İsmail Arca

İsmail Arca — Biography

İsmail Arca is a defender remembered as Eskişehirspor's most-capped player and known in the club's community as "Büyük Kaptan" (Great Captain). He spent his whole professional career at Eskişehirspor, playing for the club for 17 years and making 418 league appearances and 542 in all competitions. The club's circle and its supporters count him among the most important players in Eskişehirspor's history.

Starting out at İnegöl İdman Yurdu, Arca moved in 1964 to Eskişehir Fatihspor, attended high school in Eskişehir, and the following year became one of the cornerstones of the newly founded Eskişehirspor. He captained the side, and is said to have worn the armband in 400 matches. With Eskişehirspor he won the Prime Minister's Cup in 1966, the Turkish Cup in 1970-71 and the Presidential Cup in 1971. He said goodbye to football with a testimonial match in Eskişehir on 21 August 1982, and later worked as a coach.

He played 43 times in total for the national sides: 4 times for the under-18s, 6 for the under-21s, 6 for Turkey A2 and 27 for the senior team. He scored his only international goal on 1 December 1974 in a 2-1 UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying win over Switzerland, and won the 1974 RCD Cup with the national team. He received the Turkish Football Federation's Medal of Honour and was named by Coşkun Özarı among the best eleven players ever to have worn the national shirt.