Birol Pekel

Birol Pekel — Biography

Salih Birol Pekel is one of the few players in Turkish football counted among the legends of both Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe. He played as a forward from the late 1950s through the 1960s and later worked as a coach and club official. His name is linked with Şenol Birol, who played at his side for many years; the chant "Şenol-Birol gol", made up by supporters for the pair, inspired a film of the same name in 1965.

He took up sport at Istanbul Commerce High School and was a licensed basketball player at Beylerbeyi when Hakkı Yeten spotted him and he moved into football. He joined Beşiktaş in 1959 and scored 26 league goals in 131 games up to 1963. He was in the side that won Beşiktaş's first championship. In 1963 he moved to Fenerbahçe together with Şenol Birol and wore the yellow-and-navy shirt until 1968, scoring 24 goals in 154 matches. He was part of the Fenerbahçe team that won two titles in a row and of the squad that made the club's first double in 1967-68. He also played with Şenol Birol at Rizespor, and Pekel was regarded as Birol's main provider of assists.

After football he spent a time in business and sports writing, and coached Antalyaspor in 1975-76. He was a member of Fenerbahçe's High Advisory Council. He also played for the national team and appeared with Fatma Girik in the film Şenol Birol Gool. He died in Istanbul on 7 February 2004.