Volkan Demirel

Volkan Demirel (; born 27 October 1981) is a Turkish football coach, pundit and former international goalkeeper. He last managed Süper Lig club Gençlerbirliği.

For many years, he was the starting goalkeeper of Fenerbahçe and the Turkey national team.

Club career Demirel was born in Fatih, Istanbul to a family from Artvin with Georgian and Laz roots. He joined Kartalspor as an 18-year-old in 1999 and became the starting goalkeeper the following year. Demirel played in 51 matches over the next two seasons, earning a transfer to Fenerbahçe at the start of the 2002 season.

Originally backing up Rüştü Reçber and Recep Biler, Demirel made his debut for the club on 26 April 2003. After Reçber's transfer to Barcelona, Demirel competed in 19 league matches, splitting time with Biler (who played in 14 matches). He also featured in three Turkish Cup matches and won the 2003–04 Süper Lig title with Fenerbahçe.

Following season, Demirel won another Süper Lig title, but was relegated to the bench after Rüştü Reçber returned to the club at the start of the season. Demirel played in 25 league matches the following season, with Kulbilge playing the rest. Fenerbahçe went on to face Chelsea, losing 2–3 on aggregate. Following Kulbilge's transfer to Kocaelispor, Demirel took over as starting goalkeeper.

Demirel was the starting goalkeeper for the Turkey national team at the UEFA Euro 2008 championships, reaching the semi-finals for the first time in team history. He started all three group stages matches, but was suspended for two matches after receiving a red card against the Czech Republic for viciously pushing Jan Koller to the ground after Jan for unknown reasons ran and shouted at him.

In 2014, just before the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against Kazakhstan, Volkan Demirel left the Turkey national team after a dispute with a fan. After Demirel's refusal to play with the national team, Volkan Babacan took over as the starter for the UEFA Euro 2016 Qualifiers.

Managerial career On 2 September 2019, Fenerbahçe announced that Demirel was retired and would continue his career as an assistant coach in the team. He worked under Ersun Yanal, Tahir Karapınar, Erol Bulut and Emre Belözoğlu respectively.

On 14 July 2021, it was announced that he ended his assistant coaching career at Fenerbahçe in a press conference he held with Fenerbahçe president Ali Koç.

Fatih Karagümrük On 17 December 2021, Demirel signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Fatih Karagümrük

His first match as manager was a 1–0 away win over Göztepe on 19 December.

Hatayspor On 21 September 2022, Demirel signed with Hatayspor for one season with an option to extend.

Bodrum On 30 October 2024, Bodrum appointed Demirel as the new head coach, following the departure of İsmet Taşdemir. On 3 February 2025, Bodrum parted ways with Demirel by mutual agreement.

Personal life Volkan Demirel is married to former Miss Belgium Zeynep Sever. They have two daughters named Yade (born in February 2014) and Yeda (born in September 2017).

Throughout his career, Demirel has often been associated with the nickname "Ayı Volkan" ("Volkan the Bear"). The nickname "bear", which is also used in Turkish slang as a derogatory term, was given due to his imposing physique and his passionate and forceful demeanor, which sometimes led to him receiving a red card on the field. Demirel himself has stated in various interviews that he is not bothered by this nickname and even takes it in good humour. On one occasion, he mentioned that his daughter's teddy bear was nicknamed "Volkan".

Career statistics Club

International

Managerial

Honours Fenerbahçe Süper Lig: 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2010–11, 2013–14 Turkish Cup: 2011–12, 2012–13 Turkish Super Cup: 2007, 2009, 2014

Turkey UEFA European Championship bronze medalist: 2008