Ergün Öztuna

Ergün Öztuna — Biography

Ergun Öztuna (16 August 1937 - 24 May 2023) was a Turkish international footballer and later a coach. Sources disagree on his birthplace: Wikidata and German Wikipedia give Uşak, while Turkish Wikipedia says Manisa, with the weight of the records favouring Uşak. He was nicknamed “Puskás Ergun” - German sources attribute this to his physical resemblance to Ferenc Puskás, others to praise Puskás himself is said to have given him, while English Wikipedia credits his technique.

A forward, he began at Karşıyaka before joining Fenerbahçe in 1956, and had two spells at the club, from 1956 to 1961 and from 1964 to 1971. In between he played for Bursaspor, for Austria Klagenfurt in Austria and again for Karşıyaka, and he also spent time on loan at Rizespor from Fenerbahçe. He scored 79 goals in 219 matches for Fenerbahçe and netted the club's first goal in the Süper Lig. Regarded as one of the outstanding talents of his generation, he was held back by repeated injuries.

He died in Istanbul on 24 May 2023 at the age of 85; Fenerbahçe, the Turkish Football Federation and the national press announced his death, and he was buried the following day.