Mustafa Denizli

Mustafa Denizli — Biography

Mustafa Denizli is the only manager to have won the Süper Lig with Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş. He began as a left-footed player at Altay in İzmir and has been a manager since 1987. He took Galatasaray past Monaco to the European Cup semi-finals in 1988-89, where they lost to Steaua Bucharest, and led the national team to the quarter-finals of Euro 2000.

He played at Altay for eighteen years from 1965, known for his free-kicks and corners; in 1980 he was the league's top scorer with 12 goals and lifted the Turkish Cup as captain the same year. He moved to Galatasaray in 1983 and soon retired to become Jupp Derwall's assistant. Appointed head coach in 1987, he won the league in his first season. After a short spell at Alemannia Aachen he returned to Galatasaray and won the Turkish Cup in 1991. After Kocaelispor he took the national team again in 1996. He made Fenerbahçe champions in 2000-01 and Beşiktaş in 2008-09, adding the cup with Beşiktaş the same season.

Abroad he worked at PAS Tehran, Persepolis and Khazar Lankaran. He led Çaykur Rizespor to the First League title in 2012-13 and took Altay up to the Süper Lig through the play-offs in 2021, resigning in January 2022. He managed Galatasaray for a third time in 2015-16. In 2000 IFFHS ranked him the eleventh best national-team coach in the world.