Necdet Ergün

Necdet Ergün — Biography

Necdet Ergün was born on 5 May 1954 in Sivas, Turkey. A former Turkish international footballer, he spent the core of his playing career with Süper Lig clubs Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor, becoming especially closely associated with Beşiktaş, where fans and the press regarded him as one of the club's most important figures of the early 1980s. His skill on the ball earned him the nickname the "local Maradona" in the Turkish press of the era.

Ergün became a well-known figure beyond football after a goal he scored by controlling the ball with his hand inspired a famous cartoon in the satirical magazine Gırgır. Following his playing career he moved into coaching, and in 2015 he published a book recounting his life in football.