Sedat Balkanlı

Sedat Balkanlı — Biography

Sedat Balkanlı was a former Turkish international known in Turkish football by the nickname "altın kafa" ("golden head"). Although he was primarily a defender, he became famous for headed goals in crucial matches; all nine goals he scored for Galatasaray in the 1994-95 season came from headers. Also known simply as Sedat, he is remembered both for that trait on the pitch and for his long fight against illness.

In his career he wore the shirts of Gaziosmanpaşa, Konyaspor, Bursaspor, Galatasaray, Eskişehirspor and Fenerbahçe. He won a single cap for the senior national team, on 28 April 1993 away to Norway in 1994 World Cup qualifying, a match Turkey lost 3-1.

Doctors gave him about two years, yet he lived on for many years connected to a ventilator. Balkanlı died on 29 April 2009 at the Amerikan Hastanesi in Istanbul and was buried at Karlıtepe Cemetery. Tournaments have since been held in his name; at the 2019 Sedat Balkanlı Tournament, Aziz Yıldırım presented the cup to the winning side.