Hakan Şükür (born September 1, 1971 in Sakarya, Turkey) is a Turkish footballer who plays as a striker. He has received the nickname "King (Kral)"[1] from his admirers. Along with the team-mate Gheorghe Hagi, he was a member of the UEFA Cup-winning Galatasaray side of 2000. He is remembered by supporters for his scoring in European competition that year, inc
luding his superb goals against Leeds United, one in which he danced past two of their defenders to score and help send his team to the final. He is also remembered for his penalty in Galatasaray's penalty shoot-out victory over Arsenal F.C. in the final.
Şükür currently plays for the Turkish club Galatasaray, having spent eight seasons with them in the 1990s. In 2000, he moved to Italy where he played for Inter Milan then a short spell at Parma. He then moved to England to play for Blackburn Rovers before rejoining Galatasaray in 2003.
In the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Şükür's national team went all the way to the semi-finals even though he was out of form for most of the tournament. He finally showed a glimpse of his talent when, in the third-place game against South Korea, he scored what is still the fastest goal ever in a World Cup finals match. İlhan Mansız forced a Korean defender into a blunder immediately off the opening kickoff, Şükür pounced on the free ball and put the ball into the Korean net after only 10.8 seconds.[2]
Şükür was capped for the 100th time in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Ukraine. He is the third Turkish player, after Bülent Korkmaz and Rüştü Reçber, to receive this honor.
Şükür's fame in Turkey is such that his 2002 wedding was televised live.
As of February 12, 2008, Şükür topped up his seasonal goals to 246. This makes him the highest scoring player in Turkish football's top flight history. He overtook Tanju Çolak.[3]
After a UEFA Cup match against Panionios, Hakan Şükür announced that he's leaving Galatasaray at the end of this season
Personal information
Full name Hakan Şükür
Date of birth September 1, 1971 (1971-09-01) (age 36)
Place of birth Sakarya, Turkey
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position Striker
Club information
Current club Galatasaray
Number 9
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1987--1990
1990--1992
1992--1995
1995
1995--2000
2000--2001
2002
2002--2003
2003-- Sakaryaspor
Bursaspor
Galatasaray
Torino FC
Galatasaray
Inter Milan
Parma FC
Blackburn Rovers FC
Galatasaray 038 0(10)
054 0(11)
090 0(54)
005 00(1)
146 (119)
023 00(5)
015 00(3)
009 00(2)
119 0(53)
National team2
1992--
1990--1993
1988--1990
1987--1988
1991--1993 Turkey
Turkey U21
Turkey U18
Turkey U16
Turkish Olympic Team 109 0(51)
016 00(5)
013 00(1)
006 00(2)
005 00(4)
Honours
Galatasaray
UEFA Cup: 2000
Turkish League: 1992--93, 1993--94, 1996--97, 1997--98, 1998--99, 1999--2000, 2005--06
Turkish Cup: 1993, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2005
President Cup: 1993, 1996, 1997
Chancellor Cup: 1995
TSYD Cup: 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000
Inter Milan
Italian Super Cup
Runners Up: 2000
Parma
Coppa Italia: 2002
Sakaryaspor
Turkish Cup: 1988
Bursaspor
Chancellor Cup: 1992
Turkey
FIFA World Cup
Third Place: 2002
European Championship
Quarter Final: 2000
Individual
Turkish Lea
Kapat