Celaleddin Koçak

Celaleddin Koçak — Biography

Celaleddin Koçak (born 24 November 1977 in West Berlin) is a former Turkish-German footballer who grew up in Germany. A left-sided player, he alternated between defence and midfield and was known for his pace and physical strength.

He started out at BSC Kickers 1900 in Berlin, moved through the youth ranks of Türkiyemspor and turned professional with Tennis Borussia Berlin in the Regionalliga and 2. Bundesliga. In December 1999 he signed for Altay in İzmir, and the following summer he joined MKE Ankaragücü, his first Süper Lig club, where he spent two seasons. He moved to Diyarbakırspor in 2002 and played a significant part in the club's rise to the top flight and its survival there.

In 2003 he joined Malatyaspor and made his name there, scoring twice away to FC Basel in the UEFA Cup on 15 October 2003. A year later he followed coach Ziya Doğan to Trabzonspor and finished league runners-up in his first season; his contract there was terminated on 12 January 2008. He ended his professional career at Diyarbakırspor after the 2009-10 season. He played for Turkey's under-21 side against Romania in February 1998 and for the A2 team against Scotland in December 2003.