Gökmen Özdenak
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 June 1947 | ||
| Place of birth | Adana, Turkey | ||
| Date of death | 31 December 2025 (aged 78) | ||
| Place of death | Istanbul, Turkey | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1965–1967 | İstanbulspor | 15 | (5) |
| 1967–1980 | Galatasaray | 297 | (99) |
| Total | 312 | (104) | |
| International career | |||
| 1966 | Turkey U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 1970 | Turkey U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 1972–1977 | Turkey | 9 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gökmen Özdenak (22 June 1947 – 31 December 2025) was a Turkish footballer who played as a striker. He is best known for his stint with Galatasaray, and is known by his nickname Ayı Gökmen (English, "Gökmen the Bear"). He represented the Turkey national team.
Career
Özdenak begun his footballing career with İstanbulspor in the Turkish Süper Lig. Two years later, he transferred to Galatasaray and helped them win four Süper Lig titles as he played there for 13 years.[1]
Outside football
After his footballing career, Özdenak began commentating football with former footballer Ziya Şengül.[2]
Personal life and death
Özdenak was born into a sporting family, as his brothers Yasin and Doğan were also professional footballers.[3][4] He died on 31 December 2025, at the age of 78.[5]
Honours
Galatasaray
- Süper Lig: 1968-69, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73
- Turkish Cup: 1972–73, 1975–76
- Turkish Super Cup: 1968-69, 1971-72
- Prime Minister's Cup: 1974–1975, 1978–1979
- TSYD Cup: 1968-69, 1970-1971, 1977-1978
References
- ^ "Gökmen Özdenak kimdir?". www.biyografi.info.
- ^ "Gökmen Özdenak kimdir". www.biyografi.net.tr.
- ^ "Özdenaklar'ın öyküsü ve Drogba Gökmen!". Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Üç kardeş üçü de Galatasaraylı…". Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ "Eski milli futbolcu ve spor yazarı Gökmen Özdenak, hayatını kaybetti". Haberler (in Turkish). 31 December 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
External links
- Gökmen Özdenak at www.mackolik.com (in Turkish)
- Gökmen Özdenak at the Turkish Football Federation
- Gökmen Özdenak at IMDb