Servet Çetin

Servet Çetin — Biography

Servet Çetin is remembered as one of the best-known Turkish center-backs of the 2000s: his 1.91 m frame and strength in the air earned him the nickname “Ayıboğan” (bear-choker), he won league titles with Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray, and he went to Euro 2008 with the national team. He now works as a coach; he was most recently in charge of Sarıyer, and the club and he parted ways in May 2026.

His playing years fall into three stages. The first runs from Tuzluca, in Iğdır province, through Kartalspor to a professional contract, with promotion to the top flight alongside Göztepe. His breakthrough came at Denizlispor, where he helped the side reach the fourth round of the UEFA Cup in 2002-03, and his display against Lyon put him on the radar of the big clubs. The second stage began at Fenerbahçe, where he won two Süper Lig titles, followed by a spell as captain at Sivasspor. At Galatasaray from 2007 he won the league in his first season, playing regularly and scoring; his number 76 shirt carried the vehicle code of his home province, Iğdır. After 2012 he played for Eskişehirspor and Mersin İdman Yurdu.

He earned 67 senior caps for Turkey. After retiring he was Rıza Çalımbay's assistant from 2017 to 2023, then took over Sivasspor in June 2023 and left by mutual agreement in December. Of Azerbaijani descent, Çetin is also nicknamed “Türkü Baba” because of the Turkish folk songs he listens to.