Burak Yılmaz (born 15 July 1985) is a Turkish professionalfootball coach and former player who played as aforward. He is the current head coach ofSüper Lig clubGaziantep.
Yılmaz is one of nine players to play for each of theBig Three clubs of Istanbul,[3] and one of only two players who have played for these three clubs as well asTrabzonspor along withSergen Yalçın.[4][5]
Born inAntalya, Turkey, son of formerAntalyaspor goalkeeperFikret Yılmaz, Burak Yılmaz started to play football at Antalyaspor, where he signed his first professional contract in July 2002 and made his professional debut in the 2002–03 season of theTFF First League.[6] Following four seasons at Antalyaspor, Yılmaz joinedBeşiktaş prior to the2006–07 season, where he played one and a half seasons and was primarily deployed as a winger. Yılmaz had a short spell inManisaspor before he joinedFenerbahçe for the2008–09 Süper Lig season. Loaned out toEskişehirspor forthe following season, Yılmaz was transferred to Trabzonspor in the winter transfer window of 2009–10 season, where he made his major career breakthrough under the management ofŞenol Güneş,[7] becomingSüper Lig top scorer with 33 goals in the2011–12 season.[8][9]
Following three seasons spent in Trabzonspor, where he won aTurkish Cup andTurkish Super Cup, Yılmaz joinedGalatasaray, staying for four seasons and winning two Süper Lig titles in2012–13 and2014–15, as well as being Süper Lig top scorer for the second time in his career in the 2012–13 season.[8][9] In 2016, Yılmaz joinedChinese Super League clubBeijing Guoan for two seasons, where he scored 28 goals in total. Yılmaz then returned to Trabzonspor for a second spell which lasted two seasons. For the2018–19 season, Yılmaz returned to Beşiktaş for another spell, scoring eleven and thirteen goals respectively in his two seasons back, before joining FrenchLigue 1 club Lille in 2020, helping the side win itsfirst league title for ten years.
RepresentingTurkey in different youth age groups between 2001 and 2006, Yılmaz made his senior debut in afriendly game againstAzerbaijan in 2006.[10] With 31 goals, Yılmaz is Turkey's secondall-time highest goalscorer afterHakan Şükür.[11] He played his last game for the national team in 2022.
Yılmaz started his professional career inAntalyaspor, where he was promoted to the senior team at the age of 16.[12] He scored his first two goals at professional level in the2004–05 season againstKarşıyaka atIzmir Alsancak Stadium on 29 August 2004.[13] In the same season, Yılmaz played 29 league matches, scoring 8 goals, thus helping his team avoidrelegation. He contributed to the success of the team's promotion to theSüper Lig after finishing second inDivision 1 in the2005–06 season, scoring 9 goals in 24 matches. During his stint at Antalyaspor, Yılmaz played 70 league games and scored 17 league goals in total.[14]
Yılmaz joinedBeşiktaş in the2006–07 summer transfer window. He made hisSüper Lig debut on 6 August 2006 againstManisaspor, and scored his first goal againstKonyaspor in a 3–1 win for Beşiktaş. He also scored againstTrabzonspor.[15] In his first season, he scored 5 goals in 30 league appearances as Beşiktaş finished the season in second place. In the same season, he made seven appearances in theTurkish Cup, scoring once. His form dropped dramatically during the2007–08 season. In January 2008, Yılmaz joined Manisaspor as part of an exchange deal, and later toFenerbahçe on 29 June 2008.[16]
On 29 June 2008, Yılmaz was transferred toFenerbahçe and was presented at a news conference wearing the number 7 shirt.[17] On the contrary to his "promising youngster" image in Manisaspor and Beşiktaş, he had been a disappointment during his spell in Fenerbahçe, only playing six games and failing to score in the2008–09 season.
In February 2010, Yılmaz joined Trabzonspor on a permanent deal.[18] Following the arrival ofŞenol Güneş as team manager, Yılmaz made his Trabzonspor debut on 15 February 2010, playing last 15 minutes againstBursaspor on a 1–1 draw. On 26 February 2013, he scored against his previous team Antalyaspor. Yılmaz played at Turkish Cup final where Trabzonspor defeated Fenerbahçe by 3–1, on 5 May 2010. Ten days later, Trabzonspor played against Fenerbahçe again in lask week of Süper Lig fixtures in which Yılmaz scored in 23rd minute, as parties shared points after a 1–1 draw, causing Fenerbahçe to jeopardise their title chances in contention with Bursaspor. Yılmaz became leading goalscorer of Trabzonspor with 19 goals in 30 league games and July 2011 he signed a new four-year contract with the club.[19]
In2010–11 season, Yılmaz displayed a high-level attacking attributes, scoring the winners against Beşiktaş andGalatasaray and Bursaspor, where Trabzonspor finalised the fixtures on second spot. In2011–12 season, where a play-off stage applied after 34-weeks-regular-fixtures, Yılmaz scored 33 goals in 34 appearances at regular season, setting a new club record previously held byFatih Tekke who scored 31 goals in the 2004–05 season.[20]
In July 2012, Yılmaz joinedGalatasaray from Trabzonspor for€5m transfer fee, with a four-year-contract with an additional one-season-option.[21] His contract consisted of €2.3 million seasonal wage with a €20,000 bonus per-appearance.[21]
On 2 September 2012, he scored his first goal for Galatasaray against Bursaspor, as the game finished 3–2, making it Galatasaray's historic 1000th league win.[22]
Yılmaz scored the only goal for Galatasaray as the game ended in a 1–1 home draw againstEskişehirspor. On 23 October 2012, he scored a goal from a header againstCFR Cluj as the game ended in a 1–1 draw at third match-week in Group H of the2012–13 UEFA Champions League group stage. On 28 October 2012, Yılmaz scored his 100th career goal, during a 3–0 win againstKayserispor, maintaining their position as league leaders.
On 7 November 2012, Burak netted ahat-trick in a 3–1 away win over CFR Cluj in the Champions League,[23]becoming the first Turkish player toscore three goals in a Champions League game sinceTuncay Şanlı. At Champions League group stage, he scored once again, this time againstManchester United in which Galatasaray won 1–0. Yılmaz finished group stage of the as top scorer with 6 goals in total 501 minutes played, ahead ofCristiano Ronaldo, who scored the same number of goals in 540 minutes.[24] In the Champions League round of 16, he scored in both legs againstSchalke 04, before his team was eliminated byReal Madrid in the quarter-finals.
On 23 November 2013, Burak scored his 100th Süper Lig goal againstSivasspor in a 2–1 home win.[25]
On 5 February 2016, Galatasaray announced the transfer of Yılmaz toChinese Super League clubBeijing Guoan for€8 million transfer fee. Trabzonspor was to receive €2 million from Galatasaray, following the transaction agreement.[26]
Lille announced the arrival of Yılmaz on 1 August 2020.[30] The parties agreed upon a two-season-long contract.[31][32] Substituted withJonathan David in 64th minute, Yılmaz made his Ligue 1 debut againstRennes at first week encounter of2020–21 season, ended 1–1, held atStade Pierre-Mauroy, on 22 August 2020.[33][34] On week 6, Yılmaz scored his first league goal againstStrasbourg as Lille beat their opponents with 3–0 being the final score, on 4 October 2020.[35] On 25 April 2021, he scored a brace in a 3–2 comeback away win over fellow title challengersLyon.[36] On 23 May 2021, he scored a penalty in a 2–1 away win overAngers, to secure the fourth Ligue 1 title for Lille in their history.[37] He became the first player to score at least 15 goals in his first Ligue 1 season with Lille sinceMoussa Sow hit 25 in their title-winning campaign a decade prior.[38]
On 21 June 2022, Yılmaz signed a five-year contract withEredivisie clubFortuna Sittard in the Netherlands, the first two years of the contract are in a player role, and the last three are as a coach.[39] On 6 August, the opening day of the2022–23 season, he made his debut for Sittard in a 3–2 home defeat againstAjax, replacingTijjani Noslin in the 66th minute and scoring his first goal for the club from a direct free-kick shortly before the final whistle.[40] He made his first start for the club on 20 August, opening the score in a 4–1 home loss toCambuur.[41]
On 24 March 2021, he scored his first international hat-trick in a 4–2 win over theNetherlands in the2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.[44] On 24 March 2022, he played his last match for Turkey againstPortugal in thesecond round of same qualifications, in which he scored a goal but missed a crucial penalty to equalise, in a match which ended in a 3–1 defeat.[45] He announced his retirement from international football following the match.[46]
On 1 July 2023, Yılmaz was appointed as assistant coach ofBeşiktaş following his retirement from professional football.[47]
His first match as manager was a 2–0 home win overİstanbulspor on 8 October 2023.[48]
On 10 October 2023, following the resignation of Şenol Güneş, Yılmaz was appointed as the club's interim manager.[49] A month later, following Beşiktaş' elimination from European competitions, after a 1–2 home defeat toBodø/Glimt in thegroup stage of theUEFA Europa Conference League,[50] the club announced that Yılmaz had stepped down as interim manager.[51]
Yılmaz is the son of former professional footballer and managerFikret Yılmaz.[54] Yılmaz has two daughters from his marriage to İstem Atilla, which lasted for four years between 2014 and 2018. In 2020, the couple decided to get together again and remarried.[55][56]
In an interview, he confirmed that he has been aBeşiktaş fan since childhood. He also stated that his idol isSergen Yalçın and as a kid he grew up watching him to play football since childhood.[57]
In 2020, Yılmaz became an official member of congress inBeşiktaş. PresidentAhmet Nur Çebi gave the membership card to the player.[58]
^"Yeni Kartal Burak Yılmaz" [New Eagle Burak Yılmaz].Hürriyet (in Turkish). 14 June 2006. Retrieved25 January 2012.
^Özbayır, Mehmed Hakkı (8 January 2008)."Burak Yılmaz imzayı attı" [Burak Yilmaz gave his signature].Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved25 January 2012.
^"Burak resmen Fenerbahçeli!" [Burak is officially Fenerbahce!].Fanatik (in Turkish). 29 June 2008. Archived fromthe original on 18 April 2013. Retrieved25 January 2012.
^"Burak Yılmaz, Lille'de ilk resmi maçına çıktı" (in Turkish).Birgün. 23 August 2020.Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved11 October 2020.Ligue 1'de 2020-21 sezonunun ilk haftasında Lille, konuk ettiği Rennes ile 1-1 berabere kaldı. Yeni transfer Burak Yılmaz, 64. dakikada Jonathan David'in yerine dahil olarak Lille formasıyla ilk resmi maçına çıktı.
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