Metin Oktay

Lore & Background

Metin Oktay was born in Karşıyaka, İzmir, on 2 February 1936. His father was an Albanian factory worker and his mother a Turkish homemaker. He married Servet Kardicali on 12 May 1965, in Istanbul. On 9 February 1965, the couple had a daughter named Zeynep, who died the same day she was born.

In 1979, Metin and Servet Oktay had a granddaughter from their son Rifat Halil Pala named Zeynep Pala. Oktay lived with his family until he died on 13 September 1991 in Istanbul. He started his career at amateur club Damlacık in 1952, moved to Yün Mensucat the following season, and made his junior national team debut in 1954. He transferred to İzmirspor and became top scorer in the İzmir League.

In 1955, Gündüz Kılıç transferred him to Galatasaray, where he signed a five-year contract in exchange for a Chevrolet car. He was top scorer in his first Istanbul League season with 19 goals, and Galatasaray won the championship. He made a record-breaking contract with Galatasaray in 1960, leading to a divorce from his wife Oya Sarı. In December 1960, he scored four goals (after 1, 9, 61 and 71 minutes) in a 5–0 victory against Fenerbahçe.

He stayed with Galatasaray until 1969, except for a short period in 1961–1962 when he played for Palermo in Italy. He was the most crowned (six times) top goalscorer in the Turkish League and set a record with 217 goals. He scored 18 goals against Fenerbahçe in his career, including a shot in 1959 that opened a hole in the opponents' goal net. He also scored 13 goals against Beşiktaş.

He was assistant coach and head coach of Galatasaray in the 1969–70 season and later coached Bursaspor. He was a board member of the club in 1984 for two years. He played 36 times for Turkey and scored 19 goals. He died on 13 September 1991 in Istanbul in a car accident.

Reader's Guide

Metin Oktay is a legendary Galatasaray striker known for his goal-scoring prowess. Key facts: born 2 February 1936 in Karşıyaka, İzmir; died 13 September 1991 in Istanbul; played for Galatasaray (1955–1969, with a brief stint at Palermo in 1961–1962); scored four goals in a 5–0 win over Fenerbahçe in December 1960; scored 18 goals against Fenerbahçe overall; six-time Turkish League top scorer; Galatasaray all-time top scorer with 352 goals; his nickname is Taçsız Kral (Crownless King).

Did You Know?

• Galatasaray's training facility is officially named the Metin Oktay Facilities (Metin Oktay Tesisleri), not the Metin Oktay Sports Complex and Training Center.
• He was the first Turkish footballer to play himself in a movie based on his life while actively pursuing his career.