.jpg) Tuncay in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tuncay Şanlı[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1982-01-16)16 January 1982 (age 43)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sakarya, Turkey[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder,forward[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Sakaryaspor | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Sakaryaspor | 66 | (32) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2007 | Fenerbahçe | 154 | (59) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Middlesbrough | 70 | (17) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Stoke City | 44 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | VfL Wolfsburg | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | →Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Bursaspor | 39 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Umm Salal | 26 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Pune City | 10 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 429 | (128) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Turkey U17 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Turkey U18 | 11 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Turkey U20 | 6 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Turkey U21 | 14 | (9) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2010 | Turkey | 80 | (22) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Sakaryaspor | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Sakaryaspor | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Ümraniyespor | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Çorum | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Tuncay Şanlı (Turkish pronunciation:[tunˈdʒajˈʃanɫɯ]; born 16 January 1982), often known mononymously asTuncay, is a Turkish formerfootballer.
He naturally played as astriker, but was also positioned as anattacking midfielder and on eitherwing. He was in theTurkey team that finished in third place in both the2003 Confederations Cup and the2008 European Championships. With 22 international goals in 80 caps, he is Turkey'sthird-highest scorer of all time, and tenth-most capped player.
Tuncay began his career with his local club,Sakaryaspor before joining one of the largest clubs in Turkey,Fenerbahçe in 2002. He became a popular player at theŞükrü Saracoğlu Stadium and he made international headlines after he scored a hat-trick againstManchester United in theUEFA Champions League in December 2004. After winning threeSüper Lig titles with Fenerbahçe he left for English clubMiddlesbrough on a free transfer.
Tuncay spent two seasons with Middlesbrough and won theplayer of the year award in 2009, but he was unable to help them avoid relegation. Following their relegation Tuncay joinedStoke City in August 2009 for a fee of £5 million. He was unable to earn a regular place under managerTony Pulis and joined German sideVfL Wolfsburg in January 2010. He failed to settle in Germany and returned to England in2011–12 withBolton Wanderers. Tuncay then went on to play forBursaspor and Qatar sideUmm Salal.
Tuncay caught the eye of TurkishSüper Lig giantsFenerbahçe in 2002 at the age of 20 after impressive displays for his hometown clubSakaryaspor in the Turkish second tier. He signed a five-year contract with Fenerbahçe, and during this time, he won theTurkish league title on three occasions. He made his competitive debut for Fenerbahçe in aSüper Lig match againstGaziantepspor on 11 September 2002.On 8 December 2004, Tuncay became only the second person to ever score aChampions League hat-trick againstManchester United,[4][5] and the first Turkish person to score ahat-trick in the Champions League.[6]During his five years at the club, he scored a total of 12Champions League goals in 26 appearances for Fenerbahçe.[7] His first being againstPanathinaikos in a 4–1 defeat in thesecond round of the2002–03 UEFA Cup.After he had left Fenerbahçe, his former manager,Brazilian LegendZico, stated:"Tuncay has been a great loss to us, he was the one giving us the soul and the hope. Now that he is gone we miss that piece of soul and hope. He is a great person, and I wish him the best of luck in his new team. Even though he is now gone, I still wish he will come back."[8][9][10]
On 13 June 2007,Middlesbrough confirmed they had agreed personal terms with Tuncay and the move was now subject to a medical. Tuncay arrived in Middlesbrough on 18 June 2007,[11] having signed a four-year contract.[12] After passing his medical on 22 June 2007,[13] he attained a work permit on 4 July 2007, and completed his free transfer.[14]In July 2007, Tuncay was interviewed by theEvening Gazette and talked about his ambitions for the upcoming season. He said:"My aim was to play in Europe one day and I have done that in previous seasons. It is also very important for me to play in thePremier League and that, too, is going to happen. But I want to get Middlesbrough back into Europe. That is my target.[15]"On 15 July 2007, Tuncay made his debut in a Boro shirt against German teamSchalke 04 in Austria.[16]Known for his passionate affinity with fans at his beloved Fenerbahçe, Tuncay developed the same kind of relationship with the fans of Middlesbrough. His efforts were not unnoticed, with Middlesbrough supporters singing in his favour, "We've only got one player!" in reference to their admiration of his non-stop attitude.[17]
Tuncay's endless energy and passion shown during matches has won him many plaudits. In May 2009,Matt Le Tissier ofSky Sports acknowledged his performances:"If they [Boro] had 11 Tuncay's they'd be in the top half of the table; this boy is quality, he works his socks off as well. He showed great technique with the overhead kick and was a great example for the rest of the team – it's just a shame there are not a few more like him in the side."[18]The2008–09 season saw him pick up all four of the club's major awards for2009: the Players Player of the Year,Garmin Player of the Year, the Middlesbrough F.C. Official Supporters' Club Prize and the Terrace Legends Award.[19] He won the Player of the Year with a massive 75% of the vote.[20]
Although the 2008–09 season was a successful one for Tuncay, Middlesbrough were relegated to theChampionship after a terrible season, which saw them create a new club-record, and match a League record of 12 consecutive away defeats.[21] Tuncay had expressed his desire to continue playing in thePremier League.[22] However, he began the2009–10 season as a Boro player and played in 3 matches in theChampionship, coming on as a substitute in all 3 games. He scored two goals in the process: the third goal in a 3–0 victory away toSwansea City in the second league game of the season,[23][24] and the following week, scored the first goal in a 2–0 victory againstDoncaster Rovers,[25] scoring within 60 seconds of coming on.[26]He turned down the chance to move abroad, after GermanBundesliga clubsWolfsburg[27] andStuttgart[28] and SpanishLa Liga sideVillarreal[29] making offers for him, in favour of staying in England. Prior to the end of thetransfer window, he left Middlesbrough and joinedPremier League sideStoke City.
Tuncay took time to settle in the Premier League. He went 12 league games without a goal but then scored three in three games. The first was a headed goal from aLuke Young cross, on 1 December 2007 in a 1–1 draw againstReading. The second, the following week, was the winner in a 2–1 victory overArsenal. His third, in a 1–0 victory overDerby County, was a superb volley from aStewart Downing cross which won the BBC Match of the DayGoal of the Month award for December 2007, and was later nominated for Goal of the Season.[30]
On 29 December 2007, he scored his fourth goal in Boro's 1–0 away victory againstPortsmouth[31] which was the first time in 54 years that Middlesbrough had won atFratton Park in the top flight.[32] His next goal was a seventh-minute header againstLiverpool to give Middlesbrough the lead. However, aFernando Torres hattrick, meant Middlesbrough lost 3–2 atAnfield. On the 31st match day of the season he again scored the winning goal againstDerby County in a match that ended 1–0. Tuncay then scored two goals againstSunderland andPortsmouth later on in the season to take his tally to eight goals for the season. In his first season for Middlesbrough he was their second leading goal scorer behind Stewart Downing with nine.[33]
Tuncay started off the season brightly, his first league goal being the winner againstStoke City, in the third league game of the season. After a knee injury while playing forTurkey againstBelgium in theWorld Cup Qualifiers in early September 2008, Tuncay was sidelined for five weeks.[34][35] He returned to first team action againstBlackburn Rovers on 10 October, and scored an overhead kick goal which was wrongly ruled out for offside. Tuncay scored his first brace in thePremier League in a 2–1 away win atAston Villa on 9 November 2008.
In December 2008, newspapers speculated that he was wanted byChelsea in the January 2009 transfer window;Gareth Southgate laughed off the rumours suggesting that Chelsea could get him for such a small fee, saying that if he was even to start to consider selling him, then Chelsea's bid would have to be much higher.[36] Tuncay scored two goals in as many games; during his side's 2–0 victories over bothWest Ham in theFA Cup and againstLiverpool in the league, with the latter bringing an end to both Liverpool's 15-match unbeaten run, and Boro's 14-match winless run in the league. The win against West Ham takes Boro to their fourth Quarter Final in the FA Cup in four consecutive seasons. AgainstTottenham in March, he had 2 goals again ruled out for offside, in a game which Tottenham defeated Boro 4–0. April 2009 saw Tuncay score Boro's quickest goal of the season, just 3 minutes into the game. The match, againstHull City, finished 3–1 to Middlesbrough in what was described as a "must-win game" by managerGareth Southgate.
In May 2009 he was named Boro's Player of the Year. On 16 May, in the penultimate game of the season, he scored a superb overhead kick goal againstAston Villa, which won him anotherBBC Goal of the Month award.[37] In the vital game, an injury to captainStewart Downing in the 23-minute meant that Tuncay took the captain's armband. This was the first time he has played as captain for Boro, and played a vital role in midfield.Despite Tuncay's efforts,Middlesbrough were relegated at the end of the 2008–09 season after suffering a 2–1 defeat away toWest Ham. Middlesbrough had spent the whole second half of the season in the relegation zone. In the final game of the season Tuncay, Boro's captain, provided the assist to Boro's goal, however could not lead Middlesbrough to the win they desperately needed. In a disappointing season which saw Boro score only 28 league goals, Tuncay ended the season as their top scorer with 7 league goals, a quarter of Boro's total.[33]
Tuncay signed forStoke City on 28 August 2009 for a fee of £5 million[38] and signed a four-year contract.[39] He became managerTony Pulis' fifth signing of the summer transfer window,[40] having also signed his Middlesbrough teammateRobert Huth the previous day.[41] He was eligible to play for Stoke the day after his transfer in the fourth league game of the season, and made his debut coming on as a substitute forRicardo Fuller in the 84th minute,[42] againstSunderland at theBritannia Stadium.[43][44] He made his first start for Stoke in a third-roundLeague Cup game againstBlackpool,[45] setting up two goals and winning a penalty.[46] He continued to make only brief substitute appearances in thePremier League. A significant moment came during an away match toHull on 8 November 2009, in which he was substituted off in the 87th minute after only coming on six minutes earlier.[47] Although much was made after the event, Tuncay subsequently denied rumours that he was unhappy and insisted that his future lies with the Premier League club.[48][49] After eight brief substitute league appearances, he made his first start away toArsenal on 5 December 2009. He scored his first goal for Stoke in thePremier League on 12 December 2009 in a home match againstWigan. He also scored the first premier league goal of 2010 when he headed a 12th-minute goal against Fulham on 5 January.[50] Over the course of the season Tuncay only started 13 games.[51]
During pre-season for the 2010–11, Tuncay scored five goals in five games.[52] However, the season started with Tuncay making just a handful of substitute appearances in the League. He has stated that he would like to be playing regular first team football, and would consider a move away in January 2011 in order to find this. He scored his first goal of the season againstShrewsbury Town in the League Cup.[53] He followed this up with a stunning goal againstManchester United on 24 October 2010.[54] On 27 November 2010, Tuncay played a major role in the 92nd minute againstManchester City, assistingMatthew Etherington for an equalising goal in a 1–1 draw. Tuncay made his final appearance forStoke City againstFulham in thePremier League on 22 January 2011.[55] He left Stoke on the final day of the January transfer window joining German sideWolfsburg.[56]
Tuncay joined German sideWolfsburg on 31 January for a fee of €5.2 million.[57] On 25 July 2012, he was released when his contract which was still running until June 2014 was cancelled in mutual consent after making only five appearances.[58]
On 11 August 2011, Tuncay agreed to sign forBolton Wanderers on loan for the2011–12 season with a view to a £3 million permanent move at the loan's conclusion.[59] The clearance was given on 23 August and Tuncay scored on his Bolton Wanderers debut in theLeague Cup tie againstMacclesfield Town a day later.[60] He made his league debut on 27 August, coming on as a substitute forChris Eagles in Bolton's 3–1 defeat atLiverpool.[61] Tuncay made 22 appearances for Bolton in 2011–12 as the Trotters suffered relegation on the final day of the season.[62]
Tuncay joinedBursaspor on 3 September 2012.[63] On 5 February 2014, his contract was mutually terminated.[64][65]
On 31 July 2014, Tuncay signed a one-year deal withQatar Stars League sideUmm Salal.[66][67]
Tuncay was signed byIndian Super League SideFC Pune City to play with them for their Second Season. On his first match with the Pune on 5 October 2015, he scored 2 goals and became man of the match.
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For a period of time Tuncay was the vice-captain of theTurkey national team behind the main captainEmre Belözoğlu,[68] and has scored 22 international goals in 80 appearances to date.[69]Tuncay scored two internationalhat-tricks forTurkey during his international career. His first came againstSwitzerland in the2006 World Cup qualifyingplay-off match. The game ended 4–2, however the Swiss advanced due to the away goals rule, and meant Turkey would not play in the finals of the2006 World Cup.[70] His second international hattrick came in November 2008 in a friendly withAustria.[71]
Turkey took part in theFIFA Confederations Cup for the first time in 2003 after finishing third at the World Cup the previous year. Tuncay made his full international debut for the Turkey national team on 19 June 2003, having been promoted the day before when he scored twice in a match for the Under-21 side.[72]His debut came against theUnited States. Just three minutes after the opponents had taken the lead, he won a penalty after being fouled byDanny Califf andFrankie Hejduk, andOkan Yılmaz converted it to equalise. Tuncay then went on to score the winner in the second half, after picking upVolkan Arslan's cross to slot the ball past the American goalkeeperTim Howard.[73]He went on to score three goals and get an assist which won him the Silver Shoe Award and the Silver Ball Award, for the second best player, at the competition. Turkey finished in third place. He won many plaudits during the competition, withThe Daily Telegraph claiming that Turkey "have unearthed a gem".[74] Tuncay, along withArgentina'sGabriel Batistuta, currently holds the record for scoring the quickest goal in the history of theConfederations Cup for scoring within 120 seconds.[75]
During the qualifying rounds of the tournament, Tuncay played eleven games, scoring three goals. He won his 50th international cap on 21 November 2007 in the final qualification game againstBosnia-Herzegovina. Turkey won 1–0 which secured a place in the finals of Euro 2008 the following summer.Tuncay played a major part in Turkey's progression to the semi-finals inAustria and Switzerland, as Turkey came from behind to win three games and earn the title"Comeback Kings".[76][77]In the final group-stage game ofEuro 2008, against theCzech Republic, Tuncay went in goal to play as a goalkeeper for the final few minutes, after starting goalkeeperVolkan Demirel was sent off for a push onJan Koller, and Turkey having made all their substitutions.[78][79]He picked up a second yellow card in the quarter-finals againstCroatia which meant that he was suspended for the semi-finals againstGermany.[80][81] Drawing 2–2 until the 90th minute, having just scored minutes earlier to bring the score level, Turkey were undone by a German team who themselves had to come from behind to win the game.[82] Tuncay registered two assists, in his four games during the 2008 European Championships finals.
After aWorld Cup qualifier on 6 September 2008 betweenArmenia andTurkey, two sides which have historical political problems, both teams received aFIFA Fair Play Award for 2008.[83] As captain of the side, Tuncay collected the award on behalf of the team in January 2009.[84][85] During the qualifying round Tuncay managed three goals and two assists in the seven games he played, although Turkey failed to qualify fromGroup 5.
He is most suited to playing in the 'hole' or as a second striker, but can also play right across the midfield and in attack.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sakaryaspor | 2000–01 | TFF First League | 31 | 16 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 16 | ||
| 2001–02 | TFF First League | 35 | 16 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 37 | 17 | |||
| Total | 66 | 32 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 68 | 33 | ||||
| Fenerbahçe | 2002–03 | Süper Lig | 29 | 9 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | 31 | 10 | |
| 2003–04 | Süper Lig | 31 | 19 | 4 | 3 | — | 0 | 0 | 35 | 22 | ||
| 2004–05 | Süper Lig | 31 | 7 | 5 | 1 | — | 8 | 5 | 44 | 13 | ||
| 2005–06 | Süper Lig | 30 | 15 | 8 | 1 | — | 5 | 0 | 43 | 16 | ||
| 2006–07 | Süper Lig | 33 | 9 | 6 | 1 | — | 12 | 6 | 51 | 16 | ||
| Total | 154 | 59 | 24 | 6 | — | 26 | 12 | 204 | 77 | |||
| Middlesbrough | 2007–08 | Premier League | 34 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 38 | 8 | |
| 2008–09 | Premier League | 33 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 37 | 8 | ||
| 2009–10 | Championship | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 2 | ||
| Total | 70 | 17 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 78 | 18 | |||
| Stoke City | 2009–10 | Premier League | 30 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 37 | 5 | |
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 18 | 3 | ||
| Total | 44 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | — | 55 | 8 | |||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Bolton Wanderers (loan) | 2011–12 | Premier League | 16 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 22 | 1 | |
| Bursaspor | 2012–13 | Süper Lig | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14 | Süper Lig | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| Total | 39 | 1 | 6 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 47 | 1 | |||
| Umm Salal | 2014–15 | Qatar Stars League | 26 | 11 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 11 | ||
| Pune City | 2015 | Indian Super League | 10 | 3 | — | — | — | 10 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 429 | 128 | 50 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 28 | 12 | 515 | 152 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 2002 | 1 | 0 |
| 2003 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2004 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2006 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2007 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 12 | 6 | |
| 2009 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2010 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 80 | 22 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 June 2003 | Saint-Étienne, France |  United States | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 2 | 26 June 2003 | Paris, France |  France | 2–3 | 2–3 | 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 3 | 28 June 2003 | Saint-Étienne, France |  Colombia | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 4 | 30 March 2005 | Tbilisi,Georgia |  Georgia | 5–2 | 5–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 8 June 2005 | Almaty,Kazakhstan |  Kazakhstan | 4–0 | 6–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 5–0 | |||||
| 7 | 16 November 2005 | Istanbul, Turkey |  Switzerland | 1–1 | 4–2 | 2006 FIFA World Cup playoffs |
| 8 | 2–1 | |||||
| 9 | 4–2 | |||||
| 10 | 24 May 2006 | Genk, Belgium |  Belgium | 3–2 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| 11 | 7 October 2006 | Budapest, Hungary |  Hungary | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 12 | 11 October 2006 | Frankfurt, Germany |  Moldova | 5–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 13 | 24 March 2007 | Piraeus, Greece |  Greece | 1–1 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 14 | 26 March 2008 | Minsk,Belarus |  Belarus | 1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 15 | 29 May 2008 | Duisburg, Germany |  Finland | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 16 | 6 September 2008 | Yerevan,Armenia |  Armenia | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17 | 19 November 2008 | Vienna, Austria |  Austria | 2–1 | 4–2 | Friendly |
| 18 | 3–1 | |||||
| 19 | 4–2 | |||||
| 20 | 12 August 2009 | Kyiv,Ukraine |  Ukraine | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 21 | 5 September 2009 | Kayseri, Turkey |  Estonia | 1–1 | 4–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 22 | 4–2 |
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Sakaryaspor |  | 26 October 2016[89] | 7 February 2017[90] | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 046.15 |
| Total | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 046.15 | |||
Fenerbahçe
Turkey
Individual
Turkey squads | |||||||
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