Ahmet Yıldırım

Ahmet Yıldırım ( born February 25, 1974 in Amasya ) is a former Turkish football player and coach. He is associated with the clubs Galatasaray and Beşiktaş Istanbul. At Galatasaray, he was part of the team that is referred to by fans and club side as legendary and in 2000 UEFA Cup winners 1999/ 00, Turkish double winners, UEFA Super Cup winner and quarter-finalist of the UEFA Champions League of the 2000/01 season was. With the Turkish national team, he participated in the Confederations Cup in 2003 and reached the 3rd place.

• 3.1 As a player

Playing career

Association

Yıldırım started with the professional football second division Izmirspor. In his first season at Izmirspor he played in three league games. In the second season, he quickly fought his way to a starting berth and became the shooting stars of the league. He was also the person in charge of Fenerbahce and moved to the summer of 1993 at this club. Here he was recognized by the coaching staff is still incomplete and is delivered to the reserve team. After a game for the reserves, he was loaned out for the season 1993/94 to the first division club Samsunspor. Here he played a season long, graduated nine top-flight and finished with Samsunspor the league at the 5th place in the table.

After he had returned to the summer of 1994 back to Fenerbahçe, he was exhibited for sale. So he changed for the upcoming season for the capital club MKE Ankaragucu. In this club, he made ​​it to first go to the root formation and quickly established itself a top performer. Through his achievements, he was also the coaches of the Turkish U-21 national team. For the 1998/99 season Yıldırım left after four years Ankaragucu and moved to league rivals Istanbulspor. Even with this club he quickly made ​​the jump into the starting lineup.

After just one year for Istanbulspor he left this club and moved to Istanbul giants Galatasaray. The coach Galatasaray, Fatih Terim, was looking for a good alternative for the defensive midfielder Okan Buruk and Suat Kaya and therefore prompted the club's commitment to Yildirim. At Galatasaray, he quickly came to stakes. Since Terim caused to rotate due to the triple burden of Turkish League, Turkish Cup and Champions League and because of Laufintensivität dropping to the defensive player in his system, frequently on these positions, Yıldırım came almost every week to stakes. With the start of the season he was even phased a regular place and played in almost all competitions. His team had been caught in the first round in the Champions League to an unfortunate start and secured in the last group match by a 3-2 home win against AC Milan 3rd place in the table and thus qualified for participation in the UEFA Cup. Here we turned off one after FC Bologna, Borussia Dortmund, RCD Mallorca and Leeds United and met in the final at Arsenal. In a very competitive game they won on penalties as the first Turkish team ever a European competition in club football, the UEFA Cup of the season 1999/2000. In addition, they won the title defense in the Turkish Championship for the fourth time in a row this trophy and set a new record. In addition, by winning the Turkish Cup managed the Double in Turkish football.

For the upcoming season Terim Galatasaray left after four years and took over Fiorentina. On Terim followed in the red coach Mircea Lucescu, the Romanian Yellow. Under this coach Yıldırım no longer received the stakes as under Terim. At the start of the season Galatasaray won the UEFA Super Cup and made again a first in the club's history and also in Turkish football. In the final, they sat down by a golden goal against Real Madrid by. In the league failed to defend the title and then one was runner-up.

In summer 2001 we experienced at Galatasaray a major revision within the team. Thus, a large proportion of players the team had previously achieved the greatest success the club's history over the years. Among the players who left the club, were among other Cláudio Taffarel, Gheorghe Popescu, Emre Belözoğlu, Okan Buruk, Mário Jardel, Gheorghe Hagi and Ümit Davala. On the list of players who should leave the club, also Yıldırım was set. So Yıldırım Ayhan Akman was exchanged and changed as the city rivals Beşiktaş Istanbul. Although Yıldırım refused at first, he later agreed to the change. He stressed that he did not want to leave Galatasaray, and made the coach Lucescu responsible for his departure. Lucescu himself said at the exchange that he would not let go Yıldırım and that the change was a misunderstanding with the club's management. In Beşiktaş Yıldırım was quickly into the team, also rose to the national team on. The first season he finished with his team on the third place in the table and reached the Turkish Cup in the final. In the final match they lost 0-4 and went Kocaelispor with the 2001/ 02 without titles. In the new season the club celebrated its 100th anniversary and as the club's management has invested heavily in the team. As a coach, Mircea Lucescu, the Romanian was presented. This had won last season with Galatasaray, the Turkish Championship, but was exempted by the imminent return of Fatih Terim, by the expiry of his contract. In the season 2002/ 03 is provided with Galatasaray a long championship battle that was decided at end of season for themselves. This one won the Turkish Cup. Since Beşiktaş was no longer master for nine years and it was the championship for the 100th anniversary, this championship for the club and their fans had a symbolic meaning. Yıldırım played after this success, two more seasons for Beşiktaş, but remained as his team fell short of expectations.

For the season 2005/ 06 changed Yıldırım for Hauptstadterstligisten Ankaraspor and played one season here. For the season 2006/ 07, a patron of the arts took over the third division Etimesgut Şekerspor and tried by the recruitment of the Stars club in the TFF 1 Lig and then taking it in the Süper Lig. So you undertook, among other stars like Sergen Yalçın, Ahmet Dursun, Tamer Tuna, Faruk Sarman, Nuri Çolak and Evren Turhan to the capital club. Among the players who switched to Şekerspor, there was also Yıldırım. Having failed in the end of season promotion to the first Lig, the team was disbanded again. So Yıldırım also left the club towards Zweitligist Malatyaspor. Here he sat mostly on the substitutes' bench and only came six times to stakes. For the season 2008/ 09 he joined again the team and hired the second division Adanaspor. Again, he eked out more of a reservist existence and finished with season ending his active football playing career.

National

Yıldırım was nominated in 1994 for the first time in Turkish U- 21 team during his second season at Samsunspor and completed in two years, two games for the U- 21st

Seven years after his tenure at the U -21, he was nominated to the squad of the second selection of the Turkish national team and completed for these two games.

In 2003 he was nominated a total of twelve times in the squad of the Turkish national team and played a total of four games. Among other things, he was nominated to the squad of the Turkish national team in the FIFA Confederations Cup 2003 by the then national coach Senol Güneş. During the tournament, he completed two international matches and reached with his team to the end of the tournament 3rd place.

Coaching career

Following his football career as a player, he became the second division club Mersin İdmanyurdu the post of assistant coach and assisted the head coach and his former teammates from his time with Ankaragücu, Serhat Güller. After Güller already second half left the club, also Yıldırım gave up his position.

For the 2010/11 season he took over the third division Körfez FK and he has since this club as head coach.

In the spring of 2014 Yıldırım took over the third division Pendikspor Istanbul.

Achievements

As a player

• With Galatasaray Turkish champions (1): 1999/ 00
• Turkish Cup Winner (1): 1999/ 00
• Başbakanlık Kupası ( 1): 1997
• TSYD Kupası (1): 1999/ 00
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1999/ 00
• UEFA Super Cup winner (1 ): 2000
• Quarter-finalist of the UEFA Champions League: 2000/ 01

• With Beşiktaş Istanbul Turkish champions (1): 2002/ 03
• Quarter-finalist of the UEFA Cup (1): 2002/ 03

• Turkish national team: Third in the FIFA Confederations Cup ( 1): 2003