Bülent Korkmaz, known by his nicknames Büyük Kaptan and Cengaver – literally Great Captain and Warrior, respectively – is a Turkish former professional football coach who is currently the manager of Konyaspor. As a player, he was a one club man, playing as a centre-back for Galatasaray for his whole career between 1987 and 2005, winning eight Turkish League crowns, six Turkish Cups, five Turkish Super Cups, a UEFA Cup and a UEFA Super Cup. He retired at the end of the 2004–05 season, having made over 100 appearances for Turkey.
Playing career
Bülent was born in Malatya. He entered the Galatasaray youth setup at the age of 11 as a goalkeeper. His coach at the time said that he was not suited for that role so he was moved into the defensive midfielder role, and subsequently became a central defender. At age 16 he was offered a contract by German club Bayer Leverkusen. However, he remained at Galatasaray, where he was promoted to the senior squad in 1987. Bülent spent a quarter of a century at Galatasaray, where he won 29 trophies, including one UEFA Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, 8 league titles and 5 domestic cups. He reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in the 1988–1989 season. Bülent became the 13th player in history to make 100 European club competition appearances, and made 102 such appearances in all. Internationally, he was the first Turkish international to reach 100 caps, gaining 102 by the time of his retirement. During the 2000 UEFA Cup Final between Galatasaray and Arsenal, his shoulder was dislocated and Bülent declined to leave the pitch, so the doctors strapped his shoulder to his chest and he played the rest of the match, helping his side toward victory after a penalty shootout. However, this injury caused Bülent to miss UEFA Euro 2000. He was also part of the Turkish squad that finished third at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and, in 2003, had the same finishing position at the FIFA Confederations Cup. Bülent also represented Turkey in EURO 96. He was selected in the World Team in 2001 against a joint team fielded by 2002 World Cup co-hosts Japan and South Korea, and also in 2003 against Juventus F.C.
Coaching career
On 30 August 2005, Bülent became assistant manager at Gençlerbirliği S.K., but resigned before the season's end. In January 2007, he took on a new job as manager of Kayseri Erciyesspor, who were at the bottom of the Turkish league. Despite better results in the second half of the league,, the side was relegated from the league, and Bülent again resigned, agreeing to become Bursaspor manager in June 2007. He was fired from Bursaspor in October 2007, and returned to Gençlerbirliği, this time as the main coach.
Galatasaray
On 23 February 2009, after the sacking of Michael Skibbe, Bülent became the new manager of Galatasaray. He resigned from the role in June 2009.
Karabükspor
On 8 November 2011, after the resignation of Yücel İldiz, Bülent became the new manager of Karabükspor. He took the team from 16th position to the 12th, and at the end of the season, the team stayed out of relegation. Also, Karabükspor reached the semi-finals of the 2011–12 Turkish Cup, which was the first time in the club history. However, they were eliminated by Fenerbahçe in the semi-finals. Despite his efforts, on 10 May, his contract was not extended by the board, and sacked.
On 13 November 2012, after the sacking of Carlos Carvalhal, Bülent became the new manager of İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor. His contract was mutually terminated after his team got relegated as of 30 May 2013.
Personal life
Bülent's younger brother, Mert Korkmaz, was also a professional footballer, who retired in 2008. Both played at Galatasaray from 1993–97. Bülent is married and has 2 daughters.
Career statistics
Club
International
Managerial statistics
Honours
Galatasaray
Süper Lig : 1987–88, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2001–02
