Okan Buruk


Okan Buruk is a Turkish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Süper Lig club İstanbul Başakşehir. He played as a midfielder for Galatasaray, Inter Milan, Beşiktaş, and İstanbul B.B. He also appeared in 56 caps for the Turkey national team.

Club career

Okan played for Turkish giants Galatasaray between 1991 and 2001, winning six Turkish Süper Lig titles and the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup. He was also named man of the match as Galatasary upset Real Madrid 2–1 to win the 2000 UEFA Super Cup.
In 2001, he was signed by Italian Serie A club Inter Milan, where he played for three years. He played two seasons for Beşiktaş before returning to Galatasaray in 2006. After his contract expired with Galatasaray, Okan joined İstanbul B.B. in July 2008 and retired two years later.

International career

Okan made 56 appearances for the Turkey national team, representing the country at UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He scored Turkey's opening goal of Euro 2000 in a 2–1 loss to Italy in Arnhem. At the 2002 World Cup, Okan made his only appearance as a substitute in the 2-3 win against host nation South Korea in the third-place play-off.

Managerial career

After his playing career, Okan became a professional manager. On 10 May 2018, he guided Akhisarspor to their second trophy in their history, the 2017–18 Turkish Cup.
After Akhisarspor, he managed Çaykur Rizespor from 2018 until 2019, before becoming the new manager of İstanbul Başakşehir on 11 June 2019. In his first season in charge, Buruk guided the club to their first ever league title.

Personal life

Buruk married model and former Miss Turkey winner Nihan Akkuş on 3 July 2007. His brother, Fuat, was also a professional footballer and is the current assistant manager of Osmanlıspor.

Career statistics

Club

International

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Galatasaray
Turkey
Akhisarspor
İstanbul Başakşehir