Reha Eken

Reha Eken — Biography

Reha Eken was one of the leading names in Galatasaray's forward line in the late 1940s and early 1950s; with six goals in four matches for the national team he is cited as having the best goals-per-game ratio (1.5) of any player to wear Turkey's shirt. In fan and club circles he is regarded as one of the most important players in Galatasaray's history.

A graduate of Galatasaray High School, Eken began playing football at Galatasaray in 1944. He played his first Istanbul Professional League match against Beşiktaş, scored three the following week in a 7-0 win over Süleymaniye, and also scored in a 2-2 draw with Fenerbahçe. In 1952-53, with the team finishing third, he was the season's top scorer with 9 goals. In 1954 he left Galatasaray to play for Emniyet and retired in 1955. He made his Turkey debut against Austria on 30 May 1948; later that year he scored twice against Greece, then three against Iran in 1950 and one against Israel. He was in the squad for the 1948 London Olympics but did not play, and Turkey finished second in the 1949 Mediterranean Cup.

After leaving the pitch he served on Galatasaray's board between 1965 and 1968 under president Suphi Batur, and he also worked as a coach. His brothers Bülent Eken and Danyal Vuran also played for Galatasaray. Eken died in Istanbul in 2013.