Necdet Cici

Necdet Cici — Biography

Born Necdet Kayral in İstanbul in 1913, Necdet Cici earned his nickname — meaning "pretty" or "cute" in Turkish — for his good looks, and the moniker later became his adopted surname. Playing as a right outside forward, he spent his career at Galatasaray from 1928 to 1941, joining the squad that dominated Turkish football in the 1920s and 1930s; during this period he won two Istanbul Football League titles and one national championship, and at times captained the side. He earned a single cap for the Turkey national team in 1932 and was part of the Turkish squad at the football tournament of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, though he did not appear in any matches there.

After his time at Galatasaray, he also played for Taksim before retiring from football. He then pursued a singing career in Turkish classical music, performing until his retirement in 1974. His colorful private life — including numerous affairs, an extravagant nightlife and a gambling habit — made him a regular subject of the tabloid press, and he was married for about a decade to the writer Cahit Uçuk.

Necdet Cici died on 14 August 1995 in Üsküdar, İstanbul.