Nihat Kahveci

Nihat Kahveci (born 23 November 1979) is a Turkish former professional footballer who played as a forward.

Nihat Kahveci
Nihat Kahveci (2016)
Personal information
Full name Nihat Kahveci
Date of birth (1979-11-23) 23 November 1979
Place of birth Istanbul, Turkey[1]
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position(s) Forward
Youth career
1994–1996 Esenler[2]
1996–1997 Beşiktaş
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1997–2002 Beşiktaş 114 (27)
2002–2006 Real Sociedad 133 (58)
2006–2009 Villarreal 62 (18)
2009–2011 Beşiktaş 34 (3)
Total 343 (106)
National team
2000–2010 Turkey[3] 69 (19)
Teams managed
2012–2013 Villarreal (youth)
2013–2017 Turkey (assistant)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
Nihat playing for Beşiktaş

Biography

Like most Turkish players, his shirt carries his first name, Nihat, rather than his family name, Kahveci. He married Pınar Kaşgören on 5 July 2003.[4] Their daughter Selin was born in May 2008.

Club career

Beşiktaş

Nihat is a product of Beşiktaş's youth system and was discovered by Hürser Mustafa Cindir when Nihat played in Beşiktaş in the 1996–97 season. He joined the first team at Beşiktaş in the 1997–98 season when he was just 17, at the time John Toshack was the coach. Since then, Nihat became a key player.

Real Sociedad

In January 2002, Nihat was transferred to Real Sociedad for €5 million by then Beşiktaş coach Toshack. Nihat also joined his Turkish team-mate Tayfun Korkut in Spain.

He had his debut on January, 26 in a 3–1 loss against Celta de Vigo, coming on as a substitute in the 72nd minute for Xabi Alonso and played for 18 minutes.

His first goal came in a 2–2 draw against Rayo Vallecano on 24 February 2002. In the first half of the season, Nihat played 11 matches and scored one goal.

In 2002–03, his second season in Spain, Nihat scored a brace in the Basque derby, the opening match of the season, helping his team to win 4–2. He finished the season with 23 goals making him the league's joint-second highest scorer for the season behind Roy Makaay (29 goals) and tied with Ronaldo.[5] That season, Real Sociedad finished second in the league that season, just two points behind Real Madrid.,[5] mostly thanks to a very fruitful strike partnership with Serbian forward Darko Kovačević, such that sports journalist Phil Ball nicknamed the pair "Little and Large", in reference to the height difference between the two (Nihat's height is 1.75 m and Kovačević's is 1.87 m).[6] His consistent, good performances have led to interests from other clubs, to which Nihat turned a deaf ear.

In his third season at Real Sociedad, Nihat made 32 appearances scoring a total of 14 goals. Nihat also played in the UEFA Champions League with Real Sociedad as the club was paired with Juventus, Galatasaray and Olympiacos. La Real qualified to the knockout stage, but was eliminated by Olympique Lyonnais, losing 2–0 on aggregate. By the end of the season, Nihat won the Don Balón Award for Best Foreign Player.

In his fourth season, Nihat made 23 appearances and scored 13 goals. In the middle of the season, Nihat tore his ACL during a match against Sevilla which caused him to be out of action for six months.[7]

In June 2005, reports claimed that Nihat was linked to Russian club CSKA Moscow for €20 million Euros but the move never materialized.[8] Nihat insisted he had to concentrate on the club to prevent relegation: "I can't go now. I can't walk out on Real Sociedad, We are fighting to try and secure some tranquillity and I am one of those who thinks that the more strength there is in the team, the better. On Sunday we took a very important step in Santander, and now it is a question of continuing to take steps forward in the league.".[9] Nihat was also linked with clubs like Chelsea[10] and Manchester United.[11]

In his fifth and last season at Real Sociedad, Nihat made his return from injury in a 3–0 loss in the Basque derby, against Athletic Bilbao. He went on to make 32 appearances and score seven goals. During that season, Nihat was about to sign for Russian club Spartak Moscow[12] but had to stay for the remainder of the season due to Kovačević's injury.[13]

Villarreal

On 16 May 2006, Nihat agreed to join Villarreal CF, on a five-year contract, on a Bosman transfer after rejecting a new contract at Real Sociedad.[14] He tore his ACL again on 22 November 2006 during a training ground collision with team-mate Javi Venta and was out for months.[15] He seemed to catch up form in his second season with 18 goals in the league and 4 goals in the UEFA Cup, helping his club to finish the season as second in La Liga where he formed a formidable offensive pair with Robert Pires. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo named Nihat as the best player on the team. However, in the 2008–09 season, due to injuries again, Nihat made 19 appearances equalling 764 minutes of playing time but failed to score a single goal.[16]

Return to Beşiktaş

On 27 June 2009, Nihat returned to the club where he started his career by signing for Beşiktaş J.K. on a four-year deal.[17] Return to Turkish football wasn't very fruitful for Nihat. Over two seasons he managed 34 appearances in the league, netting only three goals. On 25 April 2011, in a match against Konyaspor which turned out to be his last game, Nihat and the new Beşiktaş favourite Ricardo Quaresma had quarrel on the pitch. Nihat was upset at Quaresma for failing to pass the ball and the altercation was broken up by teammates.[18] On 18 May 2011, Beşiktaş terminated Nihat's contract despite two years left on his contract and he told Turkish media: "I don't want to play in Turkey anymore.".[19]

Retirement

Following his release by Beşiktaş, Nihat was linked with returning to Spanish clubs like his former club Real Sociedad[20] and Castellón[21] and even linked to join MLS side Los Angeles Galaxy.[22]

After a six months without a club, on 12 January 2012; Nihat announced his retirement from football with immediate effect, saying: "I would like to share my decision to put an end to my professional career as a footballer,". After some days, Nihat told NTV Spor that his retirement was prompted by his age limiting his ability on the pitch and admitted that returning to Besiktas was a mistake and ill-judged, although stated there were some beautiful moments.[23]

"When you get old, you can't do anything you want on the pitch, I must admit my return to Turkey was not a success and it hurt me as a man who was used to success. I was angry at myself, and there was some heavy criticism too. After I left Besiktas, I thought maybe I could play somewhere else, but I saw that I wanted to call it a day. Every good story has a beginning and an end. I have had some very beautiful moments. I had great joy when I was healthy and playing well."

— Nihat told NTV Spor about his retirement

International career

2002 World Cup

Nihat made his international debut against Sweden in October 2000.[24] In Group C, Nihat made his only appearance as a 79th-minute substitute for Yıldıray Baştürk against Costa Rica.[25] His only other appearance was as a substitute in the 1–0 victory over Japan where he replaced, the goalscorer, Ümit Davala.[26] Turkey went on to finish in third place with a 3–2 victory over Guus Hiddink's South Korea.[27]

Euro 2008

In the round of 16 match of Euro 2008 Group A, Nihat scored twice in a pivotal match against the Czech Republic. Both teams were level on points, both having beaten Switzerland and lost to Portugal, with exactly the same number of goals scored and conceded, a win would guarantee a quarter-finals spot whilst a draw would mean penalty-shootouts would be required. The Czechs took a 2–0 lead through a Jan Koller header and a Jaroslav Plašil goal and the score remained 2–0 until the 75th minute, when Arda Turan scored making it 2–1. Nihat's first goal came in the 87th minute; Hamit Altıntop's cross was dropped by Petr Čech allowing Nihat tap the ball into the net. He scored his second goal one minute later; a brilliant, curling strike from outside the box, helping Turkey win the match 3–2.[28]

Nihat was ruled out of Turkey's semi-final with Germany due to a thigh injury,[29] which ultimately required surgery and prevented him from playing for Villarreal in the early part of the 2008–09 season.

Coaching career

On 6 July 2012, it was reported that Nihat has joined the coaching staff at his former club Villarreal as an assistant-manager of the youth team.

"Villarreal CF has opened the doors and I have always felt at home, I played three seasons here and in recent times I have followed the team as an amateur. I have much affection and, therefore, I am very glad to be in this club. I want to start my new career coaching from below, like I did as a player, The president Fernando Roig has made history at this club and certainly have the ability to return to the elite as soon as possible. We must also rely on the new coach, Julio Velasquez, if the club has chosen it is because they will have the conviction that the team will return to First Division."

— Nihat on his new job.[30]

Career statistics

Club career
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Europe Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Beşiktaş 1997–98 1120000112
1998–99 2870000287
1999–2000 3270000327
2000–01 3252000345
2001–02 1564222177
Total 11427612212230
Real Sociedad 2001–02 1114100152
2002–03 352300003523
2003–04 321400804014
2004–05 231300002313
2005–06 3270000327
Total13358418014559
Villarreal 2006–07 90000090
2007–08 341832644324
2008–09 1900040230
Total 621832647124
Beşiktaş 2009–10 23332--265
2010–11 1102064194
Total 3435264459
Career total 343106134146370116

International goals
Source:[3]
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.6 October 2001Stadionul Republican, Chişinău, Moldova Moldova0–20–32002 FIFA World Cup qual.
2.21 August 2002Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium, Trabzon, Turkey Georgia3–03–0Friendly
3.12 October 2002Gradski Stadium, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia Macedonia1–21–2UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
4.7 June 2003Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia Slovakia0–10–1UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
5.11 June 2003BJK İnönü Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey Macedonia1–13–2UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
6.20 August 2003Ankara 19 Mayıs Stadium, Ankara, Turkey Moldova1–02–0Friendly
7.24 May 2004Telstra Dome, Melbourne, Australia Australia0–10–1Friendly
8.9 October 2004Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey Kazakhstan2–04–02006 FIFA World Cup qual.
9.13 October 2004Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark Denmark1–11–12006 FIFA World Cup qual.
10.26 May 2006Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany Ghana1–01–1Friendly
11.2 June 2006Trendwork Arena, Sittard, Netherlands Angola2–13–2Friendly
12.6 September 2006Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany Malta1–02–0UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
13.17 November 2007Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway Norway1–21–2UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
14.21 November 2007Ali Sami Yen Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey Bosnia and Herzegovina1–01–0UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
15.25 May 2008Ruhrstadion, Bochum, Germany Uruguay2–12–3Friendly
16.15 June 2008Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland Czech Republic2–23–2Euro 2008
17.15 June 2008Stade de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland Czech Republic3–23–2Euro 2008
18.22 May 2010Red Bull Arena, New Jersey, United States Czech Republic2–02–1Friendly
19.3 September 2010Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan Kazakhstan0–30–3UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying

Honours

Club

Beşiktaş

Real Sociedad

Villarreal

Turkey

Individual
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References
  1. "KADRO – SQUAD". Retrieved 3 July 2008.
  2. "Nihat Kahveci". hursertekinoktay.com (in Turkish). Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  3. "Nihat Kahveci – International Appearances". RSSSF.
  4. Mert, Alper (6 July 2003). "Nihat hayatının golünü attı" (in Turkish). Hurriyet.com.tr. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  5. "Season 2002–03". BDFutbol. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  6. "Little and Large". ESPN Soccernet. 9 May 2003. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
  7. "Nihat blow for Sociedad". Sky Sports. 20 February 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  8. "Nihat eyes CSKA switch". Give Me Football. 10 June 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  9. "Real keen to retain Nihat". World Soccer. 14 February 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  10. "Blues still in for Nihat". Sky Sports. 1 March 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  11. "Real stand firm over Nihat". Sky Sports. 15 February 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  12. "Nihat set for Spartak". Sky Sports. 10 January 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  13. "Nihat to stay with Sociedad". Sky Sports. 18 January 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  14. "Nihat set for Madrigal move". Sky Sports. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  15. "Knee jinx hits again at Madrigal". Sky Sports. 23 November 2006. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  16. James Walker-Roberts (27 June 2009). "Besiktas Sign Nihat Kahveci From Villarreal". Goal.com. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  17. "Besiktas seal Nihat capture from Villarreal". ESPN Soccernet. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  18. "Nihat Q7'den sonra gazetecilere saldırdı". Sporx.com. 25 April 2011.
  19. "Besiktas terminate Nihat Kahveci's contract". Goal.com. 18 May 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  20. "Nihat y Trezeguet están en la órbita de la Real Sociedad" (in Spanish). AS.com. 6 June 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  21. "Cygan, el subcampeón de Europa que juega en una liga provincial de fútbol sala" (in Spanish). Marca.com. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  22. "MLS: Nihat Kahveci suena para el Galaxy" (in Spanish). Goal.com. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  23. "Former Villarreal man Nihat Kahveci attributes retirement to his advancing years". Goals.com. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  24. "Football Database". Footballdatabase.com. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  25. "Costa Rica – Turkey". FIFA. 9 June 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  26. "Japan – Turkey". FIFA. 18 June 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  27. "Turkey finish in style". BBC Sport. 29 June 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
  28. Steve Tongue (18 June 2008). "Nihat's double shocks Czechs". London: The Independent. Retrieved 19 June 2009.
  29. McNulty, Phil (23 June 2008). "Injury rules Nihat out of Euros". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
  30. "Nihat formará parte de la escuela del Villarreal CF" (in Spanish). Villarreal Official Homepage. 6 July 2012. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  31. Pla Diaz, Emilio (6 December 2018). "Spain - Footballer of the Year". Rsssf.com. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
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