Semih Yuvakuran (born 1 September 1963) is a Turkish football manager, and retired footballer best known for his stints as a leftback for Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe in the Süper Lig.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Semih Yuvakuran | ||
| Date of birth | (1963-09-01) 1 September 1963 (age 58) | ||
| Place of birth | Bursa, Turkey | ||
| Position(s) | Leftback | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bursaspor | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981–1984 | Bursaspor | 44 | (0) |
| 1984–1990 | Galatasaray | 166 | (4) |
| 1990–1996 | Fenerbahçe | 89 | (1) |
| 1995–1996 | →Edirnespor (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1984–1985 | Turkey U21 | 4 | (0) |
| 1984–1990 | Turkey | 21 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2005 | Gebzespor | ||
| 2011 | Denizlispor (assistant manager) | ||
| 2012 | Balkan FK | ||
| 2013–2014 | Sancaktepe | ||
| 2015–2016 | Düzcespor | ||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 November 2017 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 November 2017 | |||
A youth product of Bursaspor, Semih begun his career as a striker, moving to left wing, and eventually broke through professionally as a leftback in defense.[1] Semih transferred to Galatasaray in 1984 and helped them win 2 Süper Ligs, 1 Turkish Cup, 1 Chancellor Cup, 2 Turkish Super Cups, and 1 TSYD Cup. He eventually transferred to their rivals Fenerbahçe, and could not replicate their success.[2]
Semih had a couple stints with lower division Turkish teams. In 2012, he managed the Turkmen club Balkan FK and helped them win the domestic double, winning the Ýokary Liga and Turkmenistan Cup.[3]
Semih is the father of triplet sons. All three of his sons are footballers, and one of them, Utku Yuvakuran, is a professional footballer for Beşiktaş J.K.[4]