İsmail Kartal

İsmail Kartal — Biography

İsmail Kartal was born on 15 June 1961 in the Beykoz district of Istanbul. As a player he lined up at right-back for clubs including Sarıyer, Gaziantepspor, Fenerbahçe, Denizlispor and Adanaspor, and his long service at Fenerbahçe placed him among the club's most-capped players in Süper Lig history. Known for his dark complexion during his playing days, he was widely nicknamed "Arap İsmail".

After retiring as a player he moved into coaching, taking charge of Fenerbahçe as well as clubs such as Kardemir Karabükspor, Sivasspor, Malatyaspor, Orduspor, Altay İzmir and Konya Anadolu Selçukspor. Between his playing days and his years on the touchline, he has built a long career spanning Turkish football at nearly every level.

As of summer 2026 he is the head coach of Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe, where he regularly features in the news over transfer decisions and post-match remarks.