Ramazan Özcan

Ramazan Özcan — Biography

Ramazan Özcan was born on 28 June 1984 in Hohenems, Austria. A goalkeeper of Turkish descent with roots in the Ayancık district of Sinop, he also holds Turkish citizenship. He began his professional career at Austria Lustenau in 2003, making his debut on 19 September 2003 against Wacker as a substitute for the injured Mario Krassnitzer. In his first season the team conceded fewer goals than any other in the league, and in his last he played all 36 matches.

In 2006 he moved to Red Bull Salzburg, where as third-choice keeper he played three Bundesliga games late in the season and won the 2006-07 Austrian title. In the winter break of 2007-08 he was loaned to 2. Bundesliga side Hoffenheim and played all 17 games of the second half as the club won promotion; Hoffenheim then signed him on a five-year contract. He kept a clean sheet in his first Bundesliga match, against Energie Cottbus on 16 August 2008. On 30 December 2009 he went on loan to Beşiktaş. He later joined FC Ingolstadt 04, becoming the first-choice keeper in his second season, and finished his career with four years at Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

He won 24 caps for Austria's under-21 side. With the senior team he was in the Euro 2008 squad without playing, made his debut in a 2-2 friendly with Italy on 20 August 2008, and was in the Euro 2016 squad. He retired in July 2020 and became a goalkeeping coach in Leverkusen's youth setup.