Vedat Okyar (August 1945 – 20 July 2009) was a Turkish international

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 ...

who later became a sports journalist.

Early life

Vedat Okyar was born in

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

August 1945. He played amateur football for Yücespor and Adaletspor before becoming a professional in 1965.

Career

Football career

Okyar played professionally as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for Bursaspor, Beşiktaş, Diyarbakırspor and Karagümrük. He was club captain of Beşiktaş between 1975 and 1976, and he also earned thirty-three caps for the Turkey national team.

Journalism career

After retiring as a professional footballer at age 42, Okyar became a sports journalist.

Death

Okyar died of

colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...

in an

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

hospital on 20 July 2009, aged 64. Following the religious funeral service at

Teşvikiye Mosque The Teşvikiye Mosque () is a neo-baroque structure located in the Teşvikiye neighbourhood of Şişli district in Istanbul, Turkey. History The mosque was originally commissioned in 1794 by Sultan Selim III, but most of the current mosque t ...

, he was laid to rest at the Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

Individual

*Beşiktaş J.K. Squads of Century (Silver Team)

References

1945 births Date of birth missing 2009 deaths Footballers from Bursa Turkish men's footballers Turkey men's international footballers Turkey men's under-21 international footballers Turkey men's youth international footballers Bursaspor footballers Beşiktaş J.K. footballers Men's association football midfielders Deaths from colorectal cancer in Turkey Burials at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery 20th-century Turkish sportsmen {{Turkey-footy-midfielder-stub