Nihat Kahveci

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Nihat's career took off at Beşiktaş, where he was discovered by Hürser Mustafa Cindir in the 1996–97 season. In January 2002, he transferred to Real Sociedad for €5 million, joining his former Beşiktaş coach John Toshack and Turkish teammate Tayfun Korkut. He made his debut on 26 January 2002 in a 3–1 loss against Celta de Vigo, coming on as a substitute for Xabi Alonso. His first goal came in a 2–2 draw against Rayo Vallecano on 24 February 2002. In the 2002–03 season, he scored a brace in the Basque derby, the opening match of the season, helping his team win 4–2. He finished the season with 23 goals, making him the league's joint-second highest scorer behind Roy Makaay (29 goals) and tied with Ronaldo. That season, Real Sociedad finished second in the league, two points behind Real Madrid, thanks to a fruitful strike partnership with Serbian forward Darko Kovačević. Sports journalist Phil Ball nicknamed the pair "Little and Large" due to their height difference (Nihat is 1.75 m, Kovačević is 1.87 m). In his third season, Nihat made 32 appearances scoring 14 goals and played in the UEFA Champions League, where Real Sociedad qualified for the knockout stage but was eliminated by Olympique Lyonnais. He won the Don Balón Award for Best Foreign Player that season. In his fourth season, he tore his ACL during a match against Sevilla, causing him to be out for six months. In his fifth and last season at Real Sociedad, he made 32 appearances and scored seven goals. On 16 May 2006, Nihat agreed to join Villarreal on a five-year contract on a Bosman transfer. He tore his ACL again on 22 November 2006 during a training ground collision with teammate Javi Venta. In his second season at Villarreal, he scored 18 goals in the league and four in the UEFA Cup, helping the club finish second in La Liga, forming a formidable offensive pair with Robert Pires. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo named Nihat the best player on the team. In the 2008–09 season, due to injuries, he made 19 appearances equalling 764 minutes of playing time but failed to score a single goal. On 27 June 2009, Nihat returned to Beşiktaş on a four-year deal. Over two seasons he managed 34 appearances in the league, netting only three goals. On 25 April 2011, in a match against Konyaspor, Nihat and Ricardo Quaresma had a quarrel on the pitch. On 18 May 2011, Beşiktaş terminated Nihat's contract despite two years left on his contract. After six months without a club, on 12 January 2012, Nihat announced his retirement from football, saying: "I would like to share my decision to put an end to my professional career as a footballer." He later told NTV Spor that his retirement was prompted by his age limiting his ability on the pitch and admitted that returning to Beşiktaş was a mistake.

In Their Own Story

The final match of Euro 2008 Group A. Turkey faced the Czech Republic. Both teams were level on points, both having beaten Switzerland and lost to Portugal, with exactly the same number of goals scored and conceded. A win would guarantee a quarter-finals spot; a draw would mean penalty-shootouts in the group stage. The Czechs took a 2–0 lead through a Jan Koller header and a Jaroslav Plašil goal. The score remained 2–0 until the 75th minute, when Arda Turan scored, making it 2–1. In the 87th minute, Hamit Altıntop's cross was dropped by Petr Čech, allowing Nihat to tap the ball into the net. One minute later, Nihat scored his second goal — a brilliant, curling strike from outside the box — helping Turkey win the match 3–2. Nihat was later ruled out of Turkey's semi-final with Germany due to a thigh injury, which ultimately required surgery and prevented him from playing for Villarreal in the early part of the 2008–09 season.

Reader's Guide

Nihat Kahveci made his international debut against Sweden in October 2000. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup, he made his only appearance as a 79th-minute substitute for Yıldıray Baştürk against Costa Rica. His only other appearance was as a substitute in the 1–0 victory over Japan, where he replaced goalscorer Ümit Davala. Turkey finished in third place with a 3–2 victory over South Korea. At Euro 2008, Nihat scored twice in the pivotal match against the Czech Republic, securing a 3–2 win that sent Turkey to the quarter-finals. On 6 July 2012, Nihat joined the coaching staff at his former club Villarreal as an assistant-manager of the youth team. He said: "Villarreal CF has opened the doors and I have always felt at home. I played three seasons here and in recent times I have followed the team as an amateur. I have much affection and, therefore, I am very glad to be in this club. I want to start my new career coaching from below, like I did as a player."

Did You Know?

• Nihat is better known mononymously as Nihat, as his shirt carries his first name rather than his family name, Kahveci.
• He was discovered by Hürser Mustafa Cindir while playing for Beşiktaş in the 1996–97 season.
• He scored a brace in the Basque derby, the opening match of the 2002–03 season, helping Real Sociedad win 4–2.
• He tore his ACL twice: first during a match against Sevilla, and again on 22 November 2006 during a training ground collision with teammate Javi Venta.
• After retiring, he joined Villarreal's coaching staff as an assistant-manager of the youth team on 6 July 2012.