Yalçın Ayhan

Yalçın Ayhan — Biography

Yalçın Ayhan (born 1 May 1982 in Istanbul) is a Turkish former professional footballer who played as a centre back. A product of the Beşiktaş youth system, he moved to İstanbulspor in 1998 and turned professional there in 2001. At 1.92 m tall, he built a reputation as a physically imposing central defender.

After a loan spell at Çanakkale Dardanelspor, he joined Galatasaray, where competition for places limited his appearances; even so, he was part of the squad that won the 2005-06 Süper Lig title. During that period he played for the Turkey A2 national side, and in 2016 he received a call-up to the senior squad without taking the field. He went on to represent a string of Süper Lig clubs, among them Kayseri Erciyesspor, Sakaryaspor, Manisaspor, Antalyaspor, Gaziantepspor, Orduspor and Kasımpaşa, becoming one of the most-travelled players of his generation in Turkish football. His most consistent spells came at Antalyaspor and Kasımpaşa, where he was a regular starter.

In 2014 an agreed transfer to Beşiktaş collapsed at the last moment, a turning point in his career. He subsequently signed for İstanbul Başakşehir and was named in the Süper Lig Team of the Season for 2015-16. He left the club in 2017 and joined MKE Ankaragücü in 2019. Years later he spoke publicly in the Turkish press about his disappointment over the failed Beşiktaş move.