Volkan Demirel (; born 27 October 1981) is a Turkish football coach, pundit and former international goalkeeper. He last managed Süper Lig club Gençlerbirliği.
For many years, he was the starting goalkeeper of Fenerbahçe and the Turkey national team.
Club career Demirel was born in Fatih, Istanbul to a family from Artvin with Georgian and Laz roots. He joined Kartalspor as an 18-year-old in 1999 and became the starting goalkeeper the following year.VOLKAN DEMİREL tff.org , accessed 23 August 2010 Demirel played in 51 matches over the next two seasons, earning a transfer to Fenerbahçe at the start of the 2002 season.VOLKAN DEMİREL'İN PERFORMANSI turkfutbolu.net , accessed 23 August 2010
Originally backing up Rüştü Reçber and Recep Biler, Demirel made his debut for the club on 26 April 2003.FENERBAHÇE 1–1 SAMSUNSPOR tff.org , accessed 23 August 2010 After Reçber's transfer to Barcelona, Demirel competed in 19 league matches, splitting time with Biler (who played in 14 matches). He also featured in three Turkish Cup matches and won the 2003–04 Süper Lig title with Fenerbahçe.SPOR TOTO SÜPER LİG ŞAMPİYONLUKLARI tff.org , accessed 23 August 2010
Following season, Demirel won another Süper Lig title, but was relegated to the bench after Rüştü Reçber returned to the club at the start of the season. Demirel was the starting goalkeeper at the start of the 2005–06 season, but was benched halfway through the season. At the start of the 2006–07, Demirel was the first choice keeper, but was supplanted by Reçber for a second time. After Reçber suffered an injury, Serdar Kulbilge took over as starting goalkeeper in favor of Demirel for the rest of the season.SERDAR KULBİLGE tff.org , accessed 23 August 2010 Demirel played in 25 league matches the following season, with Kulbilge playing the rest. Demirel was the starting goalkeeper for the Fenerbahçe squad that progressed past the group stages of the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League. In the Round of 16 tie with Sevilla, Demirel made several mistakes, costing two goals. However, he went on to save three penalties in the penalty shootout, helping the club progress to the quarter-finals, the first time in club history.Volkan the hero as Turkey's Fenerbahce beats Sevilla hurriyet.com.tr , accessed 24 August 2010 Fenerbahçe went on to face Chelsea, losing 2–3 on aggregate. Following Kulbilge's transfer to Kocaelispor, Demirel took over as starting goalkeeper. Demirel signed a four-year contract extension at the end of the 2008–09 season.
International career
Demirel was called up to the Turkey U-20 squad in 2001, being capped four times. He was capped by the Turkey U21 national team 21 times between 2001 and 2003, and earned his first call up to the Turkey national team in 2004. He made his debut for the national team on 28 April 2004 in a friendly against Belgium. Demirel came on as a substitute in the second half.BELÇİKA 2–3 TÜRKİYE tff.org , accessed 24 August 2010
Demirel was the starting goalkeeper for the Turkey national team at the UEFA Euro 2008 championships, reaching the semi-finals for the first time in team history. He started all three group stages matches, but was suspended for two matches after receiving a red card against the Czech Republic for viciously pushing Jan Koller to the ground after Jan for unknown reasons ran and shouted at him.Volkan Suspended For Two Games, Turkey Fined goal.com , accessed 24 August 2010
In 2014, just before the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Kazakhstan, Volkan Demirel left the Turkey national team after a dispute with a fan. After Demirel's refusal to play with the national team, Volkan Babacan took over as the starter for the UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers.
Managerial career On 2 September 2019, Fenerbahçe announced that Demirel was retired and would continue his career as an assistant coach in the team. He worked under Ersun Yanal, Tahir Karapınar, Erol Bulut and Emre Belözoğlu respectively.
On 14 July 2021, it was announced that he ended his assistant coaching career at Fenerbahçe in a press conference he held with Fenerbahçe president Ali Koç.
Fatih Karagümrük On 17 December 2021, Demirel signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Fatih Karagümrük
His first match as manager was a 1–0 away win over Göztepe on 19 December.
Hatayspor On 21 September 2022, Demirel signed with Hatayspor for one season with an option to extend.
Bodrum On 30 October 2024, Bodrum appointed Demirel as the new head coach, following the departure of İsmet Taşdemir. On 3 February 2025, Bodrum parted ways with Demirel by mutual agreement.
Personal life Volkan Demirel is married to former Miss Belgium Zeynep Sever. They have two daughters named Yade (born in February 2014) and Yeda (born in September 2017).
Throughout his career, Demirel has often been associated with the nickname "Ayı Volkan" ("Volkan the Bear"). The nickname "bear", which is also used in Turkish slang as a derogatory term, was given due to his imposing physique and his passionate and forceful demeanor, which sometimes led to him receiving a red card on the field. Demirel himself has stated in various interviews that he is not bothered by this nickname and even takes it in good humour. On one occasion, he mentioned that his daughter's teddy bear was nicknamed "Volkan".
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueTurkish CupEuropeOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsKartalspor2000–01TFF First League220———2202001–02TFF First League290———290Total510———510Fenerbahçe2002–03Süper Lig10———102003–04Süper Lig19030——2202004–05Süper Lig601010—802005–06Süper Lig1807060—3102006–07Süper Lig1602050—2302007–08Süper Lig25040120004102008–09Süper Lig29000100—3902009–10Süper Lig32060120105102010–11Süper Lig3200020—3402011–12Süper Lig38010——3902012–13Süper Lig28020150104602013–14Süper Lig2900040—3302014–15Süper Lig26020—102902015–16Süper Lig3201070—4002016–17Süper Lig28040100—4202017–18Süper Lig2503020—3002018–19Süper Lig1202020—160Total3960360880305230Career total4470360880305740
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsTurkey20043020056020063020076020081202009100201070201170201230201350201410Total630
Managerial
+ Managerial record by team and tenure Team Nat From ToRecordFatih Karagümrük17 December 202127 May 2022Hatayspor21 September 20223 May 2024Bodrum1 November 20243 February 2025Total
Honours Fenerbahçe Süper Lig: 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2010–11, 2013–14 Turkish Cup: 2011–12, 2012–13 Turkish Super Cup: 2007, 2009, 2014
Turkey UEFA European Championship bronze medalist: 2008
References
External links
Profile at Fenerbahce.org