Mehmet Polat
Mehmet Polat ( born June 8, 1978 in Gaziantep ) is a former Turkish football player and coach.
Playing career
Association
Mehmet Polat started his career in his homeland with Gaskispor. There he spent two years under contract and was awarded during this time for a season in Gaziantep BB. Before the start of the 1998/99 season he was bound by the first division side Gaziantepspor and awarded after a short time to Kardemir Karabükspor. After his return Polat was one of the key players in defense. In the 2002/03 season he was loaned from the reigning champions Galatasaray. He played 13 league games and scored one goal. He also completed this season, his first and only game in the UEFA Champions League. On 23 October 2002 Polat was against Club Brugge in the starting XI and was replaced for the second half.
Galatasaray did not pull the purchase option and Mehmet Polat went back to Gaziantepspor. For Gaziantepspor he played until the second half of the season 2004/05. It was followed by engagements at Çaykur Rizespor, Samsunspor, Gençlerbirliği Ankara, Mersin and Bucaspor Idman Yurdu. With Bucaspor and Mersin Idman Yurdu he rose from the 2nd league in the Süper Lig.
National
Mehmet Polat made his debut for Turkey on 15 November 2000 in a friendly against France. Overall, he came to 4 internationals. For the squad for the FIFA World Cup 2002, he was not nominated.
Coaching career
In November 2013, he was appointed in Gaziantep Büyükşehir Belediyespor to assistant coach and assisted his former teammate Hasan Özer. Once at this club the end of February 2014, the head coaching position became vacant, he took along with his former team-mate Bülent Bölükbaşı this post.
Achievements
- Bucaspor Promotion to the Süper Lig (2009 /10)
- Mersin Idman Yurdu Master of the 2nd league and promotion to the Süper Lig (2010 /11)