5’6”  10st.3lb.
b. Herne (West Germany) 24 December 1978
Debut 24 April 2010 (31 y 121d)
 

CAREER: Sportfreunde Wanne-Eickel;SG Wattenscheid 09 ’96;VfL Bochum Jul’97;Bayer Leverkusen  Jul’01 (£1,700,000);Hertha BSC Jul’04 (free);VfB Stuttgart May’07 (free);Blackburn Rovers Jan’10 –Jun’10(free).
INTERNATIONALS   Turkey 40 + 9 apps  2 gls
’98 v Alb(s).’01 v Alb,Aze(s),Mac.’02 v Nor,Svk,Swe,Mol(s),Aut,Aut 1gl,Ecu(s),SKo,SAf,Bra,CoR, Chn,Jap,Sen,Bra,SKo.’03 v Geo,Svk,Mac,Ita,Ukr,Eng,Cze, Svk,Cam,Bra,Fra.’04 v Bel 1gl,SKo,Sko.’05 v Den(s),Ukr,Alb.Geo.’06 v Den(s),Ger,Alb,Swi(s),Cze(s). ’07 v Lux,Mlt,Bos(s),Bra(s).’08 v Swe,Uru.
World Cup bronze medal (Turkey) ’02. FIFA Con Cp bronze medal (Turkey) ’02.Eur Cup los (Bayer Leverkusen) ’03.
SQUAD NUMBER  20 Jan '10
 

PL   1 app      - 1 wdn    -45m         3ns

Baştűrk’s parents moved from Turkey to Germany and his father found work in the mines. Their son grew up well integrated into German life and worked his way up the football ladder, commanding respect as a quick footed, gifted play maker who could split defences with the quality of his passing. A move to Bochum brought him to the attention of the majority of the country’s football fans and inevitably prompted speculation as to where his international future might lie. Turkey acted promptly and he received his first international cap in January 1998, although it was to be another three years before he made his next appearance. He moved on to Leverkusen and took part in the dreadfully unfortunate season of 2002 when the club missed out on winning three competitions (European Cup, German League and Cup) at the last gasp. However the same season he was a vital part of the Turkish team which finished in third place in the World Cup finals. He moved on to Hertha Berlin and then Stuttgart but his career declined. After being left out of the Turkish squad for the 2008 European Championships he made himself unavailable for future selection and the following year he was informed that Stuttgart were phasing him out of their plans. He was therefore amenable to a move to Blackburn in the January 2010 transfer window, particularly when the club was recommended to him by his countryman, Tugay. Troubled by injury, he played only forty-five minutes for the club and was the released. He refused to accept contract offers from any clubs outside the top leagues and announced his retirement a year after his release.