Necmi Mutlu

Necmi Mutlu — Biography

Necmi Mutlu is one of the goalkeepers most closely associated with Beşiktaş. He made 241 Turkish 1. Lig appearances for the club, more than any other goalkeeper in its history, and he ranks 16th on its list of most league appearances by any player. He was counted among the best keepers of his era for his one-on-one saves, reflexes and composure. He also played for the Turkey national team and, after retiring, worked at Beşiktaş as a manager and goalkeeping coach.

He started out at Kadırga at 16 and spent five seasons with Kadırga and Beykoz. When Galatasaray made him a transfer offer in 1958, he chose Beşiktaş instead. There he occasionally competed with Varol Ürkmez for the starting place. With Beşiktaş he won the 1. Lig in 1959-60, 1965-66 and 1966-67, the President's Cup in 1967 and the Prime Minister's Cup in 1974, and also took the TSYD Cup twice. At the end of the 1968-69 season he handed the goal to the young Sabri Dino and retired.

He was picked for the silver team in Beşiktaş's Squads of the Century selection. In later years he remained a familiar name at the club: in 2018 he was a guest on Beşiktaş TV's Mevkidaşlar, where the club introduced him as its "legendary goalkeeper".