Kaya Köstepen

Kaya Köstepen — Biography

Kaya Köstepen was a midfielder in the Beşiktaş side from the late 1950s to 1970, remembered as the man who scored the club's first goal in European competition. Beşiktaş supporters and the sports press count him among the club's legendary players. His name has outlived him: a stadium in Yatağan carries it, and the Turkish Football Federation paid tribute to him on the anniversary of his death.

He started out in 1953 with Yatağan Gençlikspor in the Muğla amateur league, spent some time at Aydın Akınspor and in 1955 moved to Altay, where he played two seasons as a centre-forward. In 1957-58 he transferred to Beşiktaş and won the Federation Cup in his first year. He wore the black-and-white shirt until 1970, becoming a fixture of the midfield, remembered for important goals, and won four league titles with the club. He made 332 First League appearances and scored seven goals. The most significant came on 27 November 1958 in the return European Champion Clubs' Cup tie against Real Madrid: it made the score 1-1 and was Beşiktaş's first goal in European competition. He also played for the Turkish national team.

After retiring as a player he became a coach, working with Aydınspor, Beşiktaş, Süleymaniye Sirkeci, Muğlaspor and Balıkesirspor. He was married and had two children. He died on 29 June 2011 and is buried in the Yatağan city cemetery.