Mehmet Topal
Encyclopedia
Mehmet Topal is a city in southeastern Turkey and the capital of its eponymous province.-Overview:The city site has been occupied for thousands of years. The Assyrians called the city Meliddu. Following Roman expansion into the east, the city was renamed in Latin as Melitene...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) is a Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
footballer who plays for Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
in the Spanish La liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
. He is a defensive midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and has the nickname of Örümcek (Spider), due to his ability to use his long legs to win loose balls or cut out passes.
Galatasaray
He joined GalatasarayGalatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
in September 2006 at the age of 20, having previous played for second tier
TFF First League
The TFF First League is the second level of the Turkish football league system. The league was founded in 2000 after it was separated from the Turkish Second League Category B during reorganizing Second League, who was second level of Turkish league between 1963–2001...
club Dardanelspor
Çanakkale Dardanelspor
Dardanel SAŞ is a sports club located in Çanakkale, Turkey. The team is named after the popular tuna fish brand which is located in Çanakkale. Dardanelspor plays in the TFF Second League.-History:...
for four seasons. He played sporadically in his first season with Gala, making only a handful of appearances. He has signed to Galatasaray together with Junichi Inamoto
Junichi Inamoto
is a Japanese footballer who plays as a midfielder for Kawasaki Frontale.-Playing career:Inamoto played for Japanese club Gamba Osaka during his last year of high school, signing with the club in 1998. He was then one of many high profile transfers of Asian players to Europe, signing with Arsenal...
.
Due to an injury to Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
international Tobias Linderoth
Tobias Linderoth
Tobias Jan Håkan Linderoth is a former Swedish football player.-Club career:Linderoth played for Stabæk and then an unremarkable spell at Everton marred by injury, where he scored once against Charlton Athletic in the League Cup, before he joined Copenhagen in summer 2004...
, Topal was handed his chance in the first team. He became first choice in the line up, due to the continued injury of his team mate. Topal was very grateful for the help the Swede gave him, saying "He helped me a lot, told me about the areas I should improve and how to do so. Sadly, I got my chance through his injury but I want him to recover in the shortest time possible."
In April 2008 he extended his contract with Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
for five years and is due to expire in May 2013. At the end of the 2007–08
Süper Lig 2007-08
The 2007-08 Süper Lig season, , was the 50th anniversary of top-flight professional football in Turkey, was won by Galatasaray, who were crowned their 17th championship....
season, he won the Süper Lig title with Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
and was called up to Turkey's Euro 2008 squad.
In the summer 2008 transfer window, there were rumours surrounding a move to Everton in the Premier League, with David Moyes
David Moyes
David William Moyes is an association football manager and former player, currently managing English Premier League club Everton. He was the 2003, 2005 and 2009 League Managers Association Manager of the Year...
apparently keen to bring Topal to Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
. However, it is believed that Galatasaray
Galatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
resisted the move.
Topal has spent the early part of the 2009–10 season out of action with an injury but still playing in Valencia as proud of Galatasaray.
Valencia
After speculation throughout the season of Topal's departure from GalatasarayGalatasaray S.K. (football team)
Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups....
, he officially signed for Valencia on 12 May 2010 for a fee believed to be in the region of €5.5M.
On 14 September 2010, Topal made his debut against Bursaspor
Bursaspor
Bursaspor is a professional Turkish football club located in the city of Bursa. Formed in 1963, Bursaspor are nicknamed the Yeşil Timsahlar...
in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
group stage match. He scored his first goal for Valencia against Sporting Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
on September 25, 2010.
Playing style
Capable of playing as a central defender, defensive midfielder or on the right side of midfield as well, Topal can use both feet, is calm under pressure and possesses a fierce shot from distance.Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Çanakkale Dardanelspor Çanakkale Dardanelspor Dardanel SAŞ is a sports club located in Çanakkale, Turkey. The team is named after the popular tuna fish brand which is located in Çanakkale. Dardanelspor plays in the TFF Second League.-History:... |
2004–05 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 9 | 1 | ||
| 2005–06 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 31 | 3 | |||
| 2006–07 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 42 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 4 | |
| Galatasaray Galatasaray S.K. (football team) Galatasaray Anonim Şirketi is a Turkish football club, part of the Galatasaray S.K. multi-sport club of Istanbul. Galatasaray is a major sports club in Turkey, holding 17 Turkish Super League titles and the highest number of Turkish Cups.... |
2006–07 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| 4 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||||||||
| 2007–08 | 26 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 2 | |
| 2008–09 | 21 | 1 | 5 | 0 | - | 6 | 0 | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 Süper Lig The 2009–10 Süper Lig was the 52nd season since its establishment. The season commenced on 7 August 2009 with Istanbul B.B. hosting defending champions Beşiktaş at Atatürk Olympic Stadium. The last matches were played on 16 May 2010.Bursaspor won the league beating defending champions Beşiktaş 2–1... |
24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 9 | 1 | 37 | 1 | ||
| Total | 82 | 2 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 1 | 125 | 4 | |
| Valencia Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the... |
2010–11 2010–11 La Liga The 2010–11 La Liga season was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2009–10 season and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División... |
23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
| 2011–12 2011–12 La Liga The 2011–12 La Liga season is the 81st since its establishment. Barcelona are the defending champions, having won their 21st La Liga title in the previous season for the third time in a row. The campaign began on 27 August 2011, and will end on 13 May 2012... |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 35 | 1 | |
| Career total | 154 | 7 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 203 | 9 | |
Honours
Galatasaray- Turkish LeagueTurkcell Super LeagueThe Süper Lig is a Turkish professional league for association football clubs. It is the top-flight of the Turkish football league system. It is one of the top leagues in the UEFA confederation and the winner of the competition automatically qualifies for the UEFA Champions League...
: Champion (2007–08) - Turkish Super CupTurkish Super CupThe TFF Süper Kupa, as it is currently known, is the annual super cup football match contested between the previous season's Süper Lig champions and the Turkish Cup winners in Turkey. It was originally known as the Cumhurbaşkanlığı Kupası from 1966 to 1998. No competition was held between 1999 and...
: Winner (2008Turkish Super Cup 2008The 2008 Turkish Super Cup match was a football match between the Süper Lig champions Galatasaray, and the Turkish Cup winners Kayserispor. This was the third Super Cup match, played on 18 August 2008, in Duisburg, MSV-Arena...
)
External links
- Valencia official profile
- BDFutbol profile
- Statistics at TFFTurkish Football FederationThe Turkish Football Federation , also called the Turkish Football Association, is the governing body of football in Turkey. It was formed on 23 April 1923. It organizes the Turkish national teams and the Turkish football league. By 2004, there were 4,956 football clubs organized in Turkey, and a...
.org - Transfermarkt profile
- Ciberche stats and bio