Ümit Aydın

Ümit Aydın — Biography

Ümit Aydın is a retired Turkish footballer who came through the Galatasaray academy and helped three different clubs reach the Süper Lig. A defensive and central midfielder, he stands 1.83 m tall. He was a regular in Turkey's youth national teams and then played for many clubs.

He began in the Galatasaray youth set-up and spent many years with Turkey's youth sides, seen as one of the country's most promising players. In 1998 he signed a professional contract with Galatasaray and joined the first team, winning the 2000 UEFA Super Cup with the club. He later played for Adanaspor, Beşiktaş, Ankaraspor, Antalyaspor, Eskişehirspor, Kayserispor and Istanbulspor. He was part of promotions from the 1. Lig to the Süper Lig with Elazığspor in 2001-02, Kayseri Erciyesspor in 2004-05 and Kardemir Karabükspor in 2009-10, the last as champions. His final club was second-tier side Tepecikspor.

Across the under-17 to under-20 national teams he made 41 appearances and scored 2 goals. He took part in the 2001 Mediterranean Games with the Turkey Olympic team, finishing fourth. He never played an official match for the senior national team, but in 2004 he played in a friendly in which a Turkey selection under Ersun Yanal met Galatasaray.