Sinan Bolat

Sinan Bolat — Biography

Sinan Bolat is a Turkish international goalkeeper who was born in Kayseri, learned the game in Belgium and holds both Turkish and Belgian citizenship. He is best remembered for 9 December 2009: playing for Standard Liège against AZ in the Champions League, he headed in a goal in the 95th minute to make it 1-1, sending his side into the Europa League and becoming the first goalkeeper to score from open play in the competition. In September 2025 he returned to Turkey and agreed a deal with Iğdır FK.

His family moved to Belgium in 1993; when the goalkeeper was injured during a match, Bolat went in goal and stayed there. After joining Standard Liège in early 2009 he won the league title in his first season, making a crucial penalty save from Bryan Ruiz in the title race, and with the club he also won the 2009 Belgian Super Cup and the 2010-11 Belgian Cup. In 2013 he signed a five-year deal with Porto but did not find a place in the first team, and was loaned to Kayserispor, Galatasaray, Club Brugge, Nacional and Arouca. He won the 2014-15 Süper Lig and Turkish Cup with Galatasaray and the 2015-16 Belgian league with Club Brugge. He later played for Royal Antwerp, Gent and Westerlo, and was loaned to Kasımpaşa in February 2025.

He played four times for Turkey's under-19s and three times for the under-21s. Called up to the senior squad by Fatih Terim in September 2009, he won his first cap on 10 August 2011 against Estonia and has been described as the first diaspora goalkeeper to play in goal for the national team.