Necdet Ergün

Necdet Ergün — Biography

Necdet Ergün is a former Turkish international who played on the right wing for Trabzonspor and Beşiktaş in the late 1970s and the first half of the 1980s. He won league titles with both clubs, was nicknamed "Yerli Maradona" (the local Maradona) in the press in a nod to Diego Maradona, and, remembered for standout games in the early 1980s, is counted among the important names in Beşiktaş's history. After retiring he worked as a coach and wrote a book about his life.

He started out at Anadolu Üsküdar, turned professional at Boluspor and drew attention with his play. He then moved to Trabzonspor, where he was part of the club's strong side of that era and won the league and several cups. In 1979 he transferred to Beşiktaş, staying until 1986, about seven years, and there he played in the championship-winning squads of 1981-82 and 1985-86, won the 1986 Presidential Cup, and retired after the 1986 title. He earned 14 caps for the Turkey national team.

Ergün also became known to the public for a moment on the pitch: in one match he set the ball with his hand before running into the opposing penalty area, and the satirical magazine Gırgır devoted a "hand-boot" themed cartoon to the incident that week. His book Nasıl Çıktım, Nasıl Düştüm, Nasıl Kalktım was published in 2015.