Emre Belözoğlu

Emre Belözoğlu (Turkish pronunciation: [emˈɾe beˈlœzoːɫu], born 7 September 1980), simply known as Emre, is a Turkish football manager and former professional footballer who is currently head coach of Kasımpaşa.

A left-footed, tempo-setting midfielder most often used as a central midfielder or advanced playmaker, he came through the Galatasaray academy and debuted for the first team at 16, winning four consecutive Süper Lig titles, two Turkish Cups, the UEFA Cup (1999–2000) and the UEFA Super Cup (2000).

In 2001 he moved to Inter Milan for £5 million, was voted the club’s Pirata d'Oro (player of the year) in 2002–03 and reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. He later played for Newcastle United, had three spells with Fenerbahçe (winning the Süper Lig in 2010–11 and 2013–14, the 2012–13 Turkish Cup and the 2014 Turkish Super Cup), joined Atlético Madrid briefly in 2012, and captained İstanbul Başakşehir from 2015 to 2019 before returning to Fenerbahçe for a final season and retiring in 2020.

Internationally, Belözoğlu earned 101 caps and scored 9 goals for Turkey between 2000 and 2019. He was part of the squad that finished third at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2008, and is a member of the FIFA 100, the list of the world’s greatest living footballers selected by Pelé for FIFA’s centenary.

After retiring, he became Fenerbahçe’s director of football in October 2020 and served as the club’s interim head coach for the final ten league matches of the 2020–21 season. He subsequently managed İstanbul Başakşehir (securing European qualification and reaching the Turkish Cup final), Ankaragücü (relegated on the final day of 2023–24), and Antalyaspor, where he briefly resigned in June 2025 before the decision was reversed and he was confirmed to continue into 2025–26.