İsmail Şahmalı

İsmail Şahmalı — Biography

İsmail Şahmalı was born on 4 January 1982 in the Sarıçam district of Adana and played as a goalkeeper. He started out in Adana Telekomspor's youth system, then moved through the academies of Oba Belediyespor and Alanyaspor; he signed a professional contract with Alanyaspor in 2003 and made his first official appearance on 19 September 2003 against Türk Telekom. The high point of his career came at Denizlispor, where he played in the Süper Lig, after which he turned out for a number of second-tier clubs.

At the start of the 2016-17 season he moved to First League side Manisaspor. In March 2017 he lost his young son, and despite the loss he continued his playing career; that June he left Manisaspor and agreed to join Adana Demirspor. He moved to Kızılcabölükspor in 2018, and in 2020 signed in turn for Tekden Denizlispor, Büyükşehir Gaziantepspor and a Manisa-based club.

Regarded for many years as one of the experienced goalkeepers of Turkey's lower divisions, Şahmalı was also remembered for a widely noted moment in which an opposing player, Sercan Kaya, embraced him on the pitch after scoring a goal during that period of grief.