Çiğdem Belci

Çiğdem Belci — Biography

Çiğdem Belci is an experienced defender in Turkish women's football. Coming out of Mersin, she won five league titles with Ataşehir Belediyespor and Beşiktaş and earned 48 caps for the Turkey senior national team. Most recently she signed for Galatasaray in February 2025 and wore number 33.

She began playing football with boys in her neighbourhood at eight, took out her licence at Mersin Camspor and stayed there until the end of 2007-08. She then moved to Mersingücü Cengiz Topel Spor and, in 2009-10, to Trabzonspor. From 2010 at Ataşehir Belediyespor she won back-to-back league titles in 2011 and 2012 and played her first UEFA Women's Champions League match against Gintra Universitetas on 11 August 2011. She captained Kireçburnu Spor for a season, returned to Ataşehir in 2016-17 and won another title in 2017-18.

She joined Beşiktaş in 2018-19 and won the title straight away; she also won the league in 2020-21 and played in the Champions League. She went on to wear the shirts of Fatih Karagümrük (2022-23) and Beylerbeyi (2023), who were making their first Super League appearance. She was first called up to the national team in 2006 and played against Northern Ireland in the Euro 2009 qualifiers. She studied physical education and sports at Ondokuz Mayıs University and was appointed a teacher after graduating.