COACHES from Turkey

Top 5

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Turkish Coaches of all time. This list of famous Turkish Coaches is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Fatih Terim (1953 - )

With an HPI of 63.80, Fatih Terim is the most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 46 different languages on wikipedia.

Fatih Terim (born 4 September 1953) is a Turkish professional football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Greek Super League club Panathinaikos. During his football career, he played for Ceyhanspor, Adana Demirspor and Galatasaray. In his eleven years of playing time for Galatasaray, he won the Prime Minister's Cup in 1975 and in 1979, the Turkish Cup in 1975-1976, 1981-1982 and 1984-1985 seasons and the Turkish Super Cup in 1982 with the club. Terim has managed several clubs in Italy (Milan and Fiorentina) and Turkey, as well as the Turkey national team, most recently from 2013 to 2017. In a survey conducted by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) in 80 countries, he was placed among the best eight managers in the world, receiving his award at a ceremony held in Rothenburg, Germany, on 8 January 2001. Terim received a nomination for UEFA manager of the year 2008, and Eurosport named him the best coach at UEFA Euro 2008. In December 2008, he was ranked the seventh-best football manager in the world by World Soccer magazine in 2008. His Turkish nickname is "İmparator", and his Italian nickname is "Imperatore". Both names mean "emperor". On 25 April 2007, Terim received the order of "Commendatore" awarded by the Italian state. Terim, whose father is of Turkish Cypriot origin, is married to Fulya Aksu Terim. He has two daughters, Merve Terim Çetin and Buse Terim Bahçekapılı.

2. Şenol Güneş (1952 - )

With an HPI of 56.81, Şenol Güneş is the 2nd most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Şenol Güneş (Turkish pronunciation: [ˈʃenoɫ ˈɟyneʃ], born 1 June 1952) is a Turkish football manager and former player who most recently managed Süper Lig club Beşiktaş. His most notable managerial achievements to date include coaching the Turkey national team to third place in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and winning two Süper Lig titles; both of them with Beşiktaş. He is also noted for stints in his boyhood club Trabzonspor. His playing career there saw the club win 6 of their 7 Süper Lig titles.

3. Bülent Korkmaz (1968 - )

With an HPI of 46.01, Bülent Korkmaz is the 3rd most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Bülent Korkmaz (born 24 November 1968), colloquially known by his given nicknames "Büyük Kaptan" (lit. 'Great Captain') and "Cengaver" (lit. 'Warrior'), is a Turkish former professional footballer and current manager. Korkmaz was a one club man during his club career, playing as a centre-back for Galatasaray for his whole career for 18 consecutive seasons between 1987 and 2005, winning 8 Süper Lig, 6 Turkish Cup, 5 Turkish Super Cup,1 UEFA Cup and 1 UEFA Super Cup titles. He is the 13th player in history to make over 100 appearances across European club competitions. Korkmaz has got 102 senior caps for Turkey national football team.

4. Abdullah Avcı (1963 - )

With an HPI of 43.19, Abdullah Avcı is the 4th most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Abdullah Mucib Avcı (Turkish pronunciation: [abdullah mudʒib avdʒɯ]; born 31 July 1963) is a UEFA Pro Licensed Turkish football manager and a former professional footballer. He is the current manager of Trabzonspor. He has also managed the Turkey national team. Avcı's coaching career began at İstanbulspor in 1999 as assistant coach before a spell as Galatasaray youth academy chief. Later, in October 2004, he became the head coach of the Turkey under-17 national football team. After leaving his position with the national teams in 2006, Avcı started working as a coach at İstanbul Başakşehir. He coached İstanbul Başakşehir until 2011 when he became the head coach of the national team. Between 2011 and 2013, Avcı coached the national team before returning to lead İstanbul Başakşehir again in 2014. He worked at İstanbul Başakşehir from 2014 to 2019 before becoming the head coach of Beşiktaş for the 2019 season. In the 2020 season, Avcı took over Trabzonspor and led the team to become Süper Lig champions in the 2021–22 season. On 7 March 2023, Avcı announced his resignation from his position.

5. Fatih Akyel (1977 - )

With an HPI of 35.18, Fatih Akyel is the 5th most famous Turkish Coach.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Fatih Akyel (born 26 December 1977) is a Turkish football manager and former professional player. He played as a defender for clubs such as Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe during his 15-year career. He was capped by the Turkey national team 64 times from 1997 to 2004, and also won a silver medal with the Olympic team at the 1997 Mediterranean Games.