Volkan Demirel

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Günok's path to professional football began with a short youth spell at Kocaelispor between 2000 and 2001, which he described as 'playing in couple of games while my father was working there' — his father Mahir was employed as goalkeeping coach. He was discovered by Fenerbahçe officials in 2001 during a small field game in Istanbul, where his first football license was issued. During his youth career, he even scored a goal from a penalty kick against Manisaspor in a PAF Ligi game on 9 March 2008. His senior debut came on 15 August 2010 against Antalyaspor, coming on as a substitute after Volkan Demirel got injured at the beginning of the second half, earning a clean sheet. He saved a penalty from Argentine midfielder Gustavo Colman during a 3–2 home loss against Trabzonspor. In the 2013 Turkish Super Cup against Galatasaray, he was chosen 'man of the match' despite Fenerbahçe losing 0–1 after extra time. After 14 years at the club, he was released on 15 June 2015, having played nine Süper Lig and nine Turkish Cup encounters in his last season, conceding 19 goals in total.

In Their Own Story

The ball arced toward the far post, and Austria's Christoph Baumgartner rose to meet it with a header in stoppage time of the Euro 2024 round of 16. Turkey led 2–1, but the equalizer seemed certain. Mert Günok, reading the play, launched himself to his right, fingertips stretching to their limit. The ball smacked against his glove and bounced clear. The final whistle blew moments later. Turkey had qualified for the quarter-finals. It was a save that defined a tournament and a career — a moment of pure instinct forged through years of penalty stops, including one against Konyaspor on 1 November 2020 that secured a 2–1 win for Başakşehir.

Reader's Guide

Günok's career has been marked by resilience and comebacks. After being released by Fenerbahçe in 2015, he joined Bursaspor on a three-season contract worth €1.2 million salary per annum. In his second season, he played only in Turkish Cup encounters before his contract was cancelled in return for outstanding wages. He rebuilt his career at İstanbul Başakşehir, joining on 31 July 2017. Initially second goalkeeper behind Volkan Babacan, he earned the starting spot from the 2018–19 season after improved pre-season training. His first Süper Lig game for Başakşehir was a 2–0 win against Trabzonspor on 12 August 2018. He won the Süper Lig title in 2019–20 and was named Süper Lig Goalkeeper of the Season for 2018–19. He was released on 15 August 2021 in return for outstanding receivables. He joined Beşiktaş on a three-year contract on 15 August 2021, making his debut on 18 September 2021 in a 3–2 away win against Antalyaspor. He signed a new two-year contract on 31 July 2023, keeping him until 2025, then a 2+1 year contract on 17 January 2025. On 8 January 2026, he re-joined Fenerbahçe, signing a contract until the end of 2027–28 season.

Did You Know?

• Günok scored a goal from a penalty kick against Manisaspor in a PAF Ligi youth game on 9 March 2008.
• He donated 100 pairs of goalkeeper gloves to 100 schools across Turkey in 2020.
• His father Mahir was a goalkeeping coach at Kocaelispor when Mert played there as a youth.
• He kept a clean sheet against defending world champions France in a 2–0 win during Euro 2020 qualifying on 8 June 2019.
• Günok was named 'man of the match' in the 2013 Turkish Super Cup despite Fenerbahçe losing 0–1 to Galatasaray.