Yıldıray Baştürk

Yıldıray Baştürk — Biography

Yıldıray Baştürk came into the world in Herne, West Germany, on 24 December 1978, the son of a miner. He started at Sportfreunde Wanne-Eickel before moving on to SG Wattenscheid 09 and VfL Bochum, and his form there earned him a move to Bayer Leverkusen in 2001. At Leverkusen he finished runner-up in both the league and the German Cup during 2001-02, and started in that season's UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid, becoming the first Turkish player to appear in the competition's final, a feat that helped him place ninth in that year's Ballon d'Or vote. He then played for Hertha Berlin from 2004 and reigning champions VfB Stuttgart from 2007. A 2010 move took him to England's Blackburn Rovers, but he retired the following year after just one Premier League outing for the club. Baştürk won his first cap in January 1998 against Albania and finished with 49 appearances for Turkey, playing in squads that placed third at the 2002 World Cup and 2003 Confederations Cup. Left out of the expanded Euro 2008 squad, he said he would not turn out for the national side again while Fatih Terim remained in charge. Since hanging up his boots he has held a post at the Turkish Football Federation, tasked with tracking young Turkish talent in Germany.