Ali Rıza Sergen Yalçın (; born 5 November 1972), known as Sergen Yalçın, Turkish professional football manager and former player. He most recently served as head coach of Beşiktaş. Yalçın is the first individual in Turkish football to win the Süper Lig both as a player and a manager with Beşiktaş.
During his playing career, Yalçın was an attacking midfielder known for his vision, creativity, and ability to dictate games. He spent the majority of his club career in Turkey, most notably with Beşiktaş, where he became a fan favorite. He also represented other major Turkish clubs, including Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, and Trabzonspor, a rare feat in Turkish football. Internationally, he earned 37 caps and scored 5 goals for the Turkey national team, participating in UEFA Euro 1996 and UEFA Euro 2000.
After retiring as a player, Yalçın transitioned into management, taking charge of several Turkish clubs before returning to Beşiktaş as head coach in 2020. In his first full season, he led the club to a historic domestic double, winning the Süper Lig and the Turkish Cup. Despite his success, he resigned in December 2021 following a series of poor results, including a winless UEFA Champions League campaign.
Club career Early career and rise to stardom (1989–2001)
Sergen began at Beşiktaş in the 1991–92 season and quickly became renowned for his skill and creativity. His first spell at the club saw him score 46 goals in 158 games – no mean feat for a midfielder. However, it was known that Sergen lacked professionalism. After a 4–1 defeat to Samsunspor, he was publicly criticised by the Beşiktaş deputy president due to his careless lifestyle. Sergen responded to the club official by insulting him.
Subsequently, Beşiktaş imposed a club-record fine of over £150,000. He was later forgiven after apologising, but the fine stayed. Sergen then demanded a new and improved contract which was denied by the board.
As expected, Sergen departed from the club and became Turkey's record signing when he moved to İstanbulspor for £5.5m in the 1997–98 season. Thereafter, Sergen desired a move to the European fields and began contract negotiations with Internazionale and Milan. Terms could not be met with the Italian giants. After struggling with his weight due to months of inaction, İstanbulspor failed to offload him, so Jet-Pa (a sports company) bought his contract and arranged a loan deal with Fenerbahçe during the 1998–99 season, which involved him wearing a personalised shirt promoting the company.
Under the coaching firstly from Joachim Löw and Rıdvan Dilmen, he seemed to have buckled down to the task. But when Zdenek Zeman took over, Sergen was consistently engaged in trench warfare. Sergen publicly criticised Zeman for trying to play him on the wing, which he believed was not his best position, and was accused of faking injury to avoid training sessions. Along with many other incidents, the final straw came with the home game against Bursaspor during the 1999–2000 season. When he eventually came on as a substitute, Sergen missed a simple scoring chance, which many fans believed to have been a deliberate miss as an act of protest or pure spite. In the late stages of the game, with the score locked at 2–2, he further infuriated the supporters by strolling across to take a corner as though he had all the time in the world. Midway through the season, Sergen had his contract terminated by Fenerbahçe. Due to his terrific individual showings for the Turkey national football team, Sergen attracted attention from several foreign clubs. There were speculations about a move to Barcelona, Bayern Munich, or Borussia Dortmund.
Despite heavy speculation, Sergen finished the 1999–2000 season at arch-rivals Galatasaray and displayed impressive showings to help Galatasaray achieve the domestic double. Sergen signed for the club too late in the season to be eligible for the UEFA Cup campaign, and as Galatasaray made the trip to Leeds for the second tie of the semi-final, Sergen was instructed to report to training in Istanbul. However, instead of continuing his training in Istanbul, he took a little trip of his own to Northern Cyprus. While casinos were banned on the Turkish mainland, they remained open in Northern Cyprus, which attracted quite a lot of gambling trade from Turkey. It attracted Sergen for precisely that reason, and he spent much of his brief stay there in a casino. When he returned to Istanbul, he told manager Fatih Terim he was tired from the journey and asked if he could skip a training session. Terim, a fearsome disciplinarian, reacted explosively. Sergen skipped title celebrations after the Galatasaray board made it clear they would not have him back next season.
After UEFA Euro 2000, Sergen was on the verge of a transfer to Newcastle United, with manager Bobby Robson being a long-time admirer. The deal fell through, and he instead moved to Trabzonspor for the 2000–01 season, becoming the first player to have represented the big four clubs in Turkey. Sergen had never yet played for a club outside Istanbul, and it was believed that removing him from the distractions of the big city would do good for his appalling disciplinary record. Ironically, it turned out to be the most unsuccessful season of his career. At the season's end, Trabzonspor did not wish to extend his loan deal.
Fatih Terim gave up on him at Galatasaray. Zdenek Zeman could not work with him at Fenerbahçe. He publicly criticised former national coach Mustafa Denizli after UEFA Euro 2000. British coach Gordon Milne, who worked with him at Beşiktaş, also despaired of trying to get Sergen – and his magical left foot – to the training ground on time. It was thought to be the end of Sergen Yalçın, the great ‘‘enfant terrible’’ of Turkish football.
Journeyman years and legacy in Turkish football (2001–2007)
Ahead of the 2001–02 season, Galatasaray manager Mircea Lucescu took a gamble and signed Sergen on loan (still from Siirt-Jet). He cast Sergen as the natural successor to Gheorghe Hagi.
The move was rewarded as Sergen repaid his manager’s faith by starring in the UEFA Champions League with two goals and two assists as Galatasaray progressed to the second group stage. Unfortunately, Sergen tore his knee ligaments and missed the rest of the season. He was told to lose weight or never play football again. After elimination from the UEFA Champions League, Mircea Lucescu insisted that if Sergen had remained fit, Galatasaray would have gone on to win the tournament. Nevertheless, Galatasaray won the league title.
In the 2002–03 season, after years of wandering, Sergen returned home to Beşiktaş. Sergen was signed on a permanent deal by Mircea Lucescu, who had also moved to Beşiktaş. Under the tutelage of Lucescu, whispers began that perhaps Sergen’s talent had finally been tamed. Sergen was finally maturing to fulfill some of his long-lost potential. Beşiktaş won the league title that season, with Sergen being the key instigator.
The 2003–04 season marked Beşiktaş’ return to the UEFA Champions League, where Sergen featured in arguably the most memorable match of his career. Roman Abramovich, who had recently become the owner of Chelsea, spent £112m on quality transfers, assembling a team of "invincibles". Ahead of their match against Beşiktaş at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea was undefeated in the Abramovich era. However, Beşiktaş shocked the footballing world by winning 2–0, with both goals scored by Sergen. Although Beşiktaş was eliminated in the group stage, Sergen once again proved his class by scoring two goals and providing three assists in six matches.
In the same season, Sergen produced another remarkable moment during a match against Çaykur Rizespor in the 2003–04 league. After winning the ball near the midfield, he initiated a brilliant solo run that ended with an assist to İlhan Mansız, who finished the move with a goal. This performance earned Sergen the "Goal of the Year" award.
Before the 2006–07 season, manager Jean Tigana did not see Sergen as part of his future plans, and as a result, Beşiktaş terminated his contract with immediate effect. This enraged the fans, as Sergen was regarded as a symbolic icon of the club. Upon his departure, Sergen stated that he would always remain a Beşiktaş fan.
Sergen spent the 2006–07 season with Etimesgut Şekerspor in the TFF Second League. He later joined Eskişehirspor in the 2007–08 season, where he played a key role in helping the team secure promotion to the Süper Lig. At the end of the season, he retired from professional football.
When Sergen was asked why he never moved to Europe, he simply replied, "If I was 20 again, I would leave Turkey within three days."
International career Under-23s
Sergen played on the Turkey national under-23 football team at the 1993 Mediterranean Games, which they won by defeating France U21s in the semifinal and Algeria U23s in the final.
Senior team Sergen made his senior debut in a friendly game against Macedonia in 1994. He would represent his nation in Euro 1996 and 2000, but injury prevented him from featuring at the FIFA World Cup in 2002. Sergen scored a total of 5 goals in 37 matches for the Turkey national team.
Euro 1996 UEFA Euro 1996 was Turkey's first tournament appearance since 1954 FIFA World Cup. Sergen played a key role in qualification, scoring two goals. Sergen featured in two matches at the finals where they fell at the first hurdle, pointless and goalless. After the tournament, Sergen received several offers from the European shores, including the likes of West Ham United. Sergen's refusal to move was made by the fact the clubs in pursuit were not bigger than Beşiktaş.
1998 World Cup Sergen was fairly inactive in the national team during this period. In the opening round of 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification, Sergen came on as a second-half substitute against Belgium. Sergen went from hero to villain in the space of five minutes by contriving to get himself sent off after initially scoring a splendid half-volley on the edge of the box. Turkey went on to lose the match 2–1 at Brussels. Manager Mustafa Denizli saw Sergen as a liability and did not select him for the next 13 months. Sergen's only other match during qualification was the 5–0 victory at San Marino, and Sergen was hugely disappointing. Turkey failed to make the finals.
Euro 2000 To his detractors, Sergen was a luxury item in a team which could ill afford luxuries. Those who had a fondness for decrying Sergen's abilities have suggested that, when playing at the highest level, he glitters rather than shines. So when Sergen was given a second chance, many lashed out at Denizli's decision to select him. Having finally accepted that he was the linchpin of his national side, Sergen dedicated himself to banish bitter memories of his past.