovers * Singapore FA Cup runner-up: 2016 * S-League runner-up: 2016 *

AFC Cup The AFC Champions League Two (abbreviated as the ACL Two or ACL2) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC C ...

quarter finalist: 2016 * Singapore League Cup quarter finalist: 2016 Northern Cyprus * ConIFA World Football Cup second place:

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

References

External links