Mustafa Sarp

Mustafa Sarp — Biography

Mustafa Sarp was born on 5 November 1980 in the Bakırköy district of Istanbul and built a career as a defensive-minded central midfielder. He turned professional at Gaziosmanpaşa, spending three seasons there before moving to second-tier Mersin İdman Yurdu in 2002. His first top-flight football came with Ankaraspor in 2004-05, after which he joined Kayseri Erciyesspor and then Bursaspor, where his disciplined defensive-midfield play drew wider attention and earned him his first senior international caps in a 2006 friendly against the Czech Republic.

Galatasaray signed him in 2009; he scored several league and European goals in his debut season before his form and playing time declined. After leaving Galatasaray in 2011 he had spells at Samsunspor, Kardemir Karabükspor, a second stint at Mersin İdman Yurdu, Elazığspor and İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor, with whom he won the second-tier title in 2013-14, before ending his playing career at Manisaspor in late 2014. He later moved into coaching and has continued to work in football, appearing in recent years in Turkish sports media offering tactical commentary on matches.