Gökhan Töre (, born 20 January 1992) is a professional

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 ...

who plays as a winger for

Adana Demirspor Adana Demirspor Kulübü is a sports club based in Adana, Turkey. Founded by railway workers in 1940, the club is competitive in football, watersports, racquet sports and martial arts. Football team's thriving success at the Adana League and the ...

. Töre began his club career at

Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...

before joining

Russian Premier League The Russian Premier League (RPL; russian: Российская премьер-лига; РПЛ), also written as Russian Premier Liga, is the top division professional association football league in Russia. It was established at the end of 2001 ...

side

Rubin Kazan FC Rubin Kazan (russian: Футбо́льный клуб Руби́н Каза́нь, ''Futbolny klub Rubin Kazan'' , Tatar: Рубин Казан) is a Russian professional football club based in the city of Kazan. They play in the second-tier ...

in the summer of 2012. He made only seven first-team appearances for Rubin Kazan and in June 2013, the midfielder went on loan to Turkish club Beşiktaş. In 2014, Töre signed for Beşiktaş permanently on a five-year deal. He has been

capped In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...

over 20 times for Turkey since making his debut in 2011.

Early years

Töre was discovered by

Frank Arnesen Frank Arnesen (born 30 September 1956) is a former Danish footballer and sporting director at Dutch football club Feyenoord. Arnesen was the Director of Football at English football clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, and was Sporting Director a ...

, former head talent scout of

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, when he was playing for the

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...

youth team. Töre mostly spent his time in the reserves, where he helped his team to win the

Premier Reserve League The Premier Reserve League (officially known as The Barclays Premier Reserve League for sponsorship reasons) was the reserve team league for the top English football teams in the Premier League. The league was split into a northern and a southe ...

and Premier Reserve League South in the 2010–11 season. He made the most appearances during the season, along with Milan Lalkovič, with 16 starts and he also scored four goals. He had been selected for 13 matchday squads during the 2010–11 season, but was not able to make his senior league debut for the team. Töre made his debut for Chelsea in a pre-season game against

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

coming on as a 76th-minute substitute for

Daniel Sturridge Daniel Andre Sturridge (; born 1 September 1989) is an English professional footballer who last played as a striker. As well as representing England, he has played in the Premier League for Manchester City, Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers, Liverpool ...

Club career

Hamburger SV

Töre joined

from Chelsea, becoming the third player to switch between the two sides during the 2011 summer transfer period, following

Jacopo Sala Jacopo Sala (; born 5 December 1991) is an Italian footballer who plays as a central midfielder. Club career Hamburger SV Sala came to German side Hamburger SV from Chelsea on a three-year contract, joining former Chelsea teammate Michael Man ...

and

Michael Mancienne Michael Ian Mancienne (born 8 January 1988) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in England, he represented the Seychelles national team. Schooled primarily as a centre back, Mancienne can also play as a defensive ...

. On 30 July 2011, Töre made his competitive debut against

VfB Oldenburg VfB Oldenburg is a German association football club based in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. In the 2022–23 season, they play in the 3. Liga, the third level of football in Germany. History Founded by a group of high school boys as ''FC 1897 Ol ...

Marschweg-Stadion Marschweg-Stadion is a multi-use stadium in Oldenburg, Germany. Since 1991 is has been used as the stadium of VfB Oldenburg VfB Oldenburg is a German association football club based in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. In the 2022–23 season, t ...

in a DFB-Pokal Round 1 encounter that resulted in a 2–1 win for HSV. Töre made his senior league debut in the Hamburg starting line-up against

Borussia Dortmund Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e. V. Dortmund, commonly known as Borussia Dortmund (), BVB (), or simply Dortmund (), is a German professional sports club based in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is best known for its men's professional fo ...

in the 2011–12 season opener, on 6 August 2011. Before December, Töre managed six assists in 17 games.

Rubin Kazan

On 26 July 2012, Töre completed a transfer to Russian club

, signing a four-year deal. He was

sent off In sports, an ejection (also known as dismissal, sending-off, disqualification, or early shower) is the removal of a participant from a contest due to a violation of the sport's rules. The exact violations that lead to an ejection vary depending ...

for the first time in his career on 23 September 2012 in a 1–0 home win over Kuban Krasnodar.

Beşiktaş

In June 2013, Töre signed a season-long loan deal with Beşiktaş, scoring his first goal on his debut against

Trabzonspor Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...

in a 2–0 home win. On 27 August 2013, Töre netted his second goal against

Kayseri Erciyesspor Kayseri Erciyesspor was a Turkish sports club based in Kayseri. History In 1965, Orhan Şefik Apak, then president of the Turkish Football Federation, asked cities in Turkey to combine their amateur football clubs into one singular club that wo ...

in a 4–2 away win. In early August 2014, Töre joined Beşiktaş permanently on a five-year deal for a transfer fee believed to be about €4.5 million.

Loan to West Ham United

On 11 July 2016,

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

confirmed the signing of Töre from Beşiktaş on a season-long loan with a view to a permanent deal. He joined the ''Hammers'' for a fee of £2.5 million with an option to buy for a further £10 million. On 21 August 2016, he provided his first assist in a West Ham shirt with a cross from the left wing, assisting

Michail Antonio Michail Gregory Antonio (born 28 March 1990) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for club West Ham United. Born in England, he represents the Jamaica national team. Antonio began his career at non-League club Tooting & Mit ...

's 85th-minute header which decided the game against Bournemouth as West Ham won 1–0. He played his last game for West Ham on 1 October 2016, against

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

In October 2016, he picked up a femoral injury which was estimated to keep him out of the game for five weeks. The injury kept him out of the team for the remainder of the season. His loan ended with him having played eight times only for West Ham; five in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

, two in the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

, against

Astra Giurgiu Asociația Fotbal Club Astra Giurgiu (), commonly known as Astra Giurgiu or simply Astra, was a Romanian football club based in the city of Giurgiu, Giurgiu County. Founded in 1921 in Ploiești as ''Clubul Sportiv Astra-Română'', it spent th ...

, and once in the EFL Cup, against

Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Accrington, Lancashire, England. The club competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They have spent their complete his ...

. Töre attributed the start of his season-long injury problems to an aggressive tackle from a teammate at a pre-season training camp.

Yeni Malatyaspor

In July 2019, Töre joined

Yeni Malatyaspor Yeni Malatyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club based in Malatya, Turkey. The club plays in the TFF First League, which is the second tier of football in the country. History Founded in 1986 as Malatya Belediyespor. Its prim ...

on a 1+1 year contract.

International career

Töre has been a member of the Turkey national team at several age levels since 2007. In 2008, he was part of the national team squad at the UEFA Euro Under-17 Football Championship, in which Turkey were beaten by

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

on penalties in the semi-finals. Töre also played against France, later subbed in the 41st minute. When he was 17, he was called up to the under-21 team in September 2009, during the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification campaign. He was subbed on for Tunay Torun in the 36th minute against

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Turkey manager, Guus Hiddink – having seen Töre's performances in training when the duo were both at Chelsea – told Töre that he liked his performances and that he had potential, and suggested he joined the A2 national team first to improve himself. Töre was called up to the senior team for the first time by Hiddink in May 2011 for the Euro 2012 qualification match against

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. He made his debut for the national team on 10 August 2011 in a friendly match against

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

. On 2 September 2011, he was subbed on for team captain

Emre Belözoğlu Emre Belözoğlu (, born 7 September 1980) is a Turkish former professional footballer and manager who is currently serving as the manager of İstanbul Başakşehir. During his playing career, he played as a midfielder. He was named in the FIFA ...

in the 60th minute, against

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

in a Euro 2012 qualification encounter, which ended in a 2–1 victory for Turkey.

Personal life

Töre was born in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

, the oldest of three siblings, to Turkish parents from

Samsun Samsun, historically known as Sampsounta ( gr, Σαμψούντα) and Amisos (Ancient Greek: Αμισός), is a city on the north coast of Turkey and is a major Black Sea port. In 2021, Samsun recorded a population of 710,000 people. The cit ...

, Turkey. In an interview, he stated that he likes the playing style of

Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest play ...

and

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...

. From October 2017 to June 2019, he was married to Turkish actress Esra Bilgiç. In February 2020, he married architect Buket Büyükdere. Their first child, a daughter named Adel, was born in January 2021.

Controversies

Töre and a friend allegedly entered the national team hotel in October 2013 after Turkey's World Cup qualifying match against the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and threatened both

Ömer Toprak Ömer Toprak (born 21 July 1989) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Süper Lig club Antalyaspor. Born in Germany, he formerly played for the Turkey national team. Club career Toprak began his career with TSB Ravensbu ...

and

Hakan Çalhanoğlu Hakan Çalhanoğlu (, born 8 February 1994) is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Inter Milan and the Turkey national team, which he captains. He is well renowned as a free kick specialist, known f ...

with a firearm. Töre had allegedly been stewing over a reported affair between his former girlfriend and

's friend. The incident was made public by Çalhanoğlu in an interview with German TV station

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

. In June 2015, Çalhanoğlu and Töre reconciled. In the early hours of 21 April 2014, Töre was accidentally shot in a nightclub in Istanbul. The winger sustained a shoulder injury and later required surgery.

Career statistics

Club

¹ Includes

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considered ...

and

Turkish Cup The Turkish Cup ( Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupas� ...

matches
² Includes one EFL Cup match
² Includes

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...

and

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competi ...

matches

International

Honours

Beşiktaş *

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), officially known as Spor Toto Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system and is run by the ...

: 2015–16,

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

* Türkiye Kupası:

Turkish Super Cup The Turkish Super Cup ( Turkish: ''TFF Süper Kupa''), as it is currently known, is the annual super cup football match contested between the previous season's Süper Lig champions and the Turkish Cup winners in Turkey. It was originally known ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

Turkey * UEFA Under-17 Championship: Semi Finalists:

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

References

External links

*
Gökhan Töre Profile
at the

Turkish Football Federation The Turkish Football Federation (; TFF) is the governing body of association football in Turkey. It was formed on 23 April 1923, and joined FIFA the same year and UEFA in 1962. It organizes the Turkey national football team, the Turkish Footba ...

website * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tore, Gokhan 1992 births Living people Citizens of Turkey through descent Turkish footballers Turkey international footballers Turkey B international footballers Turkey under-21 international footballers Turkey youth international footballers Turkish expatriate footballers Turkish expatriate sportspeople in England Association football midfielders Bayer 04 Leverkusen players Chelsea F.C. players Hamburger SV players FC Rubin Kazan players Beşiktaş J.K. footballers West Ham United F.C. players Yeni Malatyaspor footballers Bundesliga players Russian Premier League players Süper Lig players Premier League players Expatriate footballers in Russia Footballers from Cologne Expatriate footballers in England German people of Turkish descent German expatriate sportspeople in England