Kerim Zengin

Kerim Zengin — Biography

Kerim Zengin was born on April 13, 1985, in Mersin. A Turkish former footballer who played as a right-back or winger, he was capped for Turkey at every youth level from under-17 to under-21.

He began his career with his hometown club Mersin İdmanyurdu before moving into Fenerbahçe's youth setup in the 2001-02 season, turned professional on August 13, 2003, and started appearing for Fenerbahçe's first team from 2005-06, drawing attention for a goal against Dinamo Kyiv in European competition. Much of his career was spent out on loan, including spells at Mersin İdmanyurdu, İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor (twice) and Antalyaspor. He signed with Kardemir Karabükspor ahead of 2010-11, then moved to Sivasspor at the start of 2011-12, a contract that was mutually terminated in December 2011. Later that season he played for Gaziantepspor and then Gençlerbirliği, before signing with Akhisar Belediyespor ahead of 2013-14 and returning to Kardemir Karabükspor in 2015.

Zengin earned 53 caps and scored 11 goals for Turkey's A youth national team, and was part of the Turkey under-19 squad that reached the final of the 2004 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. He won the Süper Lig title with Fenerbahçe in 2006-07. In a 2016 interview he said he planned to become a teacher after retiring from football.