Yusuf Altıntaş

Yusuf Altıntaş — Biography

Yusuf Altıntaş is a former Turkish international and coach, nicknamed "Rambo Yusuf" for his hard, combative play. His name is bound up with Galatasaray's successful years from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, and he belongs to a three-generation football family with his father, brother and sons.

He started at Köseköy Belediyespor, moved to Kocaelispor in 1982 and joined Galatasaray in 1984-85. He mostly played in defence, but his strong physique and ball technique let him play in midfield at times. In ten seasons at Galatasaray he won the league in 1986-87, 1987-88, 1992-93 and 1993-94 and three Turkish Cups, playing an important part with his drive and goals in the club's first title in 14 years. He was in the squad that reached the 1988-89 European Cup semi-finals. In 1994 he went back to Kocaelispor and finished his career there. Between 1984 and 1992 he won 29 caps for Turkey and scored twice.

He began coaching in 2005-06 as an assistant at Kocaelispor, then became Bülent Korkmaz's assistant: with Kayseri Erciyesspor they reached the Turkish Cup final, and they briefly ran Bursaspor and, in 2008-09, Galatasaray. His father Mustafa Altıntaş, nicknamed "Köylü", played for Bursaspor, his brother Yaşar Altıntaş is a former professional, and his sons Ahmet and Batuhan Altıntaş became professional footballers too.