Selim Soydan

Selim Soydan — Biography

Selim Soydan was a defender in Fenerbahçe's side of the 1960s who later became known as a sports administrator, pundit and film producer. The former international played for both Beşiktaş and Fenerbahçe and later served in the management of the Turkish Football Federation. With his wife, actress Hülya Koçyiğit, he founded Gülşah Film and became one of the producers of Turkish popular cinema.

He began in Beşiktaş's youth team, turned professional in 1959 and scored 2 goals in 22 matches for the club. On July 8, 1961, he moved to Fenerbahçe, where he made 170 appearances and scored 22 goals over roughly ten seasons, winning four league titles, the President's Cup and the Balkan Cup. He took part in the 1960 Summer Olympics. On August 25, 1971, aged 29, he retired with a testimonial match between Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş.

After leaving the pitch he worked as a Fenerbahçe administrator, wrote a newspaper column and commented on the program Telegol, which ended in 2013. In 2019 he joined Nihat Özdemir's TFF board as an executive member responsible for the senior national team, leaving that post in 2021. From 1975 Gülşah Film produced and distributed dozens of films, among them Gülşah, İbo ile Güllüşah and Almanya Acı Vatan. He married Hülya Koçyiğit on July 5, 1968. In 2026 he spoke about having once wanted to bring Fatih Terim to Fenerbahçe.