Hakan Balta

Hakan Balta — Biography

Hakan Kadir Balta was born on 23 March 1983 in Berlin to a Turkish family and began at a local amateur club there before joining Hertha BSC II's youth system in 2000, first as a forward until injuries in the squad shifted him to left-back, a position he held until 2003. That year he returned to Turkey with Manisaspor, helping it win promotion to the Süper Lig in 2004-05 and becoming a fixture of its defense. He joined Galatasaray in September 2007, scoring a goal in his debut season's final match that helped secure the title; over more than a decade he played left-back and centre-back, captained the side from 2012-13, and won five league titles, three Turkish Cups and five Super Cups. He played in Euro 2008 qualifying and at the finals, part of Turkey's squad that reached the semi-finals, and later scored against Germany in Euro 2012 qualifying. His contract was mutually terminated at the start of the 2018-19 season. He then served as assistant administrative director of the football A team, then three years as technical director of the under-19 side, leaving in July 2025 to become assistant coach of the national team the same day. His son, Çağrı Hakan Balta, is also a professional footballer.