Mesut Bakkal

Mesut Bakkal — Biography

Mesut Bakkal was born on 19 March 1964 in Kırıkkale to a Circassian family with roots in Bilecik, and took up football in the youth ranks of local club MKE Kırıkkalespor. A midfielder, he was capped for Turkey's youth sides and spent the bulk of his playing career, from 1982 to 1994, at Denizlispor before retiring from active play. He moved into coaching in 1995 and earned a UEFA Pro Licence in 2009.

Over three decades on the touchline he has taken charge of a long roster of Anatolian and top-flight clubs; his best-remembered spell came at Gençlerbirliği, where he took over in 2005 following Ziya Doğan's departure and steered the side to a sixth-place league finish, one of four separate stints he had with that club. He also managed sides including Ankaragücü, Gaziantepspor, Sivasspor, Kayserispor and Bursaspor at various points. He returned to Amedspor in February 2026 and left the club by mutual consent at the end of April the same year.