Analysis of a Turkish Leader
Fatih Terim is one of the most successful footballers and trainers in Turkey. He is the current coach of the Turkish national team. He was born on September 4, 1953 in Adana, Turkey into a poor family, he attended a vocational high school but soon dropped out of school to play soccer.
In 1969 Terim's professional football career began as a junior player with Adana Demirspor. Because of financial difficulties, he was the only player in the team who was being secretly paid by the club at the time. Within three years, he became captain of the team. He recalls his first game with the captain badge: "Just before the game, I cheered up my teammates, as a captain has to do, and ran out to the field. As I looked back on the field, no one was behind me. I was so fast that nobody could follow me.
English: The Turkish national football team in the...
Rui Costa after scoring Benfica's 2nd Goal (Benfic...
Turkish CypriotsI was so excited." Terim played 6 more years with Adana Demirspor.
As a successful central defender he joined Galatasaray SK in 1974 and played for 11 years for this team. However, during his time with Galatasaray, the club was not able to win the championship trophy in the Turkish league. Terim was called to the Turkish national team 51 times, from 1984 to 1995, and was the team captain for 35 national matches, establishing the national record for both categories.
After he retired from playing soccer, he worked as the coach of MKE Ankaragücü for two years and at the soccer club Göztepe in ðzmir for one year. He was appointed coach of the Turkish national team in 1993. Three years later, the Turkish national team succeeded in qualifying for the final tournament of the Euro '96 under his leadership. Although the national team...