Arif Erdem

Erdem played for Zeytinburnuspor before signing his first professional contract with Galatasaray on 1 June 1991. He made 29 total appearances in his first season with the club, scoring four goals. Erdem made fewer appearances the following season, providing four goals in 18 appearances as the club achieved a domestic treble (Süper Lig, Turkish Cup, and Turkish Super Cup). The next season, 1993–94, was Erdem's most successful to date. His nine goals in the league helped Galatasaray earn another league title. Erdem was plagued by injuries during his tenure, and he left the Spanish club after six months, scoring one goal in two appearances. He returned with Galatasaray on 14 November 2000. The following season, Erdem won the Gol Kralı award, an award given to the top scorer of the Süper Lig, en route to his seventh league title with the club. Erdem closed out his professional career with a Turkish Cup win in 2004–05. ==International career==

Erdem began his international career with the Turkey U21 national team in 1991, scoring one goal in 10 caps. He participated in the Akdeniz Cup with the Turkish Olympic team in 1993, and earned his first senior team cap in 1994. Two years later, Turkey qualified for Euro 1996. He was called up, but Turkey didn't achieve any points. An exceptional moment of his international career came during the UEFA Euro 2000 qualification, he netted three times within three minutes against Northern Ireland. Turkey qualified and Erdem was included in squad. He was a significant part of the team, especially in a winning clash against co-host Belgium. During the match, he was fouled many times and caused a red card for Filip De Wilde. Turkey qualified to the next round, but lost to Portugal. Erdem missed a penalty in the 46th minute. He took a part at 2002 FIFA World Cup as well, but he didn't play much. His senior international career lasted from 1994 to 2003, where he scored 11 goals in 60 appearances. ==Coaching career==

Erdem had been an assistant coach with İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor since 2006. On 18 November 2011, after the assignation of Abdullah Avcı to Turkey national football team, he became the new head coach of İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor. At the end of the season, his contract was terminated by club at 14 May 2012. ==Personal life==

Erdem is of Albanian descent, through his parents who left Kumanovo. He reportedly fled to Greece in 2016 after the failed Turkish coup of 2016, due to his supposed links to the Gülen movement, categorized by the Turkish government as a terrorist organization. ==Career statistics==

Club International :''Scores and results list Turkey's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Erdem goal.'' ==Managerial statistics==

Galatasaray • Süper Lig: 1992–93, 1993–94, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02 • Turkish Cup: 1992–93, 1995–96, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2004–05 • Turkish Super Cup: 1992–93, 1995–96, 1996–97 • UEFA Cup: 1999–2000 Turkey • FIFA World Cup third place: 2002 ==References==