Zeki Rıza Sporel (28 February 1898 – 3 November 1969)[1] was a Turkish football player and a politician. 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] He was also active in politics as he became a member of the Democrat Party in 1946.[3]
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 28 February 1898 | ||
| Place of birth | Istanbul, Ottoman Empire | ||
| Date of death | 3 November 1969 (aged 71) | ||
| Place of death | Turkey | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1912–1915 | Fenerbahçe | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1915–1934 | Fenerbahçe | 352 | (470) |
| International career | |||
| 1923–1934 | Turkey | 16 | (15) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Zeki Rıza was the younger brother of Hasan Kamil Sporel who both played for and served as president of Fenerbahçe S.K.[4]
Club career
editBorn 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 in a single match, and fastest goal. On 13 February 1931, Zeki scored a record eight goals in a match as Fenerbahçe won 16–0 against Üsküdar Anadolu.[5] 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.[6] If you include the goals from the national team, Istanbul Select and other club selects his total would reach to over 800.[7][8]
International career
editA member of the first Turkey national 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.[9] Winning sixteen caps, Zeki led the team ten times while scoring 15 goals.[6] He also played for Turkey at the 1924 Summer Olympics and the 1928 Summer Olympics.[10]
Career statistics
editInternational goals
edit
Honours
edit- Turkish Football Championship (1): 1933
- Istanbul Football League (4): 1920–21, 1922–23, 1929–30, 1932–33
- Istanbul Friday League (2): 1920–21, 1922–23
- Istanbul Shield (1): 1930
- General Harrington Cup (1): 1923
Political career
editAfter retiring from football Sporel joined the Democrat Party.[3] He was also among the directors of the Party newspaper Zafer.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Zeki Rıza Sporel's profile at Sports Reference.com
- ^ Forumexe: Zeki Rıza Sporel (in Turkish)
- ^ a b "Tarihe Düşülen Not, Veteriner Hekimi Zeki Rıza Sporel | Prof. Dr. Hazım GÖKÇEN".
- ^ Fenerbahçe past presidents
- ^ "Zeki Rıza Sporel". 23 February 1898.
- ^ a b "Zeki Rıza Sporel". FenerbahceCumhuriyeti.org (in Turkish). Retrieved 18 June 2007.
- ^ "Zeki Rıza Sporel | Tozlu Magazin". 15 August 2023.
- ^ "Zeki riza sporel".
- ^ "1923–1924". Walter Verani, Erdinç Sivritepe and Turkish Soccer. 12 September 1999. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
- ^ "Zeki Rıza Sporel". Olympedia. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
- ^ Profile at TFF.org
- ^ Kadri Unat (17 October 2022). "Zafer Gazetesi". Atatürk Encyclopedia (in Turkish).
External links
edit
Media related to Zeki Rıza Sporel at Wikimedia Commons
