Uğur Köken

Uğur Köken — Biography

Uğur Köken (born 28 November 1937 in Istanbul) is a former Turkish footballer who spent his entire playing career, from 1955 to 1973, with Galatasaray on the left flank, appearing mainly as a left winger or left-back.

He was part of the Galatasaray sides that shaped Turkish football through the 1960s alongside teammates such as Metin Oktay, Turgay Şeren, Kadri Aytaç and Ali Beratlıgil, and later helped a younger generation built around Metin Kurt, Bülent Ünder and Muzaffer Sipahi become the first Galatasaray team to win three consecutive league titles, in 1971, 1972 and 1973. He captained the club for two seasons during that run.

Köken also earned 12 caps for the Turkish national team and represented his country at the 1960 Olympics. By the time he retired he had made 296 top-flight appearances for Galatasaray, a total that once made him the club's all-time leader and still ranks 8th in the club's history; he went on to work in coaching after his playing days ended.