Rıdvan Dilmen

Lore & Background

Dilmen made his debut with Sümerspor in 1977. He transferred to Muğlaspor in exchange for 25 footballs in 1979 and then became a renowned player for Boluspor between 1980–1983. After playing for Sarıyer between 1983–1987, he signed for Fenerbahçe. He was the main actor of the 1988–89 Turkish League season, which Fenerbahçe won the title with 103 goals in 36 matches. In the 1988–1989 season, he scored 19 goals and made 41 assists. After getting injured in 1990 against Trabzonspor by the Serbian defender Miodrag Ješić, he never fully recovered. He retired in 1994 after painful years of injuries. He made 25 appearances for the Turkey national team from 1984 to 1992.

Reader's Guide

Dilmen worked as a manager for Vanspor in 1998–99 season. His club finished the season as champions of Turkish Second League. He then became Fenerbahçe football teams manager in 2000, but his stay only lasted five weeks. He resigned as Fenerbahçe was eliminated from UEFA Cup at an early stage. Dilmen was also employed as a manager for Altay SK and Adanaspor and Karşıyaka SK. Since retiring as a player, he has become a color commentator, analyst and sportswriter. He is a commentator at NTV Spor and a columnist at Sabah; at the same time he does bet guesswork at Fanatik newspaper. He is a narrator at Star TV for the important Champions League matches. He transferred to Sabah on 1 August 2010.

Did You Know?

• He was given the nickname 'Şeytan Rıdvan' ('Rıdvan the Devil') mostly for his wits, immense speed with the ball and stupendous fakes, though he stated on numerous occasions his dislike for it.
• He required sixteen operations due to injuries sustained during his career.