Ömer Boncuk (1917 Ankara – August 1, 1988 Istanbul), formerly Ömer Albakır, was a Turkish

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

midfielder and a high school teacher for music. He started playing football in the 1937–38 season at the Istanbul team

Güneş SK Güneş () is a Turkish word meaning the Sun, which can be used as a given name and surname. Güneş may refer to: People Given name * Güneş Gürle (born 1975), Turkish opera singer * Güneş Taner (born 1949), Turkish politician and former ...

. He made 24 appearances in two seasons scoring two goals. Following the closure of the club in 1939, Boncuk moved to Fenerbahçe, where he played 166 games and scored 14 goals until 1947. He transferred in the 1947–48 season to

İstanbulspor İstanbulspor is a Turkish football and sports club founded by Istanbul High School students in 1926. In 2004–05 they were relegated from the Turkish Süper Lig (Super League) to TFF 1. Lig. For many decades it was the fourth most famous and ...

scoring three goals in 24 matches within three seasons. After retiring from active sport in 1950, Ömer Boncuk pursued a teacher's profession for music at

Haydarpaşa High School Haydarpaşa High School ( ) is an Anatolian High School in Üsküdar district of Istanbul, Turkey established in 1934. History The school was founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk on 26 September 1934 as a boys' school. It was a boarding and day schoo ...

, where he served also as deputy school director. He changed his surname from Albakır to Boncuk due to his nickname "Boncuk Ömer" meaning Ömer the Bead" for his short stature. In that era, many football players were nicknamed, and almost all of the Fenerbahçe footballers had nicknames. Ömer Boncuk died on August 1, 1988, in Istanbul. He was laid to rest at the

Karacaahmet Cemetery The Karacaahmet Cemetery ( tr, Karacaahmet Mezarlığı) is a 700-year-old historic cemetery, located in Üsküdar, the Asian side of Istanbul. Karacaahmet cemetery is the oldest and largest in Istanbul at , and the largest burial ground in Turkey ...

following the religious funeral service at Galip Pasha Mosque in Erenköy.

Achievements

;

Milli Küme Şampiyonası The National Division or National League ( tr, Millî Küme) was a top-level football competition organised by the Turkish Football Federation, including the most successful teams from Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir in Turkey. It was the first nati ...

: with Güneş: * 1937–38 with Fenerbahçe: * 1939–40, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1945–46, 1949–50 * 1943–44, 1946–47 * 1940–41 ; Istanbul Football League: with Güneş: * 1937–38 with Fenerbahçe * 1943–44, 1946–47 * 1939–40, 1940–41, 1942–43, 1944–45, 1945–46 * 1941–42 ;Prime Minister's Cup with Fenerbahçe * 1945, 1946

References

External links

* 1917 births 1988 deaths Footballers from Ankara Turkish men's footballers Fenerbahçe S.K. footballers İstanbulspor footballers Turkish schoolteachers Burials at Karacaahmet Cemetery Men's association football midfielders {{Turkey-footy-midfielder-stub