Ümit Karan

Ümit Karan — Biography

Ümit Karan is a Berlin-born footballer who was the striker of Galatasaray's title-winning sides of the 2000s and later worked as a manager in Turkey and North Macedonia. He won three Süper Lig titles, played ten times for the national team, and also became widely known on television through the Survivor contest.

He began in Berlin at Hertha Zehlendorf and Türkiyemspor Berlin and won the Turkish Cup (2000-01) with Gençlerbirliği. At Galatasaray, where he arrived in 2001, he won the Süper Lig in 2001-02, 2005-06 and 2007-08, plus the 2008 Super Cup. After a dispute with Gheorghe Hagi in 2004-05 he turned down offers from the Bundesliga and was loaned to Ankaraspor. In 2006-07 he scored twice against Liverpool in the Champions League and scored his 100th Süper Lig goal against Beşiktaş on 18 September 2006; in 2008-09 he captained the side. He moved to Eskişehirspor in 2009, ended his career in 2011 with 136 Süper Lig goals and became the club's sporting director.

He began coaching with Malatyaspor USA; he took over FK Shkupi in October 2018 and finished fourth, taking the club to the UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds for the first time. He then coached Vefaspor and Menemenspor. In 2013 he finished third on Survivor, and he appeared in the film Yıldızlar da Kayar and the series Makas. In July 2026 he agreed terms with a new club.