Halil Akbunar

Halil Akbunar — Biography

Halil Akbunar is the winger who stood out in Göztepe's rise in the 2010s, known as the goal- and assist-maker for the side that climbed from the lower divisions to the Süper Lig, and he was called up to the senior national team in 2021. At the end of 2025 he went from the Süper Lig down to the Second League with Bursaspor and celebrated promotion to the First League with the team.

He began at Balçova İdman Yurdu in İzmir, spent a year in Antalyaspor's academy, then returned to Göztepe and turned professional in January 2012. He spent twelve years at Göztepe: the 2012-13 relegation, the 2014-15 Second League title, and in 2016-17 promotion to the Süper Lig after beating Eskişehirspor on penalties in the play-off final. He spent 2015-16 on loan at Elazığspor and made his Süper Lig debut against Fenerbahçe in 2017, and in 2019-20 scored against Beşiktaş in the opening match of the club's new Gürsel Aksel Stadium, becoming the first player to score there. In 2020-21 he made 40 appearances with 9 goals and 13 assists and was the only player to feature in every league match; in March 2021 he made his national-team debut against Norway.

In 2022 he moved to Westerlo in Belgium for about one million euros and scored against Anderlecht to win the team three points. In January 2023 he returned to Turkey with Eyüpspor, then scored 5 goals in 37 games on loan at Pendikspor in 2023-24 before playing in the Süper Lig with Eyüpspor.