Zeki Rıza Sporel

Zeki Rıza Sporel (28 February 1898 – 3 November 1969)[1] was a Turkish football player. He plied his trade at the striker position for Fenerbahçe and the Turkey national football team. His career started in the Fenerbahçe youth teams until he was promoted to the senior team. Zeki spent his entire career with the club, setting numerous records. He was also a forerunner for Turkey, becoming the first player to score for the team. He is often cited as one of the best strikers in Turkish football history.[2]

Zeki Rıza Sporel
Personal information
Date of birth (1898-02-28)28 February 1898
Place of birth Istanbul, Ottoman Empire
Date of death 3 November 1969(1969-11-03) (aged 71)
Place of death Turkey
Playing position(s) Striker
Youth career
1912–1915 Fenerbahçe
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1915–1934 Fenerbahçe 352 (470)
National team
1923–1934 Turkey 16 (15)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He was also the younger brother of Hasan Kamil Sporel who both played for and served as president of Fenerbahçe S.K.[3]

Early life & club career

Born in Istanbul in 1898, Zeki's career began in the Fenerbahçe youth system, where he spent three years. He was promoted to the senior squad during the 1915–16 season at the age of eighteen. His left foot was dominant, as he scarcely used his right foot and his head. Zeki set many scoring records at Fenerbahçe, including most goals, most goals in a single match, and fastest goal. On 12 February 1931, Zeki scored a record eight goals in a match as Fenerbahçe won 16–0. His prolific goal-scoring ability led him to be affectionately named Üstad (The Master). The entirety of his career was spent at Fenerbahçe, retiring in 1934 after eighteen years of service. Zeki's final goal record was 470 goals in 352 matches.[4]

International career

A member of the first Turkish national football team, Zeki played and scored in the country's first international match against Romania. He rounded off the performance with a second goal in the other half.[5] Winning sixteen caps, Zeki led the team ten times while scoring 15 goals.[4]

Career statistics

International goals
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.26 October 1923Taksim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey Romania2–2DrawFriendly
2.26 October 1923Taksim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey Romania2–2DrawFriendly
3.17 June 1924Töölön Pallokenttä, Helsinki, Finland Finland2–4WinFriendly
4.17 June 1924Töölön Pallokenttä, Helsinki, Finland Finland2–4WinFriendly
5.17 June 1924Töölön Pallokenttä, Helsinki, Finland Finland2–4WinFriendly
6.17 June 1924Töölön Pallokenttä, Helsinki, Finland Finland2–4WinFriendly
7.19 June 1924Reval Stadium (Kalevi aed), Tallinn, Estonia Estonia1–4WinFriendly
8.19 June 1924Reval Stadium (Kalevi aed), Tallinn, Estonia Estonia1–4WinFriendly
9.22 June 1924LSB Stadions, Riga, Latvia Latvia1–3WinFriendly
10.22 June 1924LSB Stadions, Riga, Latvia Latvia1–3WinFriendly
11.22 June 1924LSB Stadions, Riga, Latvia Latvia1–3WinFriendly
12.1 May 1925Stadionul Romcomit, Bucharest, Romania Romania1–2WinFriendly
13.2 October 1925Taksim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey Poland1–2LostFriendly
14.14 October 1927Taksim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey Bulgaria3–1WinFriendly
15.14 October 1927Taksim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey Bulgaria3–1WinFriendly
Correct as of 10 February 2010 [6]

Honours

See also

References
  1. Zeki Rıza Sporel's profile at Sports Reference.com
  2. Forumexe: Zeki Rıza Sporel (in Turkish)
  3. Fenerbahçe past presidents
  4. "Zeki Rıza Sporel". FenerbahceCumhuriyeti.org (in Turkish). Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  5. "1923–1924". Walter Verani, Erdinç Sivritepe and Turkish Soccer. 1999-09-12. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  6. Profile at TFF.org
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