 İnan withGalatasaray | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Selçuk İnan | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1985-02-10)10 February 1985 (age 41) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | İskenderun, Turkey | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Kocaelispor (head coach) | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Karaağaçspor | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Dardanelspor | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | Dardanelspor | 76 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Manisaspor | 75 | (11) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2011 | Trabzonspor | 93 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2020 | Galatasaray | 244 | (45) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 488 | (69) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Turkey U17 | 8 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002 | Turkey U18 | 5 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Turkey U19 | 14 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Turkey U20 | 9 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Turkey U21 | 10 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2017 | Turkey | 61 | (8) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2022 | Galatasaray (assistant coach) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Kasımpaşa | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Gaziantep | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Kocaelispor | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Selçuk İnan (Turkish pronunciation:[selt͡ʃukiˈnan] born 10 February 1985) is a Turkish professionalfootball manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Known for his vision, passing range, leadership, and set-piece ability, İnan is regarded as one of the finest Turkish midfielders of his generation.
He began his career withDardanelspor before playing forManisaspor and rising to prominence atTrabzonspor. In 2011, he joinedGalatasaray, where he became a key figure over nine seasons, winning fourSüper Lig titles, threeTurkish Cups, and fiveTurkish Super Cups, while serving as team captain for several years. Internationally, İnan earned over 60 caps for theTurkey national team and was instrumental in helping Turkey qualify forUEFA Euro 2016 with a decisive free-kick goal againstIceland. Following his retirement from playing in 2020, İnan served as assistant manager atGalatasaray underFatih Terim between 2020 and 2022. He then began his managerial career as head coach, taking charge ofKasımpaşa andGaziantep, and is currently the manager ofKocaelispor.
İnan was a central midfielder known for his technical ability, composure on the ball, and tactical intelligence. He excelled as a deep-lying playmaker and was renowned for his precise passing and set-piece delivery. A natural leader on the pitch, İnan played a crucial role in orchestrating his teams’ build-up play and often contributed with decisive free-kick goals and assists throughout his career.
İnan was born inIskenderun on 10 February 1985. By the age of 14, he was spotted by scouting agents and immediately signed by one of the local clubs,Karaağaçspor. His multidimensional style of play and unique footballing mind were soon noticed by Dardanel Spor. At professional level, İnan scored his first goal in a league match againstAntalyaspor on 1 December 2002, when he was only 17.
İnan began his professional career as a 14-year-old with Karaağaçspor before signing forDardanelspor in 2000. He played there until his move toManisaspor in 2005, where he spent three seasons. In 2008, İnan signed forTrabzonspor under the management ofErsun Yanal, who had previously coached him atManisaspor. He scored twice againstAnkaraspor in his firstSüper Lig match withTrabzonspor and later netted the club’s 2,000th league goal in a match againstİstanbul BB on 1 November 2008. İnan established a prolific partnership with strikersUmut Bulut andBurak Yılmaz (his former teammate at Manisaspor). During İnan’s tenure,Trabzonspor enjoyed its most successful two seasons of the decade, notably finishing as runners-up in the2010–11 Süper Lig season.
İnan agreed to a five-year deal on afree transfer withGalatasaray on 25 May 2011.[1] He quickly took over the Galatasaray midfield from the day he set foot inTürk Telekom Arena. Partnering up with Brazilian midfielderFelipe Melo, İnan began to manifest his exceptional skills which helped Galatasaray to gain a higher level of offensive and defensive state of play. İnan, being a fan favourite at Galatasaray, received the a nickname called "Xelçuk", a play on words after Spanish midfielderXavi.
In the2010–11 Süper Lig season, Galatasaray finished eighth in the league table with 14 wins, 4 draws and 16 losses, its worst season in the club's history of 107 years. Right after the last game of the season, the club announced a council meeting in order to elect a new board of directors. During his first month, the fledgling Galatasaray chairmanÜnal Aysal's first task was to bring in İnan to the team. Although the previous Galatasaray board which was run byAdnan Polat already had an agreement withTrabzonspor in the Selçuk İnan case during the 2010–11 season, it was the new board that brought in the player for free as İnan's contract with Trabzonspor was over.
After the first four games of the new season, Galatasaray had two wins, one draw and one loss, which did not seem highly promising to the fans, although there was a remarkable sense of change in the team, especially in the midfield area.
İnan started to lead the team as weeks went by, helping Galatasaray win ten matches in a row and finish the first half of the season with 37 points, top of the league. By the end of matchday 34, right before the Süper Final series, Galatasaray was both the highest-scoring and least conceding team in the league, and had a nine-point gap with their closest competitors,Fenerbahçe.
İnan scored his first official goal for Galatasaray againstSamsunspor on 18 September 2011. His first free-kick goal came against his former club Trabzonspor on 11 December. The game resulted in a 3–0 win for Galatasaray. He scored his second free-kick goal against Manisaspor on 21 December, was also the winner for Gala, as the game finished 1–0. His third free-kick goal came againstGençlerbirliği on 10 March 2012, a 2–0 win for Galatasaray. On 28 April, İnan scored his fourth free-kick goal of the season, being the second one against his former club Trabzonspor, followed by his fifth-free kick goal against Fenerbahçe in the Süper Final series. In his first season at Galatasaray, İnan scored a total of 13 goals and made 16 assists in both Süper Lig and Süper Final matches. During the championship celebrations, held at the Türk Telekom Arena on 13 May,[2] İnan was called onstage twice by Galatasaray fans.
On 12 August 2012, defending Süper Lig champions Galatasaray beat the defendingTurkish Cup winners Fenerbahçe in the2012 Turkish Super Cup. İnan provided two assists to his teammate Umut Bulut and scored the winning goal himself from a penalty kick in the 90th minute right before the final whistle; the game finished 3–2. As Galatasaray won the Turkish Super Cup for the 12th time, Bulut was voted as theman of the match, although İnan also made a significant contribution to the victory.
İnan scored his first goal of the2012–13 Süper Lig season – another late penalty – in the game againstBeşiktaş on 26 August,[3] the equalizer for Galatasaray as the game finished 3–3. İnan also had one assist in the game which was scored by Umut Bulut as İnan delivered in the corner kick from the left hand side. İnan scored his second goal of the season against İstanbul BB,[4] which was assisted by striker Burak Yılmaz.
On 23 September, İnan started the game againstAkhisar Belediyespor wearing the captain's armband,[5] due to vice captainHakan Balta's absence. The match resulted in a 3–0 win for Galatasaray.[6] After a few disappointing performances both in Süper Lig and theUEFA Champions League during October, İnan responded with a wonderful display againstKayserispor in the Süper Lig match on 27 October,[7] creating two assists to his teammates Burak Yılmaz andCris, with Cris' header goal coming from the set piece free-kick which was taken by İnan by the left hand side.
İnan scored the free-kick distanced 30 yards, which was the winner goal in the lastKıtalar Arası Derbi of 2012[8] which secured a five-point gap in the league table as the game finished 2–1 for the Lions.
At the end of the first half of the 2012–13 Süper Lig season, the midfielder had scored four goals and made seven assists in total. İnan also made his mark on the2012–13 UEFA Champions League scene, securing fifth-place in the group stage top passers list byUEFA.[9] İnan had been second on the list afterBarcelona's Xavi as late as matchday 5. Thevice-captain was appointed as the first captain on 25 December.[10]
İnan scored the fourth goal for Galatasaray in the game againstOrduspor on 25 February 2013,[11] as he received a ball from Burak Yılmaz right in front of the box. His curved shot from 30 yards out resulted in a spectacular goal which was also the decider as the game finished 4–2.
At the end of Galatasaray's2012–13 Champions League campaign, where the Turkish outfit were eliminated byReal Madrid in the quarter-finals despite a 3–2 home win, İnan had made five assists in total and was again at second spot after Xavi in UEFA's top passers list. İnan also had 92% pass accuracy in the second leg of the tie against Real Madrid, where he produced 87 passes, which had been a Champions League record for the season.
İnan scored two superlative goals in the Süper Lig game againstSivasspor on 5 May,[12] where Galatasaray claimed their 19th league title.[13] Being nothing more or less than an İnan classic, the beautiful free-kick goal eight minutes into the game, which also received an applause from Sivasspor managerRıza Çalımbay,[14] put the Lions up 1–0, followed by his second and the team's third goal, a majestic dribble which was crowned with a slick finish, after catchingEmmanuel Eboué's through-ball in the 60th minute. As Galatasaray won the game, İnan was chosen as man of the match.[15]
İnan began the 2013–14 season withGalatasaray by participating in theEmirates Cup and played a key role in the team’s victory overFenerbahçe in theTurkish Super Cup. Throughout the season, he was a regular starter in both theSüper Lig andUEFA Champions League, featuring against teams such asReal Madrid. He concluded the season by winning the Turkish Cup. In the 2014–15 season, following managerial changes — fromCesare Prandelli toHamza Hamzaoğlu — his performances improved significantly. He helped the team secure both the Turkish Cup and the Turkish Super Cup titles that season. During the 2015–16 campaign, he once again lifted the Turkish Super Cup and contributed 4 goals and 5 assists in league play, also appearing inUEFA Europa League matches. The 2016–17 season saw him limited by injuries, though he still added another Turkish Super Cup to his accolades. In 2017–18, under managerIgor Tudor, he saw reduced playing time, but afterFatih Terim’s return to the club, İnan regained an important role and finished the season as a league champion. In the 2018–19 season, he helped the team win both theTurkish Cup and Turkish Super Cup, while also competing in the Europa League group stage. During the 2019–20 season, he saw less action, appearing in 13 matches, and at the end of the season, İnan announced his retirement from professional football.[16]
İnan has played at every level forTurkey from under-16 to the senior side. He made his debut against Moldova on 13 October 2007. Although he was called up back in February for theUEFA Euro 2008qualifiers match againstGeorgia, İnan could not join the team on the pitch due to injury. He also did not take action at the Euro 2008 group stage due to a two-game suspension received prior to the tournament. İnan played at every game inUEFA Euro 2012qualifiers and made six assists to his teammates in total, although it was not enough for the Turks to qualify for the tournament's final stages, in Poland and Ukraine. İnan scored his first international goal on 24 May 2012 in a 3–1 friendly match victory over Georgia.
During Turkey's2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, Turkey managerAbdullah Avcı insisted on not playing İnan[17] despite his great run of form with Galatasaray. Many Turkish fans refused to believe it was a tactical issue but was rather a case that had been played out off the pitch.
After a multiple games without İnan, Turkish fans began blaming the manager due to the unsuccessful results in qualifying. In a qualifier against Estonia,[18] however, Avcı made a substitution in the 65th minute and İnan finally had his chance after a long period of dissension. The midfielder scored immediately and secured the win for Turkey. İnan, however, did not celebrate his goal and had a quiet statement after the game, as if like he was under pressure or did not have the liberty to talk.
As time progressed, Turkey failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, and uncertainties regarding İnan and Avcı were still a hot and live issue in the country. JournalistFatih Altaylı claimed that he had witnessed certain information suggesting there had been a religious or a sectarian conflict between İnan and the manager,[19] the reason why the two never got along. There have been no statements about the matter from either side.
Inan, a free-kick specialist, scored his most famous goal with the national team against Iceland inUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group A. Turkey, going into 89th minute with ten men and a score of 0-0 against an already qualifiedIceland, had the chance to be the best third team if the match is won. Inan scored a spectacular free-kick from 30 yards out through the right side ofÖgmundur Kristinsson, sending Turkey directly toEURO 2016, without playing the play-offs.
On 22 November 2022, İnan began his managerial career as the head coach ofKasımpaşa, signing a contract with theSüper Lig club.[20] He left the position by mutual consent on 18 March 2023 after managing the team for 13 matches.[21]
On 8 March 2024, İnan was appointed as the head coach ofGaziantep FK, replacingMarius Șumudică.[22] He successfully led the team to safety in the 2023–24 Süper Lig season, securing their place in the top flight. Following this achievement, the club announced a contract extension with İnan in June 2024 for the 2024–25 season.[23]
In the 2024–25 season, İnan managed the team until May 2025. On 10 May 2025, Gaziantep FK announced that they had parted ways with İnan by mutual agreement. During his tenure of approximately 14 months, he oversaw 48 matches, recording 20 wins, 7 draws, and 21 losses.[24][25]
On 3 June 2025, İnan was appointed as the new head coach ofKocaelispor, which had recently been promoted to the Süper Lig after a 16-year absence. He signed a one-year contract with an option for an additional year, replacing İsmet Taşdemir.[26][27] As of February 2026, he continues to manage the team in the Süper Lig.
İnan often remains private and is not often seen in the media. He has two elder sisters and lives as a single person residing inFlorya, Istanbul, near Galatasaray's main training facility, theFlorya Metin Oktay Sports Complex and Training Center. İnan and former Galatasaray teammateBurak Yılmaz are close friends and have played together in four different club and national team set-ups, beginning with theTurkey U17 team. They also grew up knowing one another. Other clubs the two have played together on are Manisaspor, Trabzonspor and lastlyGalatasaray. İnan married Cemre Kardeş on 16 June 2015. Their daughter, Lisa Alvin, was born on 19 September 2019.[28]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Super Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dardanelspor | 2002–03 | 2.Lig | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||
| 2004–05 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 2 | ||||
| 2005–06 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 76 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 78 | 6 | ||||
| Manisaspor | 2005–06 | Süper Lig | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 3 | ||
| 2006–07 | 32 | 3 | 7 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 3 | ||||
| 2007–08 | 30 | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 34 | 6 | ||||
| Total | 75 | 11 | 11 | 1 | — | — | 86 | 12 | ||||
| Trabzonspor | 2008–09 | Süper Lig | 32 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 3 | ||
| 2009–10 | 28 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 37 | 2 | |||
| Total | 93 | 7 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 113 | 7 | ||
| Galatasaray | 2011–12 | Süper Lig | 39 | 13 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 13 | ||
| 2012–13 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 42 | 7 | ||
| 2013–14 | 31 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 45 | 9 | ||
| 2014–15 | 32 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 44 | 7 | ||
| 2015–16 | 28 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 43 | 14 | ||
| 2016–17 | 32 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 36 | 6 | |||
| 2017–18 | 23 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |||
| 2018–19 | 22 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 35 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
| Total | 244 | 45 | 40 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 38 | 3 | 329 | 59 | ||
| Career total | 488 | 69 | 69 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 42 | 3 | 606 | 84 | ||
| Turkey | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | 7 | 0 |
| 2011 | 9 | 0 |
| 2012 | 5 | 2 |
| 2013 | 9 | 2 |
| 2014 | 8 | 1 |
| 2015 | 8 | 3 |
| 2016 | 8 | 0 |
| 2017 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 61 | 8 |
Scores and results table list Turkey's goal tally first:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 24 May 2012 | Red Bull Arena,Salzburg, Austria |  Georgia | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 11 September 2012 | Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium,Istanbul, Turkey |  Estonia | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3. | 22 March 2013 | Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella,Andorra la Vella, Andorra |  Andorra | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 4. | 28 May 2013 | MSV-Arena,Duisburg, Germany |  Latvia | 2–0 | 3–3 | Friendly |
| 5. | 1 June 2014 | Red Bull Arena,New Jersey, United States |  United States | 1–2 | 1–2 | |
| 6. | 3 September 2015 | Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium,Konya, Turkey | Latvia | 1–0 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 7. | 10 October 2015 | Generali Arena,Prague, Czech Republic |  Czech Republic | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 8. | 13 October 2015 | Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium, Konya, Turkey |  Iceland | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Kasımpaşa |  | 22 November 2022 | 18 March 2023 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 023.08 |
| Gaziantep | | 8 March 2024 | 10 May 2025 | 48 | 20 | 7 | 21 | 68 | 67 | +1 | 041.67 |
| Kocaelispor | | 1 July 2025 | Present | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 038.46 |
| Career total | 87 | 33 | 16 | 38 | 116 | 117 | −1 | 037.93 | |||
Trabzonspor
Galatasaray
Individual
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Galatasaray captain 2014–2020 | Succeeded by |
