Kadri Aytaç

Kadri Aytaç — Biography

Kadri Aytaç left a mark on Turkish football both as a player and as a manager. In the 1950s and 1960s he was part of one of Galatasaray's strongest squads, sharing the pitch with Metin Oktay, Turgay Şeren and Suat Mamat. After moving to the touchline he became known as the manager with the most titles in the Turkish Second Football League.

He started out at Beyoğluspor in 1944 and joined Galatasaray in 1951. His move to city rival Karagümrük at the start of the 1958-59 season for 57,000 liras is regarded as the first expensive transfer in Turkish football history. He later pulled on the shirts of Fenerbahçe and Mersin İdmanyurdu, captaining the latter and helping it win promotion to the top flight in 1967, and winning the league title with Fenerbahçe in 1961 and with Galatasaray in 1963. He earned 26 caps for the senior national team and represented Turkey at the 1954 World Cup.

He began coaching at Mersin İdmanyurdu as a player-assistant, and went on to lead many clubs, among them Denizlispor, Aydınspor, Tirespor, Çaykur Rizespor, Kayserispor, MKE Ankaragücü and Karşıyaka, and in 1997 Nişantaşıspor. Mersin İdmanyurdu, Orduspor (1975), Gençlerbirliği (1983) and İstanbulspor (1995) were all taken up to the top flight under him. He married in 1957 and had a daughter. He died in Istanbul on 28 March 2003, aged 71, and was buried at Feriköy Cemetery.