Rüştü Reçber (; born 10 May 1973) is a Turkish former 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 le ...

and a current sports executive. During his professional career, he played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for

Antalyaspor Antalyaspor Kulübü is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Antalya. The club's colours are red and white. They play their home matches at the Antalya Stadium. In Turkey, the club won the First League twice in 1982 and 1 ...

, Fenerbahçe,

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

and

Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...

. Rüştü was part of the Turkey national squad that reached the semi-finals at the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

and

UEFA Euro 2008 The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2008 or simply Euro 2008, was the 13th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by the member nations of UEFA (the Union of European ...

. At the former, where Turkey finished third, his performances saw him selected for the tournament's all-star team. He is Turkey's record appearance holder, having earned 120

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

. He made his debut against

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

in 1994 and his final appearance came against

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

in 2012. Rüştü was named the best goalkeeper in European competitions in 2002, selected for the 2002

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

Team of the Year by public vote. In 2004, he was selected to

FIFA 100 The FIFA 100 is a list of Brazilian footballer Pelé's choice of the "greatest living footballers". Unveiled on 4 March 2004 at a gala ceremony in London, England, the FIFA 100 marked part of the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the fo ...

Pelé Edson Arantes do Nascimento (; born 23 October 1940), known as Pelé (), is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, ...

as one of the 125 best living footballers in the world.

Club career

1985–2003: Early years and Fenerbahçe

Born in

Korkuteli Korkuteli is a district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey, north-west of the city of Antalya. It was previously called Istanoz or Stenez Etymology Its modern name comes from Korkut, an Ottoman prince, who was murdered by ...

, Rüştü began his career at nearby

, having converted from a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

to a goalkeeper. Early in his career, he missed out on moves to two of the

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

-based Big Three of Turkish football: he rejected

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

at the age of 17 because coach

Mustafa Denizli Mustafa Denizli (born 10 November 1949) is a Turkish football coach and former player. He has managed many notable Turkish football clubs, including ''"Istanbul Big Three"'' ( Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Beşiktaş) and has won the Süper L ...

wanted him to start off at the youth team, and in 1993 a move to

fell through when he was seriously injured in a car crash. After debuting for Turkey under-21, Rüştü was told by national manager

Fatih Terim Fatih Terim (born 4 September 1953) is a Turkish association football manager and former player. He is the former manager of Galatasaray, a position he previously held four times. Terim has managed several clubs in Italy (Milan and Fiorentina) ...

in 1992 that he would become the greatest goalkeeper in the nation's history. In 1993 he joined the last remaining of the Big Three, Fenerbahçe, spending his first season back on loan at Antalyaspor. He gained his big break in October 1994, when club and national starting goalkeeper Engin İpekoğlu injured his foot against

Kayserispor Kayseri Spor Kulübü, commonly known as Kayserispor, is a Turkish professional football club based in Kayseri. They play their home matches at the Kadir Has Stadium in red and yellow kits. The team has won one Turkish Cup in 2008 and also fini ...

; he debuted against

Petrol Ofisi Petrol Ofisi A.Ş. is a fuel products distribution and lubricants company in Turkey. It is owned by Dutch Vitol Group. Vitol completed its acquisition of Petrol Ofisi from OMV AG in June 2017. Petrol Ofisi had 1900+ fuel stations in 2022 in Turke ...

and went on to make 240 appearances in his first spell, also becoming captain and winning the

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 ...

twice.

2003–2004: Barcelona

In July 2003, Rüştü was very close to signing for Arsenal, but he had a dispute with manager

Arsène Wenger Arsène Charles Ernest Wenger (; born 22 October 1949) is a French former association football, football Manager (association football), manager and football player, player who is currently serving as FIFA's Chief of Global Football Developme ...

who he felt insulted his fitness. Instead, he joined

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...

club Barcelona. After manager

Frank Rijkaard Franklin Edmundo Rijkaard (; born 30 September 1962) is a Dutch former footballer and former manager who played as a defensive midfielder. Rijkaard played for Ajax, Real Zaragoza and AC Milan and represented the Netherlands national team side ...

chose to play

Víctor Valdés Víctor Valdés Arribas (; born 14 January 1982) is a Spanish football coach and former professional player, who played as a goalkeeper. Valdés was considered fiercely competitive and demanding, demonstrating great mental strength and concen ...

in the first two league matches because Rüştü's Spanish was still very weak. Rüştü was upset by this, saying "It is not normal for a goalkeeper of my history and caliber to be left out because I don't speak Spanish." Rüştü made his debut on 15 October 2003 in the UEFA Cup first round second leg at home to Slovakia's

MŠK Púchov MŠK Púchov is a Slovakia, Slovak football (soccer), football club, playing in the town of Púchov. In July 2006, the club lost its main sponsor, ''Matador (company), Matador a.s.'', and was renamed FK Púchov. The club has two stadiums, current ...

, an 8–0 win. He totalled only seven games – four in the league, of which the first was a 3–1 win at

RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league sy ...

in the

Derbi barceloní The Derbi Barceloní (; es, Derbi Barcelonés, ; "Barcelonian derby"), is the name given to football matches between FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol. Both clubs are located in the Barcelona metropolitan area, Spain. Rivalry In the first half of ...

on 13 December.

2004–2012: Return to Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş

Having played just four league games (seven overall), Rüştü was loaned back to Fenerbahçe on 27 August 2004 for the season. On 28 July 2005, this was extended for another year. In his combined two spells, Rüştü is the Fenerbahçe goalkeeper with second-most appearances, with 294 games, following

Volkan Demirel Volkan Demirel (; born 27 October 1981) is a Turkish coach, pundit and former professional footballer. He is the manager of the Turkish club Hatayspor. For many years, he was the starting goalkeeper of Fenerbahçe and the Turkish national team. ...

. After winning the league title for a third time with Fenerbahçe in 2006–07, Rüştü moved to city rivals Beşiktaş on a three-year deal, along with teammate

Mehmet Yozgatlı Mehmet Yozgatlı (born January 9, 1979) is a Turkish former footballer who played as a winger and currently an assistant manager of Fenerbahçe. Career Club Mehmet signed a -year contract with Fenerbahçe on January 30, 2004. His debut for Fen ...

. Rüştü won the league with his new team in 2008–09. He also won 2010–11 Turkish Cup where he played all 120 minutes, including penalties, as the club won the tournament.

International career

2002 FIFA World Cup

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

finished third in the

in South Korea and Japan. Rüştü was one of two goalkeepers in the 16-man Team of the Tournament, alongside Germany's

Oliver Kahn Oliver Rolf Kahn (; born 15 June 1969) is a German football executive and former professional player who played as a goalkeeper. He started his career in the Karlsruher SC Junior team in 1975. Twelve years later, Kahn made his debut match in t ...

. On 26 March 2005, captain Rüştü earned his 100th cap in a 2–0 home win over

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Germany 2006, was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to host the ...

qualification.

Euro 2008

With first choice goalkeeper

suspended, Rüştü started the

quarter-final match against

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. A questionable foray from his goalmouth allowed Croatia to score the match's first goal with a minute remaining in extra time. Rüştü immediately made amends for his mistake though, assisting on

Semih Şentürk Semih Şentürk (born 29 April 1983) is a Turkish former international footballer who played as a striker. He has spent most of his club career at Fenerbahçe where he played between 1999 and 2014, winning 5 Süper Lig and 2 Turkish Cup titl ...

's injury time goal in the 122nd minute. In the ensuing

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

, he faced four kicks, saving the last one from

Mladen Petrić Mladen Petrić (; born 1 January 1981) is a retired Croatian professional footballer who played as a forward or striker. During his career, he played for Grasshopper, Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, Fulham, West Ham United and Pana ...

to secure Turkey's victory in the shootout and enabling Turkey to progress to the Euro semi-finals for the first time ever. In the aftermath of the 3–2 semi-final loss to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, a game in which he was captain, he announced his retirement from the national team. However, he was since called up against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

for a

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

qualifying match. He was called up for the last time for

in a game against

on 26 May 2012, the last of his 120 caps.

Style of play

Rüştü was renowned as a gifted shot-stopper, possessed an excellent positional sense. Using his height, he was also able to come up for high balls. He also possessed strong reflexes and good deflecting ability. Known as a

penalty Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) A p ...

stopper, his shoot-out performance against

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

in the

quarter-finals was described as ''heroic'' by

in 2015. He was featured in a UEFA Training Ground series video under the title of ''Rüştü's Turkish Delight'', in which he was described as a ''Master of Penalties''. He was an eccentric goalkeeper, who also stood out for his charismatic personality. Physically, he was recognisable for his long hair and anti-glare paint under his eyes. He was also adept at taking goal kicks and clearing backpasses.

Personal life

Rüştü is married to Işıl Reçber (née: ''Kepe'') and the couple have a son and a daughter. The couple first met in period when Rüştü just signed for Fenerbahçe from Antalyaspor, in 1994. Rüştü used to be a Galatasaray supporter in his childhood. His son, Burak, born in 2007, plays football at Galatasaray academy. In March 2020, Reçber tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He was admitted to hospital for care where he was put under isolation. He was discharged in April.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Fenerbahçe *

: 1995–96, 2000–01, 2004–05, 2006–07 *

Atatürk Cup The Atatürk Cup was a football competition in Turkey. The first edition was played between the winners of the Prime Minister's Cup and the Presidential Cup in 1998 to memorialize the 60th anniversary of Atatürk's death. Fenerbahçe defeated Beş ...

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

Beşiktaş *Süper Lig: 2008–09 *

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 Kupası ...

: 2008–09, 2010–11 Turkey *

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...

third place:

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...

bronze medalist:

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; ...

FIFA Confederations Cup The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships ( AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, ...

third place:

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

Individual *

All Star Team: 2002 *

UEFA Team of the Year The UEFA Fan's Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its official website. This award started in 2001 and allows users of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their ove ...

IFFHS The International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) is an organisation that chronicles the history and records of association football. It was founded in 1984 by Alfredo Pöge in Leipzig. The IFFHS was based in Abu Dhabi for so ...

World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 2002: 3rd *

Best Goalkeeper of the 21st Century: 23rd *

References

; Citations ; Video References

Bibliography

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Recber, Rustu 1973 births Living people FIFA 100 Turkish footballers Turkish expatriate footballers Association football goalkeepers Antalyaspor footballers Fenerbahçe S.K. footballers La Liga players Turkish expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate footballers in Spain FC Barcelona players Beşiktaş J.K. footballers UEFA Euro 1996 players UEFA Euro 2000 players 2002 FIFA World Cup players 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players UEFA Euro 2008 players Turkey international footballers Turkey under-21 international footballers FIFA Century Club Süper Lig players Sportspeople from Antalya