Top Goal Scorers For Turkey Football Team All-Time: Football in Turkey started officially in 1923 when the National Football Association was formed. Turkey joined FIFA in the same year and became a part of UEFA in 1962. They first participated in the World Cup in 1954, but their big achievement came in 2002 when they won the bronze medal in the World Cup held in Japan and South Korea.
Their next major success was in 2008 when they reached the semi-finals of the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland. Turkey has produced many talented footballers who are famous worldwide.
Top Goal Scorers For Turkey Football Team All-Time
Let’s take a look at the top goal scorers for the Turkey football team of all time.
1. Hakan Şükür
- Career Span: 1992–2007
- Matches: 112
- Goals: 51
- Average: 0.46
Hakan Şükür is Turkey’s top goal scorer. He played his first game for Turkey in 1992 and scored his first international goal in the next match against Denmark. He scored a total of six goals in his first 11 matches. During the qualification for Euro 1996, he scored seven goals, but Turkey couldn’t advance past the group stage in the tournament.
One of his remarkable moments came in the 2002 World Cup held in South Korea and Japan. He scored a goal in the third-place play-off match against South Korea, just 10.8 seconds into the game, which is the fastest goal in FIFA World Cup history. Turkey finished in third place in that tournament.
Şükür played 112 senior matches for Turkey and captained the team in thirty of them. He also played in some Euro 2008 qualifiers, scoring four goals against Moldova in a match. However, he was not selected for the Euro 2008 finals. His last game for the national team was a 0–1 loss to Greece in 2007 when he was 36 years old.
2. Burak Yılmaz
- Career Span: 2006–2022
- Matches: 77
- Goals: 31
- Average: 0.4
Burak Yılmaz is the second-highest goal scorer for the Turkish national football team. He made his debut for the senior Turkish national team on April 12, 2006, in a match against Azerbaijan. Yılmaz scored his first international goal on June 3, 2011, against Belgium. He created history by becoming the first player in the Turkish national team to score a goal in four consecutive games.
On June 11, 2017, Yılmaz scored his 23rd international goal, surpassing Hakan Şükür as the Turkish national team’s all-time top scorer at that time. He captained the Turkish team in the 2021 European Football Championship but couldn’t lead them to the knockout stage. Yılmaz reached his 30th goal for Turkey in a World Cup qualifier against Latvia on October 11, 2021, making him the second Turkish player to achieve this milestone.
He retired from the Turkish national team on March 24, 2022, after his team’s defeat in the World Cup qualifying playoff against Portugal, having scored 31 goals in 77 international matches.
3. Tuncay Şanlı
- Career Span: 2002–2010
- Matches: 80
- Goals: 22
- Average: 0.28
Tuncay Şanlı is the third-highest goal scorer for the Turkish national football team. He served as the vice-captain of the team, with Emre Belözoğlu being the main captain. Tuncay scored 22 international goals in 80 appearances. He achieved two international hat-tricks during his career. The first one was against Switzerland in a 2006 World Cup qualifying play-off match, but Turkey didn’t advance to the World Cup due to the away goals rule. His second hat-trick was in a friendly against Austria in November 2008.
In the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, Tuncay made a significant impact. He scored three goals and provided an assist, winning the Silver Shoe Award and the Silver Ball Award, which recognized him as the second-best player of the tournament. Tuncay, along with Argentina’s Gabriel Batistuta, holds the record for scoring the quickest goal in the history of the Confederations Cup, within 120 seconds.
During the Euro 2008 qualifiers, Tuncay played eleven games, scoring three goals. He played a crucial role in Turkey’s journey to the semi-finals, where they were known as the “Comeback Kings.” In one match, he even played as a goalkeeper for a few minutes. He also contributed with two assists during the Euro 2008 finals.
In the 2010 World Cup Qualifying, Tuncay managed three goals and two assists in seven games. He was the captain of the team when Turkey and Armenia received the FIFA Fair Play Award in 2008 for their sportsmanship despite historical political tensions. Despite his efforts, Turkey didn’t qualify for Group 5.
4. Lefter Küçükandonyadis
- Career Span: 1948–1963
- Matches: 46
- Goals: 21
- Average: 0.46
Lefter Küçükandonyadis is the fourth-highest goal scorer for the Turkish national football team, with a total of 21 goals in 50 appearances. He served as the team captain in eight games. He made his debut and scored his first goal on April 23, 1948, in a 3-1 victory against Greece at the Panathinaikos Stadium.
In the summer of 1948, Küçükandonyadis represented Turkey in the 14th Summer Olympics in London. The team reached the quarter-finals but was eliminated by Yugoslavia, who later won the silver medal. This achievement marked one of Turkey’s greatest successes in international football.
Küçükandonyadis played a significant role in Turkey’s first-ever World Cup appearance in 1954. He scored two goals in three games during the tournament and captained the team for the first time. His outstanding contributions earned him the Football Association’s Golden Medal of Honor.
In a friendly match on February 19, 1956, Küçükandonyadis played a crucial role in ending the era of Hungary’s legendary golden team, scoring two goals in a 3-1 victory at Mithatpaşa Stadı. His legacy as a 4th top goal scorer for Turkey remains significant in the country’s football history.
5. Metin Oktay
- Career Span: 1956–1968
- Matches: 36
- Goals: 19
- Average: 0.53
Metin Oktay is the fifth-highest goal scorer for the Turkish national football team. He made his debut for the U-18 national team against Belgium on April 11, 1954, where Turkey won 4-0 in Leverkusen. His first international match and goal for the senior national team occurred on December 18, 1955, against Portugal.
During his 13-year international career, Oktay played 36 matches for Turkey and scored 19 goals. This achievement places him as the fifth-best player in the Turkish national team’s history, sharing this position with Nihat Kahveci and Cemil Turan. Oktay’s contributions to the team have solidified his legacy as one of Turkey’s notable goal-scorers.
6. Cemil Turan
- Career Span: 1969–1979
- Matches: 44
- Goals: 19
- Average: 0.43
Cemil Turan is the sixth-highest goal scorer for the Turkish national football team. He played 44 games and scored 19 goals during his time with the national team.
In 1980, Cemil retired from professional football. Presently, he serves as a coordinator at Fenerbahçe, a renowned football club in Turkey.
7. Nihat Kahveci
- Career Span: 2000–2011
- Matches: 68
- Goals: 19
- Average: 0.28
Nihat Kahveci is the seventh-highest goal scorer for the Turkish national football team. He made his debut for the Turkish national team on October 7, 2000, in a World Cup qualifying match against Sweden, which ended in a 1-1 draw. His first goal for the national team was scored on October 6, 2001, in a World Cup qualifying match against Moldova, contributing to a 3-0 victory.
Kahveci represented Turkey in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, and the 2008 UEFA European Championship. Turkey finished in third place in all three tournaments.
After recovering from two cruciate ligament tears, he made a successful comeback to the national team on October 8, 2005, in a friendly against Germany, which Turkey won 2-1. He continued his scoring streak in crucial qualifying matches for the 2008 European Football Championship, scoring against Norway and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In the group stage of Euro 2008, he scored the equalizer against the Czech Republic and later netted the winning goal. His goals helped Turkey qualify for the quarter-finals against Croatia. Unfortunately, he was injured in the quarterfinals and couldn’t play in the semifinals against Germany.
8. Cenk Tosun
- Career Span: 2013–
- Matches: 49
- Goals: 18
- Average: 0.37
Cenk Tosun is the eighth-highest goal scorer for the Turkish national football team. He made his first appearance for the Turkey A2 team in a game against Norway A2 in November 2011. Tosun played for the Turkish U-21 team for the first time in February 2012 as a substitute against the Danish U-21 team.
After a gap of more than two and a half years, Tosun was called up by the Turkish national coach Fatih Terim for the World Cup qualifiers against Estonia and the Netherlands in October 2013. He was part of the Turkish squad for the 2016 European Championships in France. He played in the opening game against Croatia and was substituted in the final third but didn’t play in the second game and was only used in the final minutes against the Czech Republic. Turkey didn’t progress beyond the group stage in that tournament.
Tosun played a key role in the successful European Championship qualification for UEFA Euro 2020, being his team’s top goal scorer with five goals in six qualifying appearances. However, he couldn’t participate in the Euro 2020 tournament due to a tendon injury sustained in April 2021 during club league play. His last senior international appearance was in November 2020 in the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League.
9. Hakan Çalhanoğlu
- Career Span: 2013–
- Matches: 80
- Goals: 17
- Average: 0.21
Hakan Çalhanoğlu is the ninth-highest goal scorer for the Turkish national football team. Born in Germany, he chose to play for Turkey due to his family’s roots in Trabzon.
Çalhanoğlu made his senior international debut on September 6, 2013, in a World Cup qualifier against Andorra. He scored his first international goal in a friendly match against Luxembourg on March 31, 2015, with a remarkable 30-yard strike. He continued to contribute with goals, scoring two more in a friendly win over Bulgaria, including a free kick.
His first competitive goal came on October 10, 2015, in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match against the Czech Republic, where his cross led to a 2–0 away win. Notably, Çalhanoğlu became the first Turkish player to score against England in a friendly match in May 2016, equalizing in a 2–1 defeat.
In the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers, he scored the second goal in Turkey’s 2–0 victory over Albania in the opening match. Çalhanoğlu’s contributions have solidified his position as one of Turkey’s top goal-scorers.
10. Arda Turan
- Career Span: 2006–2017
- Matches: 100
- Goals: 17
- Average: 0.17
Arda Turan is the tenth-highest goal scorer for the Turkish national football team, having 100 appearances for Turkey at the senior level. He made his international debut in a friendly against Luxembourg on August 16, 2006, after progressing through the youth national teams.
Turan played a significant role in Turkey’s Euro 2008 campaign, scoring crucial goals during the tournament. He scored a last-minute winner against Switzerland in the group stage, and in the match against the Czech Republic, he scored Turkey’s first goal, leading them to a comeback victory. He also converted a penalty in the shootout against Croatia in the quarter-finals, helping Turkey reach the semi-finals, where they were eventually eliminated by Germany.
During the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Turan scored two goals, but Turkey failed to advance from their group. He also scored goals in the Euro 2012 qualifiers, but Turkey was eliminated by Croatia in the playoffs, missing out on the tournament.
In June 2017, Turan was involved in a controversial incident with a journalist and initially stated he wouldn’t play for Turkey again. However, he later returned to the national team under new coach Mircea Lucescu. Turan made his 100th and final international appearance for Turkey in a 3–0 defeat to Iceland in a 2018 World Cup qualifying group match in October 2017.
