Celaleddin Koçak (born 24 November 1977 in West Berlin, West Germany) is a Turkish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

. He began his career at Tennis Borussia Berlin but found little success there. Like many young footballers born to Turkish immigrant parents in Germany, he tried his chances by joining a Turkish team. In December 1999, he decided to join

Altay S.K. Altay Spor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club based in the city of İzmir. Formed in 1914, Altay are nicknamed ''Büyük Altay'' (Great Altay). The club colors are black and white, and they currently play their home matches at the ...

of İzmir. Six months later he had been impressive enough to earn a place at Süper Lig side MKE Ankaragücü. He stayed there for two years, joining

Diyarbakırspor Diyarbakırspor is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Diyarbakır. Formed in 1968, they are nicknamed ''Diyar'' ("land"). Their colours are red and green, and they play their home matches at Diyarbakır Stadium. Diyarba ...

in 2002. Here he helped the newly promoted side to remain in the top division. In summer 2003, Koçak joined Malatyaspor and it was here that he really made a name for himself. As well as helping Malatyaspor to a mid table place, he was particularly impressive in their performances in the UEFA Cup. The next year, he joined Ziya Doğan, who had brought him to Malatyaspor a year earlier, at Trabzonspor. Again, he established himself in the team from the beginning and became a regular as Trabzonspor finished as runners up in the league. Koçak in a left sided player who can alternate between defence and midfield. At Trabzonspor, he was used primarily in defence. His abilities lie in his power and speed which help him to make forward runs as well as defending effectively.

References

External links

Profile at TFF.org
* 1977 births Living people Footballers from Berlin Turkish men's footballers Turkey men's under-21 international footballers Men's association football defenders 2. Bundesliga players Süper Lig players Tennis Borussia Berlin players Altay S.K. footballers MKE Ankaragücü footballers Diyarbakırspor footballers Malatyaspor footballers Trabzonspor footballers Konyaspor footballers German sportspeople of Turkish descent Turkey men's B international footballers {{Turkey-footy-defender-stub