İlhan Mansız

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Mansız gained international recognition at Istanbul's Beşiktaş J.K., and was later acquired by Vissel Kobe in Japan. After his Japan journey, he signed a contract with Hertha BSC but never played for the first team due to injury; his contract was cancelled because of a clause related to his knee. He then signed a one-year contract with Turkish club Ankaragücü. Before the 2006–07 season, he declared his retirement, but later there were rumors of a comeback; he declared he would sign with Ankaragücü again, but abandoned the attempt before the 2007–08 season. After a car accident in 2007, his career seemed ended. In July 2009, after seven knee operations, he tried a comeback by training with German second-division side TSV 1860 Munich. He made his debut for Turkey in October 2001 against Moldova. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he scored a golden goal in the quarterfinal against Senegal, assisted Hakan Şükür for the fastest World Cup goal in the third-place match, and scored two other goals in that match. He also performed a rainbow flick against Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos in the semifinal. On 11 July 2018, Beşiktaş announced his appointment as assistant coach; he quit on 6 February 2019 due to health concerns. He learned to skate at age 33 on the Turkish show Buzda Dans with partner Oľga Beständigová. They competed at the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy, finishing 19th and last in pairs, ending their hope of skating at the 2014 Olympics.

In Their Own Story

The source does not provide any story or specific match moments involving İlhan Mansız. The only concrete information is that he moved from Samsunspor to Beşiktaş in 2001 alongside Tümer Metin.

Reader's Guide

İlhan Mansız is a former forward who played for Beşiktaş, Vissel Kobe, Hertha BSC, and Ankaragücü. He represented Turkey at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, scoring a golden goal against Senegal and two goals in the third-place match. He later became a figure skater, competing in pairs with Oľga Beständigová.

Did You Know?

• Mansız scored the last golden goal in World Cup history, in the 2002 quarterfinal against Senegal.
• He assisted Hakan Şükür for the fastest goal ever in a World Cup finals match, in the third-place game.
• He learned figure skating at age 33 after winning a Turkish dance show.
• He attempted to become the first athlete to compete in both the football World Cup and the Winter Olympics since Aleksandar Shalamanov.