Hamit Altıntop

Hamit Altıntop (Turkish pronunciation: [haˈmit aɫˈtɯntop], born 8 December 1982) is a Turkish former professional footballer who last played for SV Darmstadt 98. He was a versatile midfielder who can play either in a defending or attacking role and on both flanks, known for his creative flair and long-range shooting ability. He is the identical twin brother of footballer Halil Altıntop, who was born 10 minutes after Hamit.

Hamit Altıntop
Altintop playing for Galatasaray in 2012
Personal information
Full name Hamit Altıntop[1]
Date of birth (1982-12-08) 8 December 1982
Place of birth Gelsenkirchen, West Germany
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1991–1992 Schwarz-Weiß Gelsenkirchen-Süd
1992–1997 TuS Rotthausen
1997–2000 Wattenscheid 09
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2000–2003 Wattenscheid 09 75 (12)
2003–2007 Schalke 04 113 (8)
2007–2011 Bayern Munich 63 (7)
2011–2012 Real Madrid 5 (1)
2012–2017 Galatasaray 61 (1)
2017–2018 Darmstadt 98 33 (1)
Total 350 (30)
National team
2000 Turkey U18 5 (3)
2001 Turkey U20 6 (1)
2003 Turkey U21 9 (2)
2004–2014 Turkey 82 (7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Altıntop was part of the Turkey squad that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2008. After the tournament he was voted as part of the 23-man Team of the tournament awards. He won the 2010 FIFA Puskás Award for scoring the best goal of the season in a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match against Kazakhstan in a 3–0 win for his country.[2]

Club career

Schalke
Altıntop with Schalke in 2005

Altıntop started his professional career in local German club Wattenscheid in 2000 along with his brother. As successful performances grabbed the attention of bigger clubs, he was transferred to Schalke 04 in 2003, where he played in a primarily defensive midfield role. In the 2006–07 summer transfer window, Schalke signed his brother Halil from Kaiserslautern. Schalke came second in the Bundesliga, only pipped by VfB Stuttgart by two points.

Bayern Munich
Altıntop playing for Bayern Munich in 2008

Altıntop joined Bayern Munich for the 2007–08 season on a free transfer from Schalke 04. He scored his first goal in his first game for Bayern when they faced the Brazilian champions São Paulo. Munich went on winning the game 2–1 after his spectacular free-kick. Remaining as one of Munich's starters, he scored another left-foot goal out of 30 meters distance against Werder Bremen in the DFL-Ligapokal. Munich completed the match with a 4–1 victory.

Altıntop also scored a controversial penalty against Aberdeen in the first leg of their tie in the UEFA Cup competition on 14 February 2008 at Pittodrie. The initial penalty kick was saved by Aberdeen goalkeeper Jamie Langfield; however, Altıntop scored with the rebound. The match finished 2–2.[3]

In 2009–10 season, Bayern Munich competed in Champions League and they eventually went to 2010 UEFA Champions League Final, which was played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid on Saturday, 22 May 2010. He started the match in the first 11, but he was substituted for Miroslav Klose, on 63rd minute.

On 2 June 2010, Altıntop signed a new one-year contract with Bayern Munich.[4] He was eventually released by Bayern during the end of the 2010–11 season, after failing to negotiate an extension to his contract. Thus, he became a free agent.

Real Madrid

On 19 May 2011, it was announced Altıntop would move on a free transfer to Real Madrid. He signed a four-year contract with the Spanish club.[5] He made his debut for the club on 27 September at the Santiago Bernabéu in a Champions League match against AFC Ajax, coming on in the 84th minute as a replacement for Mesut Özil. He made his La Liga debut for the club on 15 October at the Santiago Bernabéu in a match against Real Betis, coming on in the 78th minute as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo. He scored his first goal for the club on 18 December at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez in a match against Sevilla FC on the 89th minute from an assist from Xabi Alonso, coming on in the 86th minute as a replacement for Karim Benzema. He made his first starting debut for the club on 28 January 2012 at the Santiago Bernabéu in a victory over Zaragoza, playing a full match. He made his first Champions League starting debut for the club on 4 April 2012 at the Santiago Bernabéu in a 2011–12 Champions League quarter-finals match against APOEL F.C., playing a full match.

Galatasaray

On 13 July 2012, he signed a four-year contract with the Galatasaray SK for €3.5 million from Real Madrid.[6][7] Altıntop would earn €2.4 million per-season in 2012–13 and 2013–14 in addition to a €20,000 per-match bonus.[8] He made his Galatasaray debut on 12 August 2012 in the 2012 Turkish Super Cup final against the Turkish Cup Champions Fenerbahçe. Galatasaray won 3–2, winning the title for the 12th time. He made his Süper Lig debut the following week against Kasımpaşa. Altıntop's first goal for Galatasaray was a 30-meter free kick in the 37th minute of a Champions League defeat of former club Schalke 04 on 12 March 2013.[9] Altintop failed to appear in Galatasaray's first 18 squad due to injuries during most of 2015 and 2016. He started reappearing in cup games. However, due to a disastrous performance against a second division club Tuzlaspor and the criticism of the supporters, the club decided to terminate his contract.[10]

Darmstadt 98

On 31 January 2017, Altıntop signed a season long contract with Darmstadt 98.[11] He was named the best player of the 20th matchday by the Bundesliga after contributing in major fashion to a surprise win against Borussia Dortmund.[12] He parted ways with the club on 4 January 2018 due to personal reasons and moved to Turkey with his family.[13]

International career

Altıntop played in all five of Turkey's matches at UEFA Euro 2008. He assisted all three goals in the comeback against the Czech Republic and in the quarter finals against Croatia he scored the third penalty to make it 3–1 in the shoot out. After goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber saved the next Croatian penalty, Turkey advanced to the semi-finals against Germany. Turkish coach Fatih Terim used him as a right defender in the first two games of the tournament, a move that was heavily criticized by the media, since Altıntop was a midfielder for his then-club Bayern Munich. After the match against Switzerland, Terim switched him to midfield for the remainder of the tournament, which boosted both Turkey's and his own performance. His bold playing style and decisive passes made him a dominant player in the Turkish midfield. He was awarded with the Carlsberg Man of the Match award following the quarter final match against Croatia. At the conclusion of the tournament, Altıntop was widely acknowledged to be one of the tournament's stars, and was included in UEFA's official 23-man "Team of the Tournament".[14]

In January 2011, Altıntop won the FIFA Puskás Award for Goal of the Year of 2010 for his volley against Kazakhstan in September 2010 in a Euro 2012 qualifier.[15]

He was captain of the national team for the first time on 30 March 2011 in a 2–0 victory against Austria.

Personal life

Altıntop is a practicing Muslim. He said in an interview with a local Turkish television station that he has always been fasting (during the Islamic month of Ramadan) since he reached puberty although it was more difficult when fasting days coincided with match days and that Muslim players would feel more powerful during this holy month.[16] In 2014, Altıntop married Feyza Veli in a wedding ceremony in Istanbul's renowned Çırağan Palace.[17]

Career statistics

Club
Source:[18][19]
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
SeasonClubLeague AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Germany League DFB-Pokal Ligapokal Europe Total
2000–01Wattenscheid 09Regionalliga Nord111———111
2001–02314———314
2002–03337———337
Total 7512———7512
2003–04Schalke 04Bundesliga30500—21335
2004–0530061—80441
2005–06221202091352
2006–07312202020372
Total 11381014021214810
2007–08Bayern MunichBundesliga233513193408
2008–0911230—40182
2009–1015051—60261
2010–11142301[lower-alpha 1]070252
Total 6371624126310913
Spain League Copa del Rey Supercopa Europe Total
2011–12Real MadridLa Liga51300040121
Total 51300040121
Turkey League Türkiye Kupası Süper Kupa Europe Total
2012–13GalatasaraySüper Lig290101091401
2013–145020100080
2014–15231410050322
2015–160000000000
2016–17405100—91
Total 61112220141894
Germany League DFB-Pokal Other Europe Total
2016–17Darmstadt 98Bundesliga160———160
2017–182. Bundesliga17110——181
Total 20010——210
Total Germany 284282738148536737
Spain 5130—40121
Turkey 61112220141894
Career total 3503042510166646842
  1. Appearance in the DFL-Supercup

International
Source:[18]
Turkey national team
YearAppsGoals
200460
2005100
2006110
2007112
200890
200961
201093
201160
201291
201330
201420
Total827

Scores and results table. Turkey's goal tally first:[18]

International goals
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
128 March 2007Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany Norway1–22–2UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
22–2
312 August 2009Lobanovsky Dynamo Stadium, Kyiv, Ukraine Ukraine3–03–0Friendly
43 March 2010BJK İnönü Stadium, İstanbul, Turkey Honduras2–02–0Friendly
53 September 2010Astana Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan Kazakhstan2–03–0UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
67 September 2010Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, İstanbul, Turkey Belgium1–13–2UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
724 May 2012Red Bull Arena, Salzburg, Austria Georgia1–03–1Friendly

Honours

Club

Schalke 04[20]

Bayern Munich[20]

Real Madrid[20]

Galatasaray[20]

International

Turkey

Individual

References
  1. "Hami̇t Altintop". Turkish Football Federation. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  2. "Altintop claims the FIFA Puskás Award 2010". FIFA.com. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  3. "Aberdeen 2–2 Bayern Munich". BBC Sport. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
  4. "Altintop signs new Bayern Munich deal". Ontheminute.com. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  5. "Madrid swoop for free agent Hamit Altıntop". UEFA.com. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2011.
  6. "Hamit Altıntop Galatasaray'da" (in Turkish). Galatasaray. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  7. "Altıntop leaves Madrid to join Galatasaray". UEFA. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  8. "Galatasaray disclose financial details of Altintop transfer from Real Madrid". turkish-football.com. 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  9. Homewood, Brian (12 March 2013). "Galatasaray oust Schalke in pulsating five-goal clash". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Reuters. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  10. "Hamit Altintop'un sozlesmesi Fesh Ediliyor". Milliyet (in Turkish). 29 December 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  11. "Jungwirths versöhnlicher Abschied - Altintop unterschreibt!". kicker.de (in German). 31 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  12. "Altintop von Darmstadt 98 ist der Spieler des 20. Spieltags". bundesliga.de (in German). 13 February 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  13. Germany, kicker online, Nürnberg. "Altintop verlässt Darmstadt mit sofortiger Wirkung". kicker online (in German). Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  14. "Spain dominate Team of the Tournament". euro2008.uefa.com. 30 June 2008. Archived from the original on 2 September 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  15. "Argentina's Lionel Messi wins Fifa Ballon d'Or award". BBC Sport. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  16. "Real's Muslim player fasting in Ramadan". Press TV. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  17. "Galatasaraylı futbolcu Hamit Altıntop evlendi". CNNTürk. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  18. Hamit Altıntop at National-Football-Teams.com
  19. "Hamit Altıntop". Mackolik.com. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  20. "Hamit Altıntop". Soccerway. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  21. "Regulations of theUEFA European Football Championship" (PDF). UEFA.com. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  22. "Germany-Turkey | Line-ups | UEFA EURO". UEFA.com. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  23. "UEFA EURO 2008™ squad lists announced" (PDF). UEFA.com. 28 May 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  24. "Bundesliga Historie 2005/06" (in German). kicker.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.