Emre Belozoglu is a professional football player, born on September 7, 1980 in Istanbul, Turkey. In March 2004, he was named as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers by Brazilian legend Pelé. His father was a professional football player and has played for various teams, including Yedikulespor, Edirnespor and Ankara Demirspor.
Emre Belozoglu represents Turkey at the international level and has won 57 international caps for the senior side and scored four goals since 2000. His superb displays for Turkey at the 2002 World Cup helped the team finish third overall.
On March 29, 1990, Emre Belozoglu began his football career as a licensed mid-fielder with the Turkish football club Zeytinburnuspor. During the 1995-96 season, he signed with Galatasaray and was promoted from the youth team to senior side due to his skillful play. He made his debut for the club’s senior side at the age of sixteen and was a regular in the side in the following year. At the end of this season, Emre Belozoglu helped his team to clinch the Turkish Super League title by scoring a spectacular goal in their final against rivals Besiktas JK in the dying minutes of the game. With his brilliance on the field, alongside his teammates Buruk Okan and Hakan ?ükür, he helped his team towards a historic unbeaten run to win the 2000 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Cup by defeating Arsenal on penalties and also became the only squad in history to win the UEFA Cup unbeaten throughout the entire campaign.
Emre Belozoglu also won the UEFA Super Cup winners' medal after his team defeated Champions League winners Real Madrid C.F. 2–1 at the begining of the 2000-2001 season. In the same season, he was also member of the side that played in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. During his stint at the club, Emre Belozoglu has played 102 times for the club and has scored 15 goals to his credit. During this period, he was also a member of the squad that collected four Turkish Super League titles and three Turkish Cup trophies.
Emre Belozoglu gained widespread popularity and fame at Galatasaray as one of the skillful players and attracted the interest of top clubs like Internazionale and Arsenal.
In 2001, Emre Belozoglu moved to Italian football club Internazionale Milano, where he became a favourite among fans and earned the nickname “Maradona of the Bosphorus” after drawing comparisons to the Argentine football legend. During the 2002-03 season, Emre Belozoglu became the 17th winner of the Pirata d'Oro (Golden Pirate), which is given for the Internazionale Player of the Year. He was also named as the most successful football player of the year by Turkish newspaper Zaman, and he got this award from idol and close friend Hagi. Emre Belozoglu has made a total of 79 appearances for this club, scoring 8 goals.
In July 2005, he moved to English Premier League club Newcastle United. During his stint at the club he played 58 games for it and scored 5 goals. Emre Belozoglu signed a four-year contract with Fenerbahçe on July 23, 2008 and was officially presented as a Fenerbahçe player at the ?ükrü Saraco?lu Stadium by the club’s President Aziz Y?ld?r?m.
