Vedii Tosuncuk

Vedii Tosuncuk — Biography

Born Harun Vedi Tosuncuk, Vedii Tosuncuk played at left-back for Beşiktaş from 1945 to 1956 and was among the club's captains. A footballer who also worked as a physician, he won ten caps for the Turkey national team and led the side out as captain in one of them. He also competed for Turkey in the football tournament at the 1948 London Olympics.

He took up football at 22 in İzmir and soon joined the Karşıyaka squad. When he had to move to Istanbul for his medical studies, he transferred to Beşiktaş, the club he had supported since childhood. He spent many years on the club's left flank, pairing a strong physique with excellent technique; his long, hard shots changed the course of matches, and he played an important part in the team's championship wins.

A graduate of the Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine, Tosuncuk was an ear, nose and throat specialist. His brothers Ali Haydar and Nezihi Tosuncuk were footballers too: Ali Haydar played for Karşıyaka, and Nezihi was on loan at Beşiktaş in the 1978-79 season. Vedii Tosuncuk died in Istanbul on 10 May 2011.