Mert Zeki Korkmaz (born 16 August 1971) is a retired

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 ...

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 ...

Early life

Korkmaz was born in 1971. He is the younger brother of

Bülent Korkmaz Bülent Korkmaz (born 24 November 1968), colloquially known by his given nicknames "Büyük Kaptan" () and "Cengaver" (), is a Turkish former professional footballer and current manager of TFF 1. Lig club Esenler Erokspor. Korkmaz was a one ...

, a football player.

Career

Korkmaz played as a defender, and was known for his fighting spirit and professional approach to the game. A product of

Galatasaray S.K. Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...

's youth system, Mert played there from 1993 to 1997. He went on to represent

Kocaelispor Kocaelispor is a Turkish professional football club based in İzmit, Kocaeli. They were founded in 1966 and played in the top level between 1980 and 1988, 1992–2003, and the 2008–09 seasons. Their best finish was in the 1992–93 season, w ...

Gaziantepspor Gaziantepspor was a Turkish football club located in the city of Gaziantep. Formed in 1969 and dissolved in 2020, Gaziantepspor were nicknamed the ''Şahinler'' (The Falcons). The club colours were black and red, and they played their home matc ...

Malatyaspor Malatya Spor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club based in Malatya, mainly concentrated on football. History Prior to 1984 the club colors were yellow and black. They played for 11 seasons on the top-level of Turkish football. Their best result ...

and

İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K., shortly Istanbul BB SK or IBBSK, is a multi-sports club of the Istanbul Province, metropolitan municipality of Istanbul in Turkey. Branches *İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi (volleyball team), Volley ...

, retiring in 2008. Korkmaz was capped five times by

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Following his retirement, Korkmaz began to work as a football manager for İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor. He was assistant coach of Kocaelispor, Kasımpaşa,

Konyaspor Konyaspor Kulübü (, Konya Sports Club), commonly referred to as Konyaspor, is a Turkish professional football club based in Konya, one of the largest cities in central Anatolia. Due to sponsorship agreements, the club is also officially known ...

Ümraniyespor Ümraniyespor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in Ümraniye, Istanbul. The club has played in red-and-white kits since its formation in 1938. Stadium Currently the team plays at the 3,513-capacity Ümraniye Belediyesi � ...

. Next he served as the coach of Yeni Malatyaspor,

Tarsus İdman Yurdu Tarsus İdman Yurdu is a Turkish sports club based in Tarsus. History Founded in 1923, the football team plays at the Burhanettin Kocamaz Stadium, which has a capacity of 4,201. They were named as ''Tarsus İdman Yurdu Erkutspor'' between 198 ...

ve Nevşehir Belediyespor.

References

External links

* 1971 births Living people Turkish men's footballers Turkey men's international footballers Galatasaray S.K. footballers Gaziantepspor footballers Kocaelispor footballers Malatyaspor footballers İstanbul Başakşehir F.K. players Süper Lig players Men's association football defenders Footballers from Istanbul {{Turkey-footy-defender-stub