Karasu
Karasu, Kara-su, Kara su, Qarasu or Gharasu (lit. 'black water/river' in Turkic languages) may refer to:
Rivers
The Balkans
* A former name of the Struma River (Struma Karasu) in Bulgaria and Thrace, northern Greece
* A former name of the Mest ...
) 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 ...
whose career as a defender lasted from 1979 to 2002.
Career
A native of the town of
Karasu
Karasu, Kara-su, Kara su, Qarasu or Gharasu (lit. 'black water/river' in Turkic languages) may refer to:
Rivers
The Balkans
* A former name of the Struma River (Struma Karasu) in Bulgaria and Thrace, northern Greece
* A former name of the Mest ...
in the
Marmara Region
The Marmara Region ( Turkish: ''Marmara Bölgesi'') is a geographical region of Turkey.
Located in northwestern Turkey, it is bordered by Greece and the Aegean Sea to the west, Bulgaria and the Black Sea to the north, the Black Sea Region to the ...
's
Sakarya Province
Sakarya ( tr, ) is a province in Turkey, located on the coast of Black Sea. The Sakarya River creates a webbing of estuaries in the province, which is in the Marmara Region. The adjacent provinces are Kocaeli to the west, Bilecik to the south, ...
, Recep Çetin began his football career in 1979 at the age of 14 as a youth trainee in the
Sakaryaspor
Sakaryaspor Kulübü Derneği is a Turkish professional football club, formed in 1965 after the merger of ''Adapazarı Gençlerbirliği'', ''Adapazarı İdman Yurdu'', ''Güneşspor'' and ''Ada Gençlik''. The club is better known as Sakaryaspor. ...
football club, where he remained upon turning professional at 19 in 1984. He joined
Boluspor
Boluspor is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Bolu. The clubs plays in red and white kits, and have done so since their formation in 1965.Beşiktaş J.K. in 1988, he was selected to play for the
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team ( tr, Türkiye Millî Futbol Takımı) represents Turkey in men's international Association football, football matches. The team is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation ( tr, Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu ...
56 times and played 10 seasons in Beşiktaş. He won 4 league titles, 3 Turkish Cups, 4 President's Cups, 2 Prime Minister's Cups and 5
TSYD Cup
The TSYD Cup ( tr, Türk Spor Yazarları Derneği Kupası, Turkish Sports Writers Association Cup) was a friendly football competition in Turkey. The tournament started in 1963. It was played throughout six regions in Turkey: Adana, Ankara, Istanbu ...
championships. Upon leaving Beşiktaş he transferred to
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 1998 and then 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 ...
in 1999, ultimately retiring in 2001.
Known for his versatile playing style, defensive strength, and charismatic looks, he was nicknamed "Takoz Recep". His goal against Switzerland elevated Takoz to legend status. He remains a football icon in Turkey with a cult following.