Early Years and Local Rivalries (1923–1962) There were four clubs in Trabzon in Early years :
İdmanocağı (1921),
İdmangücü (1913),
Necmiati (1923) and
Trabzon Lisesi. All four clubs competed against each other in the Trabzon Amateur Regional League. in 1923, two of the clubs, İdmanocağı and İdmangücü, held a fierce rivalry that was equal to the
Fenerbahçe and
Galatasaray rivalry. The rivalry reached its peak from 1930 on. İdmanocağı won five titles in a row from 1929 to 1933, with İdmangücü besting the record with seven titles in a row from 1934 to 1940. The league was dominated by Lise for six years, before İdmangücü took back the title in 1947–48. More clubs were being founded in Trabzon at the time, including Doğan Gençlik,
Akçaabat Sebatspor, Sürmene Gençlik, Zafer Gençlik, Yolspor, and Yalıspor. A month later,
İdmangücü,
Karadenizgücü,
Martıspor, and
Yolspor merged to form Trabzonspor. Their club colours were red and white. Trabzonspor completed its first year in professional leagues in 6th place among 20 teams in this league, following
Boluspor. In the following two years, Trabzonspor finished 4th in the league. In the 1970–71 season, Trabzonspor finished 8th. During the 1971–72 football season, Trabzonspor competed in the Red Group but missed promotion to the
Turkish First Football League (currently called the
Süper Lig) by two points. A year later, Trabzonspor experienced the same fate; despite having the same points as the leader (
Kayserispor), it finished second due to goal difference and failed to achieve promotion to the
Turkish First Football League. In the 1973–74 season, Trabzonspor won the Red Group by finishing six points ahead of its closest rival,
Sakaryaspor. Although Trabzonspor lost the championship match against the winner of the other group (
Zonguldakspor) in a penalty shootout, it finally earned promotion to the Turkish First Football League. During these years, players like
Necmi Perekli,
Şenol Güneş, and
Cemil Usta, who would later become part of the championship-winning team, started to feature in the squad. Perekli became the league’s top scorer twice while playing for Trabzonspor.
1973–1984: The Golden Era of Championships Ahmet Suat Özyazıcı took over as manager in 1973. Özyazıcı played for
İdmanocağı, the precursor club to Trabzonspor. This period covers Trabzonspor’s phase after being promoted to the
Turkish First Football League. Trabzonspor was promoted to the Turkish First Football League in 1974. Its first season in this league was the
1974–75 season, during which Trabzonspor finished 9th with 30 points. In addition, during the same year, Trabzonspor reached the final of the
Turkish Cup but failed to win the trophy after defeating
Beşiktaş 1–0 at home and losing 2–0 in
Istanbul. The
1975–76 football season was the first time Trabzonspor won the
Turkish First Football League championship. During this season, Trabzonspor climbed to the top of the league after defeating
Fenerbahçe 1–0 in
Trabzon and maintained its lead until the end of the season. Under the leadership of
Ahmet Suat Özyazıcı, the team secured the championship with 43 points, three points ahead of
Fenerbahçe. From its first championship in the
1975–76 season until the
1983–84 season, Trabzonspor won six league titles. In this period, Trabzonspor missed out on the championship in the
1977–78 and
1981–82 seasons by one point and the
1982–83 season by two points. Trabzonspor secured its sixth league title in the
1983–84 season, finishing five points ahead of
Fenerbahçe. During the
1976–77 season,
Necmi Perekli became the first player from Trabzonspor to become the league’s top scorer, scoring 18 goals. During this era, Trabzonspor’s goalkeeper
Şenol Güneş achieved an extraordinary feat by not conceding a goal for 1,110 minutes between 17 September 1978 and 18 February 1979. This record made him the longest unbeaten goalkeeper in
Turkey’s leagues and the 15th longest in world football history. During this period, Trabzonspor also made their mark in
European football. The club famously defeated the then-
English champions
Liverpool 1–0 in the first leg of their second-round match-up in the
1976–77 European Cup, although they were eliminated after losing the second leg 3–0. Additionally, during this period, Trabzonspor won 3
Turkish Cups, 6
Presidential Cups, 3
Prime Minister's Cups, and the
Cyprus Peace Cup. Two of these championships came under the management of
Özkan Sümer, while the other four were achieved under
Ahmet Suat Özyazıcı. Özyazıcı currently serves as Trabzonspor’s Football Advisor, while Sümer served as Trabzonspor’s president for a time but resigned in protest after an incident in a match against
Fenerbahçe.
1984–1995: Transition and Renewed Ambitions From 1984 to the 1994–95 season, Trabzonspor finished seasons in rankings ranging from third to seventh place. Undergoing a new squad restructuring, Trabzonspor, during the tenure of head coach
Georges Leekens in the 1992–93 season, fell 10 points behind the leader in the first ten weeks of the season. The team went six weeks without a win, experiencing one of the worst periods in its history. However, players like
Ünal Karaman (who later became captain of the national team) and
Tolunay Kafkas were brought into the squad during this time. They became key players in Trabzonspor’s starting lineup as the team finished second in the league during the
1994–95 and
1995–96 seasons and re-entered the championship race. During this period, Trabzonspor’s most notable achievements were the
Turkish Cup titles won in 1992 and 1995, the
Presidential Cup in 1995, and the
Prime Minister’s Cup victories in 1985 and 1994.
1995–96 Season: Triumphs, Tragedies, and Missed Glory With the end of the 1993–94 season, Trabzonspor appointed its former captain
Şenol Güneş, who had been managing
İstanbulspor, as the head coach. Alongside
Hami Mandıralı, who is Trabzonspor’s all-time top scorer with 218 goals, and
Ogün Temizkanoğlu, players like
Shota Arveladze and
Archil Arveladze were added to the squad. Shota made a significant impact by scoring numerous goals in his first year. Trabzonspor lost the championship to
Beşiktaş in the 1994–95 season but managed to win both the
Turkish Cup and the
Presidential Cup. In the 1995–96 season, where Shota became the league’s top scorer, Trabzonspor missed the championship once again. On 5 May 1996, in a match held at
Hüseyin Avni Aker Stadium, Trabzonspor took a 1–0 lead but lost 2–1 to
Fenerbahçe after goals from
Oğuz Çetin in the 55th minute and
Aykut Kocaman in the 82nd minute. This loss is considered a significant trauma in Trabzonspor’s history. Following the match, a fan in
Görele,
Giresun, deeply saddened by the loss, committed suicide, leaving a note that read: "Wrap me in a Trabzonspor flag when I am buried. No one is responsible for my death. If I were to be reborn, I would want to be born as a Trabzonspor fan again." Despite failing to win the championship, Trabzonspor managed to secure the
Prime Minister's Cup at the end of the season. However, the effects of the missed championship lingered into the next season. After an away match against
Kocaelispor, fans were involved in a fatal car accident on their way back. At the funeral of the victims, players faced significant backlash, and captain
Ogün Temizkanoğlu was attacked by fans. By the early 2000s, the team underwent significant changes. Players like
Abdullah Ercan,
Ogün Temizkanoğlu, and
Tolunay Kafkas were let go, and expensive signings like
Rune Lange were made. However, players such as Rune Lange,
Kevin David Campbell, and
Jean-Jacques Missé-Missé failed to deliver successful performances for Trabzonspor. In some cases, such as with Rune Lange, disputes arose, leading to cases being taken to
FIFA.
2000s: Struggles, Restructuring, and Revival The early 2000s were one of the most unsuccessful periods in Trabzonspor’s history. In the
2001–02 season, the team finished 14th in the league, marking the worst season in its history. Additionally, this season went down in history as the one where Trabzonspor conceded the most goals and suffered the most defeats. Following this season, the then-president
Özkan Sümer decided to restructure the team by appointing
Samet Aybaba as the head coach. This restructuring included bringing in foreign players such as
Ibrahim Yattara, who became the club’s top assist provider and the foreign player with the longest tenure, and
Michael Petković, as well as homegrown talents like
Gökdeniz Karadeniz and
Fatih Tekke. This foundation led Trabzonspor to win the
Turkish Cup in the
2002–03 and
2003–04 seasons and contend for the championship in the
2003–04 and
2004–05 seasons, finishing second behind
Fenerbahçe in both seasons. After Trabzonspor lost a match to
Fenerbahçe in
Istanbul in 2004, Trabzonspor fans accused referee
Cem Papila of making incorrect decisions that cost the team the championship. Fans organized a protest in
Trabzon attended by 40,000 people, calling for the resignation of the
Federation and the Central Referee Board. Following the backlash, Cem Papila announced his retirement from refereeing. Under the presidency of Nuri Albayrak, Trabzonspor sought success by signing high-profile foreign players like
Marcelinho and
Kiki Musampa. However, these players struggled to adapt to the team. In 2008, Sadri Şener was elected as president. Following this, a large part of the squad was replaced, with
Ersun Yanal being appointed as head coach and 25 new players being transferred. With these transfers, Trabzonspor competed for the championship until the final weeks of the
2008–09 season, ultimately finishing third.
2010s: Challenges, Rebuilding, and Financial Restructuring The Trabzonspor management appointed
Hugo Broos as head coach for the following season, but his contract was terminated after poor results.
Şenol Güneş was then hired as his replacement. With Güneş at the helm, the team achieved positive results. In the
2009–10 season, Trabzonspor won both the
Turkish Super Cup and the
Turkish Cup. Trabzonspor finished the first half of the
2010–11 season as league leaders. However, despite finishing the season with 82 points, Trabzonspor lost the title to
Fenerbahçe on goal difference. That season, following the
2011 Turkish football match-fixing scandal involving
Fenerbahçe on 3 July 2011, Trabzonspor requested that the championship trophy be awarded to them. Trabzonspor decided to take the matter to
CAS and
FIFA. While this process was ongoing, Trabzonspor lost several key players and entered the
2011–12 season with a significantly different squad, finishing in third place. In the
2012–13 season, Sadri Şener was succeeded by
İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu as club president. After losing 3–1 to
Elazığspor in the 19th week of the season,
Şenol Güneş, who had been managing the team since 2009, resigned, and
Tolunay Kafkas was appointed as interim head coach until the end of the season. The team performed poorly compared to the previous season, finishing ninth in the league, but qualified for the
UEFA Europa League by reaching the
Turkish Cup final, where they lost 1–0 to
Fenerbahçe. In the
2013–14 season, Trabzonspor signed players such as
Florent Malouda and
José Bosingwa and appointed
Mustafa Reşit Akçay as head coach. Despite struggling in the league, Trabzonspor successfully qualified for the
UEFA Europa League group stage by defeating
Derry City,
Dinamo Minsk, and
Kukesi in the qualifying rounds. In the group stage, they were drawn with
Lazio,
Apollon Limassol, and
Legia Warsaw, finishing as undefeated group leaders with 14 points. However, they were eliminated in the Round of 32 by
Juventus, losing both legs 2–0. After Akçay resigned in the 20th week of the league,
Hami Mandıralı was appointed as head coach. Trabzonspor finished fourth, qualifying for the
Europa League once again. Before the
2014–15 season,
Vahid Halilhodžić was appointed as head coach, and the squad underwent significant changes, with nearly 20 new signings, including
Óscar Cardozo,
Mehmet Ekici,
Kévin Constant,
Waris, and
Yatabare. However, poor results led to Halilhodžić’s dismissal after the 10th week, and
Ersun Yanal returned for a second stint. Under Yanal’s management, Trabzonspor performed better, advancing to the Europa League Round of 32 by finishing second in a group that included
Metalist Kharkiv,
Lokeren, and
Legia Warsaw. They were eliminated by
Napoli, losing 4–0 at home and 1–0 in the return leg. Trabzonspor finished the league in fifth place, and Yanal departed at the end of the season. Before the
2015–16 season,
Shota Arveladze was appointed head coach but resigned after an 11th-week loss to
İstanbul Başakşehir. On 6 December 2015,
Muharrem Usta was elected president. The team was temporarily managed by
Sadi Tekelioğlu until the mid-season break, after which
Hami Mandıralı returned as head coach. During this period, Trabzonspor faced financial difficulties and disputes over player payments, leading to some foreign players leaving before the season ended. The team finished the league with 12 wins, 4 draws, and 18 losses, totaling 40 points and finishing in 12th place. They suffered their worst defeat in league history, losing 7–0 to
Antalyaspor in the 33rd week.
Hami Mandıralı resigned after the match. Ahead of the
2016–17 season,
Ersun Yanal returned for his third stint as head coach. Under the leadership of president Muharrem Usta, Trabzonspor initiated a restructuring process ahead of the club’s 50th anniversary. Many players were released, and due to financial restrictions imposed by
UEFA, the club focused on signing low-cost players. After a disappointing first half of the season, finishing 13th with 18 points, Trabzonspor strengthened their squad during the mid-season break. Moving to their new stadium,
Şenol Güneş Stadium, the team improved significantly, climbing to fifth place. Trabzonspor played their first official match at
Şenol Güneş Stadium on 29 January 2017, defeating
Gaziantepspor 4–0, with
Fabian Castillo scoring the first goal in the new stadium’s history. Trabzonspor suffered their first defeat at the new stadium on 8 April 2017, losing 4–3 to
Beşiktaş. In the
2018–19 season,
Ahmet Ağaoğlu was elected as president, highlighting the club’s financial difficulties. Under Ağaoğlu’s leadership, the club restructured its debts, and
Ünal Karaman, a club legend from the 1990s, was appointed head coach. Despite injuries to key players and a transfer ban during the mid-season window, the team finished fourth, five points behind champions
Galatasaray. However, a crisis between Karaman and Ağaoğlu at the end of 2019 led to Karaman’s resignation, and assistant coach
Hüseyin Çimşir, who had previously won the league with
Bursaspor as a player, was appointed as head coach.
2020s: Resurgence and the Long-Awaited Championship In the
2019–20 season, thanks to debt restructuring and appropriate transfers, the team became one of the strongest candidates for the championship from the beginning of the season. It experienced its brightest period in the last 10 years, entering the break due to the
COVID-19 pandemic as league leaders with 8 weeks remaining. However, just before the season resumed, Trabzonspor was banned from
European competitions by
UEFA for violating financial fair play regulations. Following the pandemic break, the team experienced a performance drop and on 19 July 2020, missed out on what was its closest shot at the championship in 36 years. At the end of the season,
İstanbul Başakşehir claimed the title. After the loss of the championship, head coach
Hüseyin Çimşir was dismissed, and his assistant,
Eddie Newton, was appointed as the new head coach. That season, despite narrowly missing the
Süper Lig title, Trabzonspor defeated
Alanyaspor in the
Turkish Cup final, securing the trophy for the first time in 10 years, marking their 9th
Turkish Cup victory. Trabzonspor continued with
Eddie Newton for the
2020–21 season. However, after failing to deliver the expected performance in the first 8 weeks, Newton was dismissed, and the club signed
Abdullah Avcı as head coach. Under
Eddie Newton’s management, the team had dropped to the relegation zone, but with
Abdullah Avcı’s arrival, Trabzonspor climbed to 4th place and finished the season in that position. Additionally, the
Turkish Super Cup, which had been postponed the previous season due to the pandemic, was played on 27 January 2021, and Trabzonspor defeated
İstanbul Başakşehir to claim the trophy for the 9th time in their history. In the 40 matches played in the league that season, Trabzonspor recorded 19 wins, 14 draws, and 7 losses, amassing 71 points to finish 4th. This result earned them a place in the
2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League starting from the
third qualifying round. However, in the
2020–21 Turkish Cup, Trabzonspor was eliminated in the 5th round by
Adana Demirspor, losing 4–3 on penalties after a 2–2 draw in regular and extra time. Trabzonspor made a strong start to the
2021–22 Süper Lig season. On 30 April 2022, Trabzonspor clinched the
2021–22 Süper Lig title, marking their first league championship in 38 years. The club’s previous league triumph was in the
1983–84 season, and this historic victory ended nearly four decades of longing for their passionate fanbase. Trabzonspor secured the title after a 2–2 draw with
Antalyaspor at their home ground,
Şenol Güneş Sports Complex. The result ensured an unassailable lead at the top of the table with three matches remaining in the season. Under the management of
Abdullah Avcı, Trabzonspor demonstrated consistent performances throughout the season, maintaining a dominant position in the league standings. Their balanced squad and tactical discipline were instrumental in their success, with standout performances from key players such as
Anastasios Bakasetas and
Anthony Nwakaeme. The championship victory was met with widespread celebrations across
Trabzon and among the club’s global supporters. Fans filled the streets of
Trabzon, waving the club’s maroon-and-blue colors and chanting songs of triumph. The joyous occasion underscored the significance of the title, which reaffirmed Trabzonspor’s status as one of Turkey’s most historic and successful football clubs. This title was Trabzonspor’s seventh
Süper Lig championship and their first since the introduction of the modern
Turkish league format. It also marked a significant moment in Turkish football history, breaking the Istanbul-based dominance of
Beşiktaş,
Fenerbahçe, and
Galatasaray, which had collectively won every league title since 1984. After the 2021–22 title, Trabzonspor opened 2022–23 by winning the
Turkish Super Cup, beating
Sivasspor 4–0 in Istanbul. Their
UEFA Champions League return ended in the play-off round against
Copenhagen (1–2 on aggregate), which sent the club into the UEFA Europa League group stage. In Europa League Group H they finished third behind
Monaco and
Ferencváros, then dropped to the Europa Conference League, where they were eliminated by
FC Basel in the knockout round play-offs (1–2 agg.). A run of poor domestic results led head coach
Abdullah Avcı to resign in March 2023; Croatian coach
Nenad Bjelica took over the following month, and the team finished sixth in the Süper Lig. Bjelica departed in October 2023 and Avcı returned for a second spell; the club placed third in 2023–24 and reached the Turkish Cup final, losing 3–2 to
Beşiktaş at the
Atatürk Olympic Stadium, thereby securing qualification for the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League. In 2024–25, Trabzonspor started with an early European exit, losing to
Rapid Wien in the
UEFA Europa League qualifying play-off (2–2 h, 0–3 a). Head coach Abdullah Avcı then departed by mutual consent at the start of September, and the team was taken over by
Şenol Güneş toward the new year. Domestically, Trabzonspor reached the
Turkish Cup final but were beaten 3–0 by Galatasaray at the
Gaziantep Stadium on 23 May 2025, and concluded the Süper Lig season in 7th place with 51 points. == Supporters ==