Fikret Kırcan

Fikret Kırcan — Biography

Fikret Kırcan was a Turkish international footballer who spent his whole playing life at Fenerbahçe and is counted as the club's longest-serving player. Because the squad also held an older Fikret, he was known as "Küçük Fikret" (Little Fikret) and, among some supporters, as "Kefal Fikret"; he is one of the "Fikretler" named in the Fenerbahçe anthem.

He took up football in Fenerbahçe's youth ranks at 13, played his first match for the senior side on 23 November 1934 and wore the shirt for 22 years. Known for a fast and elegant style, he won the Istanbul League, the Millî Küme and the Prime Minister's Cup with the club. Because the war years halted international fixtures, he came to the national shirt late: his goal in the 3-1 win over Greece on 23 April 1948 was Turkey's first since 1937, and the same year he was in the squad that reached the quarter-finals at the London Olympics. When professionalism arrived in 1951 and Adalet began buying up Fenerbahçe's players one by one, the 31-year-old Kırcan thought of quitting, but the board talked him out of it. The young side built around him under his captaincy, nicknamed the "Küçük Şeytanlar" (Little Devils), finished third in 1951-52 and won the Istanbul title unbeaten the following season. By the time he left the pitch as captain against Dynamo Moscow on 7 October 1956, he had scored 139 goals.

After retiring he held administrative posts at both the Turkish Football Federation and Fenerbahçe, and when the club parted ways with its Hungarian coach in 1969 he took charge of the team for about two weeks. He died in Istanbul on 26 November 2014.