21.05.2025 10:54
The national goalkeeper Altay Bayındır, who plays for Manchester United, will become the "11th Turk" to wear a jersey in the final stage of UEFA competitions if he participates in the UEFA Europa League final against Tottenham.
The Turkish national goalkeeper, who is expected to be part of the squad for the match that the English team will play against Tottenham this evening in Bilbao, Spain, is preceded by 10 Turkish footballers who competed for the trophy in the finals of UEFA-organized tournaments.
Can Bartu, Özcan Arkoç, Yıldıray Baştürk, Hamit Altıntop, Nuri Şahin, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Arda Turan, Emre Belözoğlu, Fatih Tekke, and Arda Güler have all participated in the UEFA Champions League, formerly known as the Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Cup (UEFA Europa League), as well as the UEFA Super Cup.
THE FIRST FINALIST WAS CAN BARTU
The first name to play in a final with a foreign team for Turkish football was Can Bartu in 1962. Known as 'Sinyor', Can Bartu wore the jersey of the Italian team Fiorentina in the final match against Atletico Madrid in the European Cup Winners' Cup final. Can Bartu, who made history as the first Turkish footballer to play in a final match in European cups, saw Atletico Madrid win the trophy with scores of 1-1 and 3-0.
Özcan Arkoç, who played for Vefa, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş in Turkey before moving abroad, played in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final in Hamburg in 1968. In the final of 1968, Özcan Arkoç could not prevent Roland Hamrin's goals while guarding the goal against Milan, and the trophy went to Italy. Özcan Arkoç is recorded as the first Turkish goalkeeper to participate in a final of UEFA organizations.
TURKS IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL
The majority of players who showcased their talents in the UEFA final by playing for a foreign team appeared in the UEFA Champions League finals. Yıldıray Baştürk faced the Spanish team Real Madrid in the 2002 final while wearing the Bayer Leverkusen jersey. Real Madrid won the trophy with a score of 2-1. Following Baştürk, Hamit Altıntop competed against Inter Milan in the 2010 final, but the victorious side was the Italians, who finished the match with a score of 2-0. Nuri Şahin came on as a substitute in the 2013 final, where Borussia Dortmund lost 2-1 to Bayern Munich and bid farewell to the trophy. The final match in Istanbul in 2023 saw two Turkish footballers face off. National player Hakan Çalhanoğlu, who wore the Inter Milan jersey, played the full 90 minutes against the team Manchester City, which included Turkish-origin İlkay Gündoğan. The English team won the final at the Olympic Stadium with a score of 1-0 and took the trophy back to the island.
THE FIRST CUP VICTORY BELONGED TO FATIH TEKKE
After his career at Trabzonspor, Fatih Tekke, who played football in Russia, became the first Turkish footballer to lift a trophy in Europe while wearing a foreign team's jersey. The Russian team Zenit, which Fatih Tekke played for, achieved victory by defeating the Scottish team Glasgow Rangers 2-0 in the UEFA Cup final held in Manchester during the 2007-08 season.
ARDA TURAN CELEBRATED TWICE
National footballer Arda Turan, during his time at Atletico Madrid, saw his team reach the finals of both the Champions League and the UEFA Cup once, but he could only participate in the final match once. In 2012, in the UEFA Cup final against another Spanish team, Athletic Bilbao, Arda Turan played the full 90 minutes in the Atletico Madrid jersey, helping his team win the trophy with a 3-0 victory. In August 2012, he once again took the field in the UEFA Super Cup final, sharing the joy of the trophy with another Turkish footballer, Emre Belözoğlu.
In the match where Atletico Madrid faced the Champions League champion Chelsea, Arda Turan started in the 11, while Emre Belözoğlu came on in the 87th minute. After the final whistle, the two Turkish footballers lifted the trophy in the ceremony held.
In 2014, Arda Turan missed the Champions League final. In the Madrid derby, which was played in Lisbon, Atletico Madrid faced Real Madrid, while Arda Turan could not play in the final of Europe's number one football organization due to injury.
ARDA GÜLER LIFTED THE TROPHY WITH REAL MADRID
Among the most talented names produced by Turkish football in recent years, Arda Güler became the youngest player to lift a trophy abroad. Although Arda Güler, who wore the Real Madrid jersey, did not participate in the UEFA Champions League final against Borrussia Dortmund, which the Spanish team won 2-0, he played briefly in the UEFA Super Cup held at the beginning of the season against Atalanta. Coming on in the 88th minute for Vinicus Junior, Arda Güler celebrated the trophy with his teammates after the match, which ended with Real Madrid winning 2-0.
SUBSTITUTION IS LIKELY
It is expected that Altay Bayındır will start on the bench for Manchester United in the final match at San Mames. The national goalkeeper, who has played in 9 matches for "ManU" this season, has appeared in goal 3 times in the Premier League. Altay has also played 3 times in the Carabao Cup, while he has guarded the goal 2 times in the UEFA Europa League and once in the FA Cup.
Having spent 840 minutes in goal for the English team, Altay Bayındır conceded 18 goals during his time on the field. If the national goalkeeper wears gloves against Tottenham, he will be recorded as the second Turkish goalkeeper to participate in a final after Özcan Arkoç.